Chapter 28
“Put it down quickly. You shouldn’t take a kitten away from its mother.”
“But it’s so cute!”
“If we take it because it’s cute, how sad would the mother cat and the kitten be? Wouldn’t you be sad if someone took you away and separated you from your mom?”
Persuaded by the gentle reasoning, the girl finally nodded.
“Goodbye, cute little kitten.”
The wealthy girl put down the cat who wore only one sock. Then, with a regretful face, she waved and returned home with her mother.
To agree so readily that the cat would be sad and let it go… it seemed the wealthy girl had a very kind heart.
The cat who wore only one sock was ultimately abandoned because the girl had petted it so vigorously. The human scent had rubbed off, so the mother cat left the nest, taking only the other kittens.
The cat who wore only one sock didn’t realize it had been abandoned. It remained alone in the now-empty nest, waiting for its family to return. It waited for days and days.
“Foolish cat.”
The poor boy watched it and thought. He knew the mother cat wouldn’t return. The probability of the wealthy girl changing her mind and returning was higher. But she lived too far away.
As the boy expected, the mother cat did not return for over a week. Then, one day, the poor boy smelled something burning in the early morning.
“What is that smell?”
Following the source of the smell, he discovered that the cats’ nest was on fire.
The cat who wore only one sock was crying inside the burning nest. Why did the foolish cat stay there all that time? It’s hard to say.
The poor boy ran over, grabbed the blazing nest with his hands, and pulled the cat out. But the cat, which he thought had been crying to be saved just moments before, didn’t move.
Thinking it had just fainted, the boy pressed down firmly on the cat’s burning body with both hands. No matter how much he shook or pressed, the cat remained stiff and unmoving. It had already stopped breathing.
Finally giving up, the boy stared blankly at the blackening cat and his own hands.
* * *
“The boy’s palms were covered in red burn marks.”
Aniella read the final sentence with a troubled voice. No matter how many times she read it, it was such a depressing story.
Wondering why he had written a fairy tale like this and what lesson the author intended to convey, she looked at Paiki. He had been listening quietly and then spoke a single sentence.
“How dreadful. Listening to you read makes me feel like I’ll have nightmares.”
Aniella was so flabbergasted her mouth dropped open. She had read diligently, and being met with such harsh criticism made a wave of regret wash over her for having done something unnecessary.
“I’m sorry I didn’t read it well. But I don’t think anyone could read this kind of book cheerfully. Look, it says the boy’s hands are covered in blood.”
It’s a dreadful story, so of course it’s read dreadfully.
Aniella complained inwardly. Paiki glanced at the illustration, then firmly closed his eyes.
“That’s not blood. They’re burn marks.”
Noting that his eyes were closed, Aniella pouted and silently mouthed his words back at him.
“That’s enough. I’m sleepy. You should go back and sleep too.”
Aniella got up from her spot, shooting a glare at the cold-hearted man. She left the book, The Cat Who Wore Only One Sock, which had humiliated her, right on the floor, not even wanting to look at it.
Lying down on her bed back in her room, Aniella felt resentful. It wasn’t that she had particularly wanted a word of thanks from him. But still, when someone shows you consideration, to call it ‘dreadful’ and say it’ll give you nightmares… Wasn’t that too much?
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.