The Brown Cat - Pt. 2

Story told by Ning

It took me some time to get over Peony's death and for something like two weeks, I didn't go to the Long Tails Club.  Somehow all that merrymaking and drinking seemed now a complete waste of time.  I decided to join a group of cat volunteers who were going round town helping stray cats, finding them homes and taking them to the vet if they were sick or injured.  I felt very gratified being able to do this work and of course, when I told Da, he was very pleased and encouraged me to continue.

On one of those days, a new cat by the name of Milo joined us and I was surprised to hear that he was looking for me.  

"Are you the one called Ning?  Look, I've got a message for you."

"A message?" I asked, surprised.  He handed me a small envelope and said he was told by a brown cat to give it to me.

"I didn't ask her name," said Milo. "But after giving me that envelope, she was killed the very next day by a gang of fierce dogs."

OMG, I thought to myself, it must have been Peony!

"What ... what else did she say?"  I asked, my heart beginning to beat fast.

"Oh nothing much.  She was kinda quiet and sad, and I felt quite sorry for her because she had all kinds of wounds on her body.  But she did say she would be very grateful if you did what she requested in the envelope.  Did you know her?"

I hesitated, but decided not to say anything.  

"Thanks, Milo," I said and  walked quickly away.  I headed to the river so that I could open the envelope in private.

There was a small note inside the envelope and a girl's pearl bracelet.  I opened the note with trembling paws and it read, "Dear Ning, when you read this, I shall be dead.  Can you do one last favour for me?  Please take the bracelet and give it to the woman who lives in the next village.  You should have no problem finding her, they all call her "Kitty".  Thank you, Ning for your love and kindness. I shall never forget you. Peony."

Da used to say I have a heart soft as butter under my tough exterior.  After reading that note, tears streamed down my face and it took me some time before I got hold of myself.  I decided to go to the village immediately.  It wasn't all that far off and I knew a few short cuts.

When I arrived there, it was almost sunset.  With the help of the villagers, I managed to find Kitty's home.  It was a small one storey building of concrete and was quite run down with cracked walls overgrown with creepers and an untidy garden.  I knocked on the door and it was sometime before it slowly creaked upon.  I found myself looking at an old lady in her sixties with long white hair and a face lined with wrinkles.

She looked at me, then said in a raspy voice, "What do you want?"

I cleared my throat, then said, "Madam Kitty, I have something for you" and held up the envelope containing the bracelet.  She looked at it suspiciously, then took it and looked inside.

I didn't expect what happened next.  She fell into a swoon and fortunately someone who was passing by helped to carry her into her house.  Whilst waiting for her to recover, I looked around and saw that the house was filled with dozens of pictures of cats and in one corner was a heap of cat bowls and dishes, blankets and cushions.  They looked like they had been there for years and were covered in dust and grime.  

When Kitty came to, she burst into a flood of tears, clutching the bracelet I had given her.   

"Where....where did you get this?" she sobbed.  Before I could say anything, she gabbled on.  "All these years, I've been living with this terrible guilt.  I am a murderer, I killed my own daughter, do you know that?  I was so angry that day when she killed one of my cats that I dragged her to the forest and left her there!  It was only after two days that I realised what I had done, I ran back to the forest but I couldn't find her.  I gave her up for dead and in my despair, I decided to give away all my cats for they were the cause of her death and I couldn't bear to live with them any more.  These last few years had been sheer hell. That pearl bracelet you found...I gave it to her on her last birthday and she was so happy with it.  God forgive me for what I have done ...."  and she burst into another flood of tears.

It was some time before she calmed down.  I was then able to tell my side of the story, how Peony had been  punished and how she had struggled over the last three years before she died.  Kitty listened wide eyed.  

"Madam, you need not worry about Peony."  I said.  "She has been taken by the angels to heaven where she is very happy now (referring to the dream I had after Peony died.  I hoped Kitty believed in dreams, mentioning it would give her some consolation).

"Really?" she gasped.  "You're not making it all up? 

I shook my head.

"I hope she has forgiven me," she whispered.

"I'm sure she has, otherwise she would not have sent me with the bracelet.  It was her way to tell you that she is sorry for what she had done but still remembers and loves you." 

It was already getting late and I said I would have to leave as it was a long journey home.  Kitty then insisted that I stayed the night with her and that I could go back in the morning.  As it was, that one day stretched into three days.  She treated me like I was her own child, sad and lonely as she was, and was most reluctant to let me go home.

Finally, on the day of my departure, I once again assured her not to worry any more about Peony and promised to visit her whenever I could.

On the way home I ran into Milo.  

"Hey, Ning, so you did your job?"

I nodded.  "Mission accomplished," I said.

It wasn't a happy mission but at least I've freed one soul from torment and helped her be at peace for the rest of her life.