Volume 3: The Cat
[JUSTIN]
I have been thinking hard for a week. I guess I should make DSA office look more comfortable and nice, but with what? Kimmy's gank already exists, what else do you need?
I called Jared.
"Yes?"
"Jared, I need a cat."
There was a sound like choking and then gushing there. I think Jared was drinking something when I called.
"What's a cat for?" he asked, laughing.
"I don't know.. I feel that DSA needs a pet. I can't put a dog there, because I'm afraid its barking will interfere with the campus activities."
"Yes, but why a cat?" he asked again.
"Do you prefer lizards?"
"Naahhhh! Let's just build a pond and raise some hippos!"
"Jared, I'm serious!"
Jared laughed and went silent for a while.
"Jared, you there?" I asked. I'm afraid he fainted.
"Ah yes, I'm chatting with my mother, asking if she has a friend who wants to give one of her cats."
"Not your mama, please. She'll choose a Persian cat, and I don't want it. It dies easily and hard to take care of."
"Oh OK, I deleted it," he said.
"If you're available now, let's just look for some stray cat."
"I'm not available, Justin, I have to drop my sister off to an evening class soon."
"Oh yes. It's my fault to call you right now .."
"Take Jack a try. Use Ben."
Jared and I both chuckled.
"Yeah yeah, great idea. Taking a Bentayga looking for a stray cat," I said. "OK, see you Jared."
That afternoon I went to Jack's house alone. Ramon was busy assembling a computer for his father, and Ken still had a class this afternoon. Hopefully Jack really didn't have an event too.
Ben, our Bentayga was parked in front of his house.
"Heyyyyy Justin!" said Jack with a big smile.
"You didn't go to school today?" I asked.
"I only had two classes earlier, because the last class lecturer didn't come in. I just went home," he answered.
"OK good, because I want to take you around looking for street cats," I said, grinning.
Jack froze for a moment as he looked at me, confused. "The king wants a cat, then the king shall get a cat," he replied, opening his arms wide and laughing.
I was amazed, I didn't expect him to immediately agree without asking questions.
"Shall we ride Ben?"
Jack froze again and turned his head. "Using Bentayga to the traditional market?"
"Why are we going to the market?"
"There are a lot of stray cats in the market, Your Majesty."
Ohhh, I just realized.
"Let's just ride a bicycle. Your bike and Ken's bike are here, right?"
"Yeah, Ramon's bike is here too."
We really like to put our bicycles here, so we can use them together if we want to go anywhere.
We chose a house for Jack that was close to the market because he lived alone, without parents and siblings. He learned to take care of himself and to cook the ingredients of which can be easily obtained from the market.
"Come on, let's go!"
The two of us set off straight away, and only had to cycle three blocks to get to the market. There seemed to be a few cats there, and I started looking for the one I was most interested in.
"Don't expect anything good, Justin.." Jack said as if he could read my mind. "Market cats are usually dirty."
"It's okay.. It can be groomed," I explained, looking down below the sales counters.
"Wow, why are there so many pregnant cats, huh?" Jack scratched his head.
"There's one which isn't pregnant," I exclaimed. But why is her belly drooping like she's been pregnant 100 times?
"Do you want a baby cat?"
"Where?"
"Here," Jack replied, pointing at a pretty clean orange cat.
But there is his mother, and there is his brother too, and it seems like he still needs milk.
"Oh, Jack, I can't separate the baby from its family..
"You're right."
I wandered around the market, and saw a black cat that gleamed slightly in the sun. Handsome!
"Jack, how about a black cat like this?"
Jack walked over to me slowly looking at the cat intently, then shook his head. "I have a bad feeling for this," he replied.
The cat suddenly turned its head, and its glowing yellow eyes were very intimidating.
"You know what, Jack? You are right. Let's go."
Many people say a black cat is a sign that bad things will happen. I'm not a person who believes stuff like that, but since I have Mera, I don't think I can just reject that mystical things do exist around me.
"Already? You give up?" asked Jack.
I'm confused. Why is it so hard to find a stray cat?
"Let's just go home, Jack."
"Hey wait!" Jack stopped my bike.
"What?"
"Have you ever asked Mera for a living thing?"
"Living things?"
"Yeah I mean like people or animals, or plants?"
"No. I never thought of asking for a living thing."
"How about if you try ask Mera for a cat?"
"I can't draw a cat!"
"Just draw a bundle and then write a cat."
"Later, a deformed cat that doesn't have legs appears like a bundle!"
Jack slapped his forehead.
"But how come yesterday's Bentley could happen?"
"Yes, because the Bentley has a clear, exact variant that I can just write the name of. Even if I drew a bad picture, as long as I wrote the brand, it will appear."
Jack and I both sighed.
"Well, just print a photo of the cat you like."
"No, I can't.. I have to draw it myself, right?"
Jack mumbled, and I suddenly had a brilliant idea.
Jack and I looked at each other wide-eyed. Apparently we got the same idea.
