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every day, how many of us meet a miserable end. I happen to be lucky enough to
live with the Tanabes in a warm and friendly family, the children treat me well,
and I've got everything I need. But even my life isn't always easy. When it comes
to strays, though, they have a very tough time of it."
"You're really smart, aren't you, Mimi?" Nakata said, impressed by the
Siamese's eloquence.
"No, not really," Mimi replied, narrowing her eyes in embarrassment. "I just
spend too much time lying in front of the TV and this is what happens--my head
gets full of worthless facts. Do you ever watch TV, Mr. Nakata?"
"No, Nakata doesn't watch TV. The people on TV talk too fast, and I can't
keep up with them. I'm dumb, so I can't read, and if you can't read TV doesn't
make much sense. Sometimes I listen to the radio, but the words there are also too
fast, and it tires me out. I much prefer doing this--enjoy talking with a cat
outside, under the sky."
"Indeed," Mimi said.
"That's right," Nakata replied.
"I really hope that Goma is all right."
"Mimi, Nakata's going to have a look at that empty lot."
"According to the youngster, this man is very tall, and wears a strange tall
hat and long leather boots. And he walks fast. He looks very unusual, so you'll
recognize him right away, he told me. Whenever the cats that gather at the empty
lot see him coming, they scatter in all directions. But a newcomer might not know
enough to...."
Nakata stored this information away in his head, carefully folding it all
away in a front drawer so he wouldn't forget it. The man is very tall, and wears a
strange tall hat and long leather boots....
"I hope I've been of help," Mimi said.
"Nakata appreciates everything you've done. If you hadn't been kind enough
to speak up I'd still be going round and round about tuna. I'm grateful."
"What I think," Mimi said, gazing up at Nakata with knit brows, "is that
that man is trouble. A lot of trouble. He's more dangerous than you can ever
imagine. If it were me I'd never go near that lot. But you're a human, and it's
your job, after all, but I hope you'll take every precaution."
"Thank you very kindly. I'll be as careful as I can."
"Mr. Nakata, this world is a terribly violent place. And nobody can escape
the violence. Please keep that in mind. You can't be too cautious. The same holds
true for cats and human beings."
"I'll remember that," Nakata replied.
But he had no idea where and how the world could be violent. The world was
full of things Nakata couldn't comprehend, and most things connected with violence
fell into that category.
After saying good-bye to Mimi, he went to see the empty lot, which turned
out to be about the size of a small playground. A tall plywood fence enclosed the
lot, with a sign on it saying KEEP OUT: SITE OF FUTURE CONSTRUCTION (which Nakata,
naturally, couldn't read). A heavy chain blocked the entrance, but around back was
a gap in the fence, and he easily got inside. Someone must have pried it open.
All the warehouses that had originally stood there had been torn down, but
the land hadn't been graded for construction and was covered with grass. Goldenrod
grew as high as a child, a couple of butterflies flickering above it. Mounds of
earth had hardened in the rain, in some places rising up in little hillocks. A
perfect place for cats. People wouldn't come in, and there were all sorts of
little creatures to catch and plenty of places to hide.
Kawamura was nowhere to be seen. Two scrawny cats with rough coats were
there, but when Nakata called out a friendly greeting they just glanced at him
coldly and disappeared into the weeds. Which made sense--none of them wanted to
get caught and have his tail chopped off. Nakata himself certainly didn't want to
have that happen to him, not that he had a tail. It was no wonder the cats were
wary of him.