⛰️ Mittens Climbs the Big Hill

Behind Mittens's house there was a hill. It was green and round, like a giant sleeping cat. Every day, Mittens looked at the top and wondered what she could see from up there.

One sunny morning, she packed a tiny bag with a fish biscuit and set off. Pad, pad, pad went her white paws on the path.

Halfway up, she met a sheep. "Baa," said the sheep. "Meow," said Mittens. They did not speak the same language, but they smiled at each other anyway.

The path grew steeper. Mittens's legs felt wobbly. She sat on a rock and ate half of her fish biscuit. "I can do it," she told herself. "One little step at a time."

So she took one little step. And another. And another. The wind whooshed through the grass and ruffled her fur, as if it was pushing her gently from behind.

And then, suddenly, there was no more hill to climb. Mittens was at the top! She could see her house, which looked as small as a toy. She could see the river, shining like a ribbon, and the fields stitched together like a patchwork quilt.

Mittens ate the other half of her fish biscuit and looked and looked. It was the best view in the world, and she had climbed all the way up on her very own paws.