Once upon a time there was a cat, and this cat lived in a household full of children; in fact there were so many children that their parents gave them letters instead of names. So, the biggest child was A, the second one was B, the third C and so on until the letter H. Now, this family wasn’t rich nor poor. The parents worked the land they owned, their backyard was full of animals that the children took care of and days went by as if nothing in the world could have bothered them.
But, remember the cat? Well, this cat was not an ordinary cat. Ever since C found the cat abandoned in the village and took it home, their whole life turned upside down. The cat destroyed everything. He slept all day long near the stove, only to wake up in the middle of the night, eat the chicks, scare the cows and ruin the crops. The family tried everything: they tried tying him up during the night, they tried putting bells around his neck so they could hear him when sneaking outside, they even tried locking the door and windows so that he couldn’t get out of the house, but every single time the cat proved to be cleverer than them and always escaped. After months and months of agony, threatened to remain without any chicks and untouched crops, the parents decided to get rid of the cat. They had to do it during the night though, while the children were all asleep, because despite of the cat’s behavior, they loved him so. They planned to put him in a sack and take him to the river. They would leave it alongside the water and who knows, maybe he will find a better home into the woods.
Night fall came and the cat was sitting quietly near the stove as if nothing could disturb his sleep. The parents waited for all the children to go to sleep and the father grabbed a brown, raffia sack to put the cat in. But the cat wasn’t stupid nor a normal cat. The cat had magic that no one else knew about and he knew about their plan too well. He sat there quietly waiting for the man to come closer and put the bag over his head. He pretended to sleep, so both mother and father were very happy that he couldn’t notice them and struggle. But as they walked towards the river, the bag got heavier and heavier, until the woman had o help her husband carry the bag. When they finally arrived they loosened the knot of the bag and ran back home. On their way home, they both started to feel sad thinking about their children’s disappointment the next day, but they knew this was for the best. They need it their animals and crops to feed the children and the cat was making their life impossible.
“- Maybe we should go back and get him, said the woman. You know how much C loves that cat. I feel so bad for leaving him there.
– Hush woman! Look at this!” The man said while opening the front door. The cat was sitting near the stove quietly, looking straight into their confused eyes.
“-Maybe this is sign, said the woman.” But the man didn’t want to give up.
Every night, the man waited for all the children to go to bed and took the cat alongside the river and every night he would find the cat right back in his place on his return. One night, he even threw the sack into the river, but still he found the cat waiting for him at home, looking at him, and almost smiling at his failed attempts.
Until one day….
[…] …Until one day the man gave up and went to bed. Suddenly, that very night, C woke up and the cat was missing from its usual spot. Thinking that he will catch it in the act while destroying the crops, C looked out the window. To his surprise, he could see a young man in the garden, digging holes all around the crops. He ran to his parents and brothers and they all watched the young man digging in their garden for a while, not knowing what to do. When he came to his senses the father went outside the the house and walked towards the young man. Startled and surprised the young man ran and hid behind a tree. […]