Anton and Cecil Read Online Free

the heavens, thanked the stars, told and retold the story of their escape among themselves. They were surethe whale had been an omen, an evil spirit, a test that had been passed. Though the great finback was not seen again that day, every pair of eyes on the ship scanned the ocean for any sign of its return. Only one pair belonged to a creature who actually wished for it.

CHAPTER 3
    Brother Cats
    T he sailors who frequented the saloon had a favorite song, and it was Anton’s favorite as well. It had a refrain he waited for, his ears alert, his eyes unblinking, as he gazed through the smoke from his place behind the door. He recognized the words without knowing their meaning. He could run them through his head and pick them out sometimes in the speech of the men on the wharf: “Windy weather boys, stormy weather boys.” And then followed by “When the wind blows, we’re all together boys.” Anton, crouched in his corner, felt his fur lift along his spine.
    One chilly night, as the crowd took up this refrain, Anton was so enraptured that he peeked out from his hiding place. He wanted to be part of the music, and he looked at the people in the room for something that might explain to him why he was so drawn to it. How curious these faces were. Why were their noses the same color as their faces? Why was all the fur attached at either end of the head or, in some cases, only one end? Their movements were clumsy, and they made a lot of noise everywhere they went; they could be dangerous, as Sonya had warned, but this singing together brought out something that made Anton feel bold. Unthinking, he stuck his head out a little farther. He could see the singer and a man playing an instrument that whined like a tuneful wind.
    Just then the barman shoved the door aside, knocking Anton flat on his back, but only for a moment. Anton surged up, gathering his feet beneath him for a leap past the grumbling man to the top of a barrel. Worse luck, it was the barrel the barman was after and the sight of Anton balanced precariously upon it made him shout.
    â€œOut!” he commanded, waving his hand toward the bar. “Out with you, you sneaking creature.”
    Anton dived from the barrel, scrambling across the floor into the bar. Two men leaning against the high counter gave a shout of delight as he cleared the edge in one powerful jump. The wood was slippery and Anton skidded against the rail, but as the men made encouraging comments, he recovered his footing and leaped into the bustling room. The women laughed, the men taunted with what they thought were cat sounds. The barman came out and shouted something that made everyone laugh. Anton could see the door just ahead, but it was closed tight against the chill night. Boots were everywhere between him and his destination, and hands reached out to catch him, but he eluded them. The thought that he might be touched by these giant, rough, loud creatures made his throat feel tight. His eyes darted this way and that, and his ears rotated front to back, listening for a sound that would lead him to safety.
    And then he heard it, the thudding of boots approaching the door, the squeak of the hinges with a blast of icy air, as two new patrons came bustling inside, eager to get out of the cold. Anton recognized one of them, a young man wearing a bright bandana around his head, a singer with a voice like a summer breeze. Anton regretted that he couldn’t stay to listen as he made a dash for the four boots, spotted an opening between an unmatched pair, and shot out into the dark night.
    Anton kept running until he made the last turn to the lighthouse path. His brother was there, poking among the rocks near the shore, looking for something to eat. Cecil thrust his paws down between two jagged stones. Anton, wanting to appear casual and calm, slowed to a trot. He approached his brother’s tail, which was all he could see of him, waving gaily in the air. “Did you catch