Through the Mirror and Into Snow Read Online Free

was waiting for the other to chicken out, Val and Sam stood there for a moment staring at each other. Valerie finally reached up to unlatch the door. Before they could walk in, Otter darted in ahead of them and started sniffing around. The trail led her to the wooden ladder that reached the top level—the hayloft. The cat must have run up it to safety. Not being quite brave or dim-witted enough to climb it and finish the pursuit, Otter continued to sniff around with a new-found vengeance.
    “I bet she smells the possum,” Samantha said.
    Otter circled in front of the table then sniffed along Leroy’s pen. She continued to investigate the strange smells but stayed in the barn. Right away the girls checked the table. Sir Lexington was there, eager to be loved, but he was alone. They both gave him a quick pat.
    “Where’s your friend, Lex?” Valerie asked.
    Samantha took her turn petting him. “We heard you had an ugly buddy. Where’d he get to?” Sir Lexington replied with his happy purr and enjoyed the late night guests.
    They were so involved in petting and talking to the cats, Val and Sam had forgotten their mission for a little while. When Otter dashed over to the tack room, they were brought back to the task at hand. As they got closer, they saw she had her nose pressed up against a small hole by the doorframe and was excitedly wagging her tail. The girls walked to the door.

Chapter 4
    O TTER W HINED A ND K EPT P USHING her nose in the hole as far as she could. Her tail wagged so fast, I thought she’d take off flying. Even on a regular day, Otter’s tail is not something you ever wanted to get in the way of. It’s much worse when she gets excited. Val’s dad often commented about how he wished her tail was docked like Dottie’s. Dottie was part boxer as well as Dalmatian and her tail had been docked when she was a puppy. Otter’s, on the other hand, would knock over anything in its way. I’m living proof. Okay. I’ll cave. That’s why I have hot glue on my hat. It’s an embarrassing tale, but hey, chicks dig scars, right?
    “Do you think the possum is in there, Val?”
    “It must be. I don’t think she’d go this crazy if it was just one of the cats.”
    Val opened the door a crack then flipped the light switch. When it didn’t work, she tried it a few more times.
    “You can keep trying, Val, but I don’t think it’s going to do any good.”
    “Darn it. I remember my mom saying something about getting my dad to replace the bulb when he got back.”
    “I know I am more than capable of doing it myself,” her mom had said, “but I don’t feel like hauling the ladder over from the garage. I don’t really need the light since I’m usually out here before dark anyway.”
    Valerie had heard the statement enough to know it was coming and helped her mom finish the sentence. They said together, “There are just some jobs better left for men.”
    Valerie looked down at Otter. She realized she hadn’t gone running into the tack room ahead of them like she normally did. Oddly, she just sat at the doorway.
    “What’s up, Otter?” Valerie asked.
    Otter stayed sitting and wagged her tail, giving the dusty cement floor a good sweeping. The girls walked past her, leaving her sitting there.
    The tack room wasn’t much bigger than a walk-in closet or a large pantry. There was a large trashcan in the right corner to store grain for the horses. On the wall to the left, there were three wooden brackets to hold the saddles for the horses. Beside them were hooks for the bridles, halters, and lead ropes. They searched with flashlights, first looking behind the trashcan then under the saddles. They didn’t see any signs of an animal at all and were starting to get disappointed. Valerie returned her attention back toward the door at Otter. She tilted her head and wagged her tail but stayed at the doorway.
    “Come on, Otter. Where is it?”
    Otter got up and walked to the far corner opposite the trashcan.