Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Epaper

Short story

From the perspective of a cat

Published : Saturday, 24 March, 2018 at 12:00 AM  Count : 929
Tafhim Radita Ali
I watch in annoyance as the "Who-men" creatures walk by. They are odd creatures, Who-mens. They walked on two legs and constantly argued. Even more puzzling was how they treated each other. They hit, screamed at and kicked their own kind. And they drove around in odd four-legged monsters that had squashed my mother. The kinder ones of their kind made faces at me and tried to sound like me, making me realise that they were unhappy with themselves - the poor things. Who-mens constantly asked each other question too. Perhaps that's why they called themselves Who-men.
A Who-men boy comes to seek shelter in the dumpster I live in. The Who-men was small and was leaking from his eyes. Curious, I sniff at its hand. His eyes stop leaking momentarily and his lips turn up. I have not seen that expression on Who-men before. Smiles, they call it. I thought it was only theoretical.
"Hey, little guy, what's your name?"
I look at him. The creature must have gone insane - it was speaking gibberish to me!
"What's a beautiful cat like you doing in a dump like this?"
I move my ears forward, truly interested. The boy was not like any others I have seen. The others who come here always kick at the tins cans and try to pull at my tail. This one was non-threatening. It was simply staring at me with an expression that I supposed was tired but happy.
"I have to go now," the Who-men said, "Can I come back later?"
The boy reaches down hesitantly and I watch him. He scratches me behind the ear. No one's ever done that before, but it feels nice. I let out a purr. The boy laughs, but it sounds lonely, like he doesn't laugh often. Perhaps he was odder than I thought initially.
"I'll take that as a yes,"
I purr once more before he leaves. I wonder if he'll come back - I rather like him.
It so happened that I didn't have to wait for long. The boy came back the very next day, his eyes leaking even more. An odd sound escaped his throat. I meow, welcoming him tentatively.
"At least you like me," the boy spoke gibberish.
The boy stayed for longer this time, not making a single sound as he scratched me behind my ears and ran his hands through my fur. I was content on watching him sit. The only motion he made was wiping the water from his face, leading me to name him Water-Works.
"I hate everything," Water-works exclaimed.
I didn't understand him, of course, but I could tell he was upset. I rub myself against him, hoping to comfort him.
"If humans could be like you,"
I suppose I must have comforted him as he was smiling once more. I like it when he smiles. It lights up his face in a way I have never seen a Who-men's face light up before. It makes me purr in happiness.
The boy came back every day after that. He brought food sometimes. Some days he stayed longer than others. He might sit by me until the last light fades or he might come by, speak some gibberish, and leave. He came with leaking eyes and left with a beaming smile, making me feel good that I had been the one to make him smile. He never missed a day.
Which is why I grew worried when, one day, he didn't come. Even when the light faded and the darkness had come and gone, he didn't come. When two moons had passed, I nearly gave up on the wait and went to search for him myself.
He came late on the third day. The darkness had already enveloped the ally I live in by that time, but he still came. I could hear the odd sounds he made when his eyes leaked.
"I can't do this anymore. I really can't. The kids at school hate me, my parents hate me, my gran's dead, my grandpa's an alcoholic and nobody in this world even cares. What's the point anymore? There is no future to live for, nobody to live for. Death would just be a relief at this point"
I meow, wondering what the boy was talking about. Suddenly, his tears stopped. He repeated the last gibberish sentence again, grabbing onto the thing in his hand. Some sort of rope, I suppose. My eyes are keen in the dark. I see him smile. It terrifies me. I don't like that smile, I decided. It's not very nice.
I knew something was going on. Humans don't usually carry around rope-like things in their pouches. When he gets up to leave, without even saying goodbye, I follow him. I am not even discreet about it. He is too absorbed in his thoughts to notice me.
I enter through the same window he enters through. The room is small. I would like to stay there though. I wonder if Water-works would let me. It's better than my dumpster. I've met many other cats who call themselves "Pets". Or was it "Pests"? I can never tell.
I meow. Startled, the boy turned to look at me. He stared at me for a long time, clutching the rope and a piece of white paper in his hand. He sighed. His eyes aren't leaking anymore. They just look dead. I want to make the light up again, like it does every time he smiles.
He sits down next to me. Letting go of the rope and letting the paper fly out the open window, he picks me up. At first, I am surprised, but I relax as much as possible. I can feel the extreme sorrow radiating off the boy.
For a long time, he holds me close, staring off into the darkness.
I snuggle in for warm. They are odd creatures, Who-men. This boy is odder than the rest of them. I quite like it. I hope he sticks around. I have a feeling he will.

The writer is a Grade-08 student at Kunming International Academy, China





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