into a house. Mia dismantled it and turned the rubble into a truck. She wondered if Rex had been the one to create it and looked around for him.
‘I doubt that, Mia, cats can’t lift stones, even these lighter ones.’
Mia sighed inwardly, she wished it to be Rex. Speaking of which, where was he?
Mum was saying something.
‘...possible he did it if a bird helped him.’
Mia liked the sound of that. ‘A bird, Mum?’
‘Why a crane of course,’ her mum laughed. ‘A crane to lift the rocks.’
‘Oh, very funny mother,’ Mia said dramatically and Mum smiled smugly.
‘Pretty pleased with yourself, hey?’
Mum shrugged then checked her phone, ‘Grandad says nice truck.’
‘You sent him a photo?’ Mia asked, trying to sound annoyed.
‘Mmm hmm.’
‘But seriously, Mum, where is Rex?’
‘I’m not sure, love – I’m sure he will turn up, maybe he’s gone home for a feed?’
Mia frowned in response. Where are you Rex? Mia missed him and was a little concerned about not seeing him.
The next day there was still no sign of Rex at Builders Wall.
‘It’s too early to say he’s missing, love, he might have gone to the vets or maybe he’s on holiday care while his owners are away. I’m sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.’
Mia traced an arch in the dirt with her foot. Something inside told her Rex wasn’t coming back. He’s missing, not on holiday.
‘Tell you what, if Rex isn’t back by the weekend we’ll search for him – put up some posters and look round. Okay?’
Mia nodded.
‘Have you seen the train?’
Mia smiled to see her truck was now a steam engine. ‘Who’s doing this? Someone is definitely playing a game with us.’
Mrs Glasson looked around, ‘Perhaps a little boy or girl like you lives here and saw your game. Now, they are playing with you.’
‘Maybe.’
‘What if the builders are doing it?’ Mrs Glasson drew Mia’s attention to the site. ‘They’re here every day. Maybe they saw us building and wanted to join in? They have a crane too you know – look.’
Mia narrowed her eyes and gave her mum a friendly scowl. ‘A crane – really, that old joke?’
Mia cast her eyes over the 1970s red brick apartment block they were in front of. There were no little faces peering through the gaps in the painted brick balconies, and all the windows facing the street had their blinds drawn. The street was quiet. No one looked to belong to their game. Across the road the building site was vacant, it seemed it would become a house after all. The foundation concrete had been poured and set with pipe ends poking out ready to take the plumbing. The first rows of bricks were laid and stacks of timber piled up at the side.
Mia considered the builders for a moment then decided, ‘No. No, Mum. It’s definitely a kid. Adults don’t play.’
Mum laughed, ‘What am I then?’
Mia tilted her head, ‘You’re different,’ she offered.
Mum frowned.
‘Well, it’s not that adults don’t play – it’s just, I don’t think many would want to play this game.’ Mia took interest again in the rock and rubble train. ‘It’s so clever, Mum. Only a child could build this.’
Mia played with the train, checking for people inside. She couldn’t find any way of making it better, and so put the roof that she’d taken off back on. She decided to leave a note and found a scrap of paper in her backpack.
Hello,
We like this game, please play with us. The engine is great. This is fun. What is your name? From Mia.
Looking for a convenient, dry place to leave the note they considered the entrance lamp behind the wall and along the path. The lamp turned out to be full of cobwebs, and there didn’t seem to be another spot for the note, so Mia and her mother decided the note was safest tucked between the rocks of the rubble engine.
The next day Rex was still missing.
‘Still think Rex went to the vet, Mum?’
‘Maybe not,’ Mum sighed, ‘maybe someone else fed him today?’
‘But he’s always here. Can you remember a single day he wasn’t?’
‘I’m sure he’s not far, darling,’ Mum reasoned. She tried to ignore the strange feeling that Mia was right, Rex should be here.
Mia looked in the bushes and up the trees. She peered down the side of the apartment hoping Rex would appear.
‘He’ll be back, darling, maybe he’s at home in the warm. Why don’t you build something else?’
Mia shrugged her shoulders, ‘Will you help me?’
‘Of course,’ Mum agreed.
Mrs Glasson helped pull the train apart then watched Mia fiddle with the scraps trying to decide what to build. Once Mia knew what to do, Mrs Glasson passed pieces of brick and rubble in the order Mia asked. When the structure wobbled, she offered her hands for support. She smiled to see Mia bite her lip in concentration the way she did, and was happy that, for the moment, Mia had forgotten Rex.
Days later there was still no sign of the cat. Mia and her mum searched Meeks Mountain and the laneways and side streets that ran off it. On the weekend they asked at the café across the road if anyone had seen a big white cat with black and reddish markings.
‘I haven’t,’ said the man behind the coffee machine, ‘and I’m here most mornings to open up. Why don’t you ask my sister while I serve this man, she closes the shop. Oi, Christi.’
Christi was clearing a table and looked up, ‘What, Roma?’
‘This young lady has something to ask,’ Roma said turning to take an order.
Mia showed the pretty lady Mum’s phone, ‘We’re looking for this cat. Have you seen him?’
Christi studied the photo, ‘He’s a beauty, big too. I’d know him if I saw him. Sorry, haven’t seen a cat like him round here. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out. Why don’t you put up missing cat posters?’
‘Been doing that,’ Mrs Glasson said, handing her a brochure.
‘Good.
