How to be a Spy

*based off of http://data3.whicdn.com/images/24625182/77_1_original.jpg , this work was a competition between Messenger and I. Enjoy!*

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It isn’t easy being a toddler.

Grayson stared with growing frustration at the delectable treat up on the counter. His chubby hands could just barely brush the edges of the still-warm, chocolatey goodness known as a cookie. He felt frustrated tears welling in the corners of his eyes and furiously brushed them away.

Mommy would be in the shower for a good half hour to come. He had to get to the delicious treat and eat it before she got out.

Grayson thought back to a children’s spy show he had watched that morning. What would Agent Sneak have done?

Agent Sneak was the best spy in the history of the world, with his cool gadgets and evil bad guys and always saving the day (and the girl). Being ten years old, he was an old man compared to Grayson, making him even cooler. He also had an awesome sidekick, Frost the white cat. Frost would get through any obstacle Sneak couldn’t, dodging laser beams and knocking out bad guys with a twitch of his tail.

Grayson’s eyes widened. That’s it! He could use a cat sidekick!

His small eyes scanned the room for assistance. There he was, sleeping on the back of the couch as he always was. Wyatt, Mommy’s dirty orange tabby cat.

Grayson glanced at the clock. He had about twenty-five minutes to train Wyatt to grab the cookie, return it to Grayson, and eat it before Mommy returned.

He started towards the family room couch, flinched when Wyatt open his yellow eyes to glare at Grayson. Wyatt was a purposefully cruel cat, often killing small creatures for the fun of it, then dropping the mutilated corpses on Grayson’s bed. He had scratched up the couch and curtains so badly that they were in shreds, and Mommy had a small scar on the back of one hand where Wyatt had bitten her as a kitten.

Remembering this, Grayson faltered in his stride. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea...

Even as these thoughts first made their appearance in Grayson’s small toddler mind, Wyatt stood up and arched his back, fur prickling, hissing threateningly. His claws slid slowly from his paws, razor sharp and dangerous.

Grayson quickly backed away, apologies streaming from his mouth. The tabby watched him suspiciously with yellow eyes, then slowly settled back into its original position.

Grayson needed a new plan. Wyatt obviously did not wish to be approached within 10 feet, much less be trained to retrieve a cookie neatly.

Agent Sneak sometimes had plans fall through. What would that brilliant ten-year-old do without his cat sidekick?

Grayson wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, pondering his options. A measuring tape sticking out of a drawer caught his eye. Maybe if he used it to drag the cookie closer...

He grabbed it and pulled out the tape as far as it would go. Approaching the counter, he blindly wiggled the tape along the surface. No such luck. He tried bending it to the right angle, but it still didn’t make contact with the treat. Grayson began to feel defeated. He wasn’t used to having to work so hard for something like this, without any sign of success...

Grayson waddled to his tiny chair at the table and collapsed into it, exhausted from all this thinking. He wiped his forehead and glared at the cookie, as high and mighty as a king in his throne. If only he were a little bit taller, he could reach it!

Another idea struck him. Agent Sneak sometimes used tools to make himself taller or avoid detection, such as stilts or jetpacks. Well, Grayson may not have had a jetpack, but he did have his tiny, toddler-sized chair!

He stood up and turned to attempt to lift his custom-made chair. It was white, with trains painted on the back. It was a gift from Granddad, and, as it turned out, very heavy.

Grayson groaned with the effort as he dragged the chair across the wood floor. The legs scraped against the pantry door, emitting a horrid screeching noise that resounded through the kitchen. Grayson froze, both creeped out by the terrible sound and listening for his mother’s return.

Too late. Mommy footsteps began to come down the upstairs hall, the floorboards creaking above Grayson’s head. He began to panic, dragging the small chair back to its proper position by the table, then stood nervously, shifting from foot to foot.

Mommy reached the landing at the top of the stairs and stopped, calling his name.

“Grayson? Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Grayson frantically looked around, unsure of what to do. There wasn’t any evidence of what he had been trying to do, but he couldn’t get the guilty look to leave his face. He had to look natural. He had to make Mommy go back to the shower! He...he...he couldn’t think...

What would Agent Sneak do? The question yet again came to mind. Agent Sneak was an excellent liar, coming up with the best explanations as to why he was someplace he shouldn’t be. What would he say?

“I...uh...” Grayson started, his brain whirring for a solution.

“What was that, honey? I couldn’t hear you.” Mommy came down a few steps. Her hand appeared on the banister, pink nails bright on the dark wood.

“It was just Wyatt! He...uh...fell off the couch!” Grayson called hurriedly.

Mommy came down further. “He did? Oh no, poor baby. I should make sure he didn’t hurt himself...he’s such a grumpy cat when he’s sick...”

Grayson jumped up and down in terror. Agent Sneak, Agent Sneak would keep his cool...

“No! No! He’s fine. Really, Mommy! He just got right back up and went right to sleep!” he cried.

“He did? That’s a bit unlike him, now, isn’t it? Maybe I should check on him, just to be sure...” The stairs creaked as she came all the way down to the bottom landing. Grayson could see her delicate figure, body wrapped in one towel, hair twisted up to point at the sky in another.

This couldn’t be happening! Grayson clutched his head in panic, saying anything that came to him.

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

But she was already down. She came down the hall, hardly paying attention to stricken Grayson at all, and peered at Wyatt. He bared his yellow fangs at her, and Mommy shrugged. Grayson was too busy trying to calm his racing heart and slow his rushed breathing to notice.

“He seems fine to me. That was such an odd noise, though, I thought someone was screaming!” Mommy chuckled.

She turned and grinned at Grayson, blue eyes sparkling. Suddenly, she swooped over and picked him up, spinning him around in a circle.

Grayson was shocked, why was she so happy?

Mommy set him down and popped a finger off of his tiny nose.

“For being such a good boy while I was gone, you deserve something special!”

Grayson felt dizzy and confused after being spun and tempted by treats and hissed at and all the other horrible things that had happened throughout his adventure. He tried to think of other tactics Agent Sneak would try at this moment, but he came up empty handed.

Mommy stepped back and plucked the goody off the counter, easy as that. It looked even more delicious in her hands, crispy around the edges and gooey chocolate throughout. Grayson watched with wide eyes as she bent down to his level and held it out for his taking.

“Here you go, pumpkin. You deserve this cookie!”