Les Chats

There was once an old lady, named Marie, who simply adored cats. Over the past ten years, she had lived with more than ten cats in her house, feeding and caring for them. Among the cats rose two distinct breeds- the Persians and the Pixie-bob. Both breeds continually vied for her love and affection, one not wishing to be outdone by the other. Needless to say, any conflict between the opposing breeds were discrete, keeping their mistress in the dark over their brewing contempt.

Upon her 60 th birthday, Marie invited many friends to her house. Being the amiable lady she was, she enjoyed making new acquaintances and had a vast network of social connections. As such, friends of the many different races were not left out of the celebrations. The Chinese and Malays performed enchanting dances, enthralling the audience and deepening the festive mood. Even her cats joined in the dancing.

When the guests presented Marie with gifts, her cats were delighted to discover that they had a present awaiting them as well. Wild with joy, they struggled for ownership over it, careful to disguise their fighting as playful mischief

As the dark velvet night blanketed the sky, Marie's guests bade her farewell and went home. Meanwhile, her sweet, obedient cats wish her a goodnight and sweet dreams to end of an enjoyable day.

Ceasing the opportunity now that their mistress is fast asleep, both breeds reveal their true colours, openly displaying their hatred and discord for each other, fighting, scratching and clawing at all they can. Awoken by the din in the wee hours of the morning, Marie is devastated to see her beloved cats behaving as such.

She begins to reminisce the past, trying to bury the hurt under the joyful recollections from ten years ago. Then, she had adopted one Persian cat and one pixie-bob cat, both gleefully enjoying the others company, genuinely showing their love and sincerity to one another as the best of friends would. From the two came forth her current group of treasured cats. They were all the family she had and had been her source of joy and contentment. Gone were the days where the two breeds lived harmoniously.

Upon realizing the pain inflicted on their mistress's heart, the cats were filled with remorse and came to understand that she would never ever favour anyone more than the other. That they, as a whole, was, is, and will always be the sole object of her love. At this, the cats reconcile with one another and start afresh, living together peacefully and harmoniously.

Original story written by Fei Fei C. Andre
English Translation by Phoebe Lim Pei Jun