Stowaway Cat
by Madison Rappaport
Roslyn and Max Margles Young Writers Contest
Honourable Mention - Grades 3 & 4
Once upon a time, there lived a cute little cat named Luna. Luna loved cuddling with her owners, Rachel and Mia.
One day, Rachel and Mia decided to plan a trip to the Bahamas on a cruise ship. When the day came for them to travel, Rachel was rushing to pack her luggage in their apartment. One thing you should know about Luna is that she’s really curious. She squeezed into the suitcase before Rachel entered the room and zipped it closed. A few minutes later, they were in a taxi to get to the cruise port. Rachel and Mia rolled their luggage until they got to “Baggage Drop” and they gave the suitcase that had Luna in it to the Porter!
Soon enough, they got on the ship and little did they know that their own cat was embarking with them! The ship's name was “Icon of The Seas.” Rachel and Mia got on the ship and the first thing they did was go to Sorrento’s, the pizza place. Meanwhile, Luna and the luggage were being delivered to Rachel and Mia’s room 8758.
When the Captain announced to everyone on the microphone that their rooms were ready, they raced up the stairs to the 8th floor. The second they got to their room, they started to unpack. To their surprise, they heard a “Meow” coming from the inside of their luggage! As they started to take out their clothes from the suitcase, Luna burst out and ran around the room. After about 5 minutes of zoomies, Luna jumped on the bed and curled up to nap.
Rachel and Mia were scared that Luna would escape the room but they were so tired that they went to bed and accidently left the balcony door open, and Luna crawled through the gap. She then jumped down onto a lifeboat, and then she climbed onto the walking track that went around the whole ship. There she met a dog named Rover who was a mascot on the ship. Rover chased her all the way to the bridge, where the Captain steered the ship.
Before the Captain saw her, Rover started chasing Luna again but Luna escaped back up onto the balcony and then into her room.
In the morning, Rachel and Mia left Luna in the room while they went snorkeling in Saint-Thomas. When they left the room, Luna snuck out of it again before they closed the door. She went exploring the ship and she sniffed the best smell ever! She followed the scent and it led her to the AquaDome Market.
After she ate a piece of strawberry crepe, she went to the AquaDome Theatre where people were practicing the aquatic show they would be performing that night. She arrived right at the time where two people were on a huge wheel spinning around. She wondered what it was so she jumped on it and all the performers were amazed! Luna got excited by all their cheers and clapping, then raced back to her room. She hid in the hallway until the Room Attendant opened the door to clean it, and watched him make a towel animal shaped like a frog. She snuck in and hid under the bed until he left.
A few hours later, Rachel and Mia found Luna on the bed sleeping next to the towel frog. At the same time, they heard a knock at the door. It was the Captain!
“Is this your cat?” he asked, pointing to Luna on the bed.
“It is. I’m sorry that she hid in our bags.” Rachel replied.
“It’s okay, you’re not in trouble. Actually, your cat had quite the adventure. The performers and audience at the aqua show were amazed by her talent. They would like to invite her to be part of their team permanently, but of course, that’s only if you're willing to stay here too,” the Captain said.
“It is our dream to be able to be part of something on a cruise ship,” Mia told him.
“Well, we have two openings in our kid’s club, Adventure Ocean. As long as you wouldn’t mind taking care of children?” the captain said.
“We love working with kids!” they said. “In fact, for the past two summers, we were both counselors at White Pine summer camp,” they exclaimed.
And that’s how Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines became famous for their “Aqua Action” show, featuring “Luna and her amazing AcroCATics!”
Jury comments
The jury said that "Stowaway Cat" by Madison Rappaport was a sweet and vividly detailed story with a clear and satisfying arc. They praised its lively language, wonderful feline energy, and heartwarming happy ending.