kafka-24grammata.com-free-e-book.-pdf

stopped by a farm I happened to see and asked them to let me work there. I'll do
anything, I told them, and I'll work hard. I don't need any pay, as long as
there's a roof over my head and you feed me. The lady there was nice to me, had me
sit down and have some tea. Just wait here, she said. The next thing I knew a
patrol car pulled up outside and the police were hauling me back home. This wasn't
the first time the lady had gone through this sort of thing. The thought hit me
hard then that I had to learn a trade, so no matter where I went I could always
find work. So I quit high school, went to a trade school, and became a
hairdresser." The edges of her lips rise a bit in a faint smile. "A pretty sound
approach to things, don't you think?"
I agree with her.
"Hey, would you tell me the whole story, from the beginning?" she says,
pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "I don't think I'm going to get much more
sleep tonight, so I might as well hear it all."
I explain everything to her, from the time I left home. I leave out the omen
part, though. That, I know, I can't tell just anyone.
Chapter 10
Is it all right, then, if Nakata calls you Kawamura?" He repeated the question to
the striped brown cat, enunciating his words slowly, making it as easy to
understand as he could.
This particular cat had said he thought he had run across Goma, the missing
one-year-old tortoiseshell, in this vicinity. But from Nakata's viewpoint, he
spoke very strangely. The feeling was mutual, for the cat seemed to be having its
own problems following him. Their conversation was at cross purposes.
"I don't mind at all, the tallest of heads."
"Pardon me, but Nakata doesn't understand what you're saying. Forgive me,
but I'm not so bright."
"It's a tuna, to the very end."
"Are you perhaps saying you'd like to eat a tuna?"
"No. The hands tied up, before."
Nakata never went into these conversations with cats expecting to be able to
easily communicate everything. You have to anticipate a few problems when cats and
humans try to speak to each other. And there was another factor to consider:
Nakata's own basic problems with talking--not just with cats, but also with
people. His easy conversation with Otsuka the previous week was more the exception
than the rule, for invariably getting across even a simple message took a great
deal of effort. On bad days it was more like two people on the opposite shores of
a canal yelling to each other on a windy day. And today was one of those days.
He wasn't sure why, but striped brown cats were the hardest to get on the
same wavelength with. With black cats things mostly went well. Communicating with
Siamese cats was the easiest of all, but unfortunately there weren't too many
stray Siamese wandering the streets, so the chance didn't present itself often.
Siamese were mainly kept at home, well taken care of. And for some reason striped
brown cats made up the bulk of the strays.
Even knowing what to expect, Nakata found Kawamura impossible to decipher.
He enunciated his words poorly, and Nakata couldn't catch what each one meant, or
the connection between them. What the cat said came off sounding more like riddles
than sentences. Still, Nakata was infinitely patient, and had plenty of time on
his hands. He repeated the same question, over and over, having the cat repeat his
responses. The two of them were seated on a boundary stone marking a little park
for children in a residential area. They'd been talking for nearly an hour, going
round and round in circles.
"Kawamura is just a name I'll call you. It doesn't mean anything. Nakata
gives names to each cat so it's easy to remember. It won't cause you any problems,