"I can draw on top of the one I've printed!" I half screamed. Jack also thought the same thing. So I just have to follow the image that already exists.
"Yeah, I can do that!" I added, then pedaled my bike back to Jack's house.
We then searched the Internet for a photo of a cat I liked and printed it on Jack's printer. The cat was a white domestic male cat, with a perfect long tail.
I looked at the printout of the cat's image with satisfaction. "We're ready."
Riding Ben, we reached the forest around 5pm. It was getting dark, but as usual, the forest was still comfortable. There were several lights around the lake, and it made the atmosphere less dark and not at all scary.
I placed the picture of the cat on top of Mera, and started to thicken the picture with the black marker I brought with me. I wrote the word 'grass' next to the picture, so the cat doesn't emerge from the lake. I didn't want to accept a drenched cat that's already limp out of breath. When I was done, I crumpled up the paper and threw it into the lake.
I've never done this before, and I really don't know if Mera can give me a cat. I never knew if he could give me any living thing, and this would be the first time.
5 minutes, nothing happened.
"Can't Mera make it happen if it's a living thing?" Jack muttered. He knew I couldn't answer either.
10 minutes passed, and I heard the sound of a cat behind me.
"Oh my God, Jack!" I shouted.
Jack, who was still waiting on the edge of the lake, ran to me, and we both stared at the cat sitting pretty on the grass.
"She did it," Jack said quietly. We still can't believe Mera can give a cat.
The cat was exactly what I wanted it to be. I don't know how old he is, but I think he's still a teenager. Male, a white ordinary country cat with a long tail and a very cute face. I crouched down and opened my arms in front of him. Surprisingly, the cat immediately jumped onto my shoulder as if he asked me to carry him.
"Jack, do I seem like a kind-hearted animal lover now?"
Jack chuckled. "Obviously you're not like Justin."
People sometimes judged me as an arrogant young man, because I don't really like being approached by people. Even though I'm also a party prince, I'm actually only close with these four of my best friends, and only like to make small talks with the others. But now with this cat, I suddenly feel like I'm a kind and friendly young man who cares about animals.
"What's his name, Justin?"
"Hmmm... Sugar? Because she's white and very sweet."
"Sugar.. nice name," Jack agreed.
"Welcome, Sugar. I'm your daddy now," I said, stroking his fur while he was still on my shoulder.
I stood up and went back to the car with Jack. I'll probably stay the night at his house, because I can't possibly bring Sugar back to my house. Mama has two dogs, one Doberman and one Jack Russel who have been trained as good enemy hunters. They will not be sweet when they meet Sugar, even though he is very sweet.
"Yes, Sugar?" I said while stroking his head.
He meowed.
"Are you staying at my house, Justin?" Jack asked, even though I hadn't told him I was planning to.
"Yeah, don't forget to stop by to buy cat food first, along with other equipment."
"OK, there's a pet shop in the alley next to the house."
It took only about 10 minutes to Jack's house, as he was the closest to the forest. I dropped Sugar in the living room, and Jack unloaded the kitty kit I bought earlier.
When I was pouring food in Sugar's bowl, my cell phone rang.
"Ah wait," I said to the cell phone which continued to sing. I was still busy preparing food and drink for Sugar.
The phone died for a moment, but then rang again. I quickly washed my hands, dried them with tissue and immediately picked up the phone.
"Ken?"
Just as I picked it up, the phone was off.
"Ken called twice, what do you think?" I asked Jack who was sitting on the sofa watching Sugar eating. He just shrugged his shoulders.
Then my phone rang again, and I immediately picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Justin, Bob died suddenly."
Bob is Ken's favorite cat.
My heart suddenly stopped beating for a few seconds.
"What?" I asked in disbelief. "How did he die?"
"I don't know, he's been sleeping in his room since earlier, so have I. But when I asked him to eat he didn't wake up. He died in a sleeping position."
"Is he sick? Or had he had any symptoms before?"
"For God's sake, Justin! He's so healthy!"
I'm stuck. What have I done? Did I make a mistake? Is it because..
"Ken, what time did Bob die?"
"About 5-6pm."
My heart feels like it's been punched. It was the same hour I got Sugar.
"Ken, I'm really sorry. I had to tell you something, but not on the phone. I'm going to collect everything at Jack's house. Please, come here now."
I hung up the phone blankly.
"Justin, what's wrong? Who died?" Asked Jack, a liitle bit shocked after seeing my reaction.
I turned and saw Sugar was eating. Whose life is in your body, Sugar?
"Justin!"
I gasped and saw Jack already in front of me, holding my shoulder.
"Jack, we have to get everyone together, and tell them about Sugar. Bob died suddenly."
Jack's eyes looked so sad. He froze and became silent for a while. Anyone would think the same as me right now: Sugar can live, but with another cat's life.
Mera made it clear by taking the life of a cat we know well. She wanted us to understand what the consequences would be.