Creak, Splinter, Topple, Screech, Splash !

Now that Debbi had more time to think about it, there was no way that she was going to go to this sleepover. Sleepover ? Huh ! What was this, the Disney Channel ? These girls were 18 for goodness sake. So it was with some irritation that she received a text from Jody on Friday afternoon reminding her. She still didn't want to come over as some kind of snob. I'll just pop in straight from work to say hi but make some excuse that I can't stay overnight, she thought.

"Where's your overnight case No-E?" said Jody accusingly, as Lynne opened the door to Debbi at her parents house. "You weren't thinking of sneaking off were you ?" The large black girl always seemed to be able to catch Debbi off guard despite the excuse she had rehearsed. "No matter, I'm sure Lynne can find some things for you" she said, ushering Debbi into the room where the Asian girl Shahida was also present.

The three girls all seemed enthusiastic about Debbi staying and it soon became established that she probably could stay. Jody and Lynne had been making tentative plans about how they could have fun with the gullible older woman but had yet to come up with anything concrete. But as they were sitting in the kitchen eating microwaved ready meals, inspiration struck Lynne. Looking out of the window, she spotted her pet cat Pretty installed in her favourite spot at the end of a branch overhanging the garden pond. And adjacent to the tree, she saw the rickety old stepladder her dad kept forgetting to throw out, the one that always collapsed as soon as you put your foot on the fourth rung ! She quickly whispered the plan to Jody, as Shahida looked on, sensing they were up to something.

"Oh God No-E, our cat Pretty's got herself stuck up the tree" she pointed out the window. "Do you think you can get her down for us ?" Debbi was an animal lover and was naturally inclined to help recover the beloved pet, though she couldn't work out why it had to be her, especially dressed as she was in her business clothes. "How can I do that ? I can't climb a tree in this skirt" she answered reasonably. Lynne pointed to the stepladder. "Can't one of you climb the ladder ?" said Debbi. "We all suffer from vertigo, it's one of the things that bonds us together" Jody thought on her feet.

They all made their way into the back garden and Lynne placed the ladder precariously on the edge of the pond, underneath the branch where Pretty sat unconcerned. Lynne's parents had no interest in this garden feature they had inherited when they bought the house and the pond was particularly rancid ! With some difficulty in her business skirt, Debbi began to climb until she reached the fourth rung. Then...

Creak..., splinter..., topple..., screech..., splash !