Lemon the Black Cat-Story

Lemon the Black Cat

　A black cat lived in a town. The cat with a black coat and yellow eyes was named Lemon, and owned by humans.
　One day Lemon got out of his owner’s house early in the morning, and went for a walk. He thought it was boring to stay home on a sunny autumn day. Putting his paws into a small field, he saw rain drops from the day before dancing on grass. A lot of drops clung to his black shiny coat, too. Lemon shook himself off the rain drops.
“Eek!”
　Suddenly a loud voice was heard.
　Surprised and looking around, he saw several small things like dolls crouching in the grass. Lemon quickly jumped on the grass, and picked “them” up with his claws.
“Where are we at all?”
“They” said. “They” were something he had never seen before. “They” looked like living things, but not animals or bugs.
“You ask me where you are? You’re in a field.”
　Lemon said. However, “they” said, not replying to what he said.
“It’s too hot here. I wonder if there’s a place chillier and cooler.”
　Lemon tilted his head at the words. It was a fine autumn day and rather cool. But “they” annoyingly continued to say it was hot.
　Then Lemon came up with a good idea. He picked “them” up with his claws and put “them” on his back. Returning home, he entered the room through a cat door.
“Oh, Lemon, are you back already?”
　A female owner said. Mother was very busy frying eggs or toasting bread. She didn’t seem to notice “them”. Lemon threw “them” into the refrigerator, waiting for Mother to open it to take out milk.
“It must be quite chilly here.”
　Lemon stretched out on a sofa in the living room.
　Still the voice was heard.
“This place is dark and has a nasty smell. Get us out of here.”
　The voice was from “them”. “They” were certainly in the refrigerator, but the voice was heard clearly. But Mother, Father and the children were having breakfast as if nothing had happened. It seemed that the voice was heard only by Lemon.
　Struggling against sleepiness, Lemon got up, came near to Mother and meowed.
“Oh, are you having breakfast too?”
　She opened the refrigerator and took out a can. At the opportunity “they” jumped on his back.
　Lemon went out to the passage and slowly climbed up the stairs. In a room upstairs there was a large window. He jumped on the windowsill from a chair, and opened the window a little. A dry autumn wind slid into the room.
“It’s the airiest place in the house. I often cool down here on a hot summer day.”
　However, “they” said.
“No, we’re going to get sick with such a tepid breeze.”
　He thought again. He went out to a small porch through the opening of the window. He jumped from the railing of the porch to stairs of the neighbor. Climbing high, he jumped onto the roof. This was the secret route to the roof, only known to Lemon. When he reached the top of the roof, a wind roared.
“How do you like it? It’s cool, isn’t it?”
　Still “they” didn’t nod.
　He had to use the secret route down the first floor, and went out to the road through the entrance. Glancing cars passing by, he walked on the concrete road. It was full of exhaust gas and the smell of humans. Occasionally he saw houses with a large garden which have trees. They looked very cool, but he couldn’t seem to enter them blocked by hard walls. He walked around all the day, but couldn’t find any chilly and cool space to the end.
　As time went by, it got quite dark. Streetlights were lit in the town and shone the grey roads. Lemon walked in the grey world and wondered if there was a chilly and cool space “they” would like. If there was, it might be incredibly far away. The moment he thought so, Lemon couldn’t go any further.
　Suddenly the lights went out without a sound. It got pitch-dark. No sound was heard.
“It’s chilly, cool and comfortable.”
“Their” voice ripped the quietude and sounded in the darkness. “They” jumped off Lemon’s back and hopped in the dark. It looked like white grains of light dancing. Lemon’s big yellow eyes did nothing but project the sight.
“They” had gone before he noticed. The lights came back to shine the roads.

story and art by Mai Nakahira
translation by Yumi Sato'