Читать Krasnodar – Istanbul – Paris - Мария Устюгова

KRASNODAR – ISTANBUL – PARIS

I sat on the highest roof, watching the waves of other roofs flowing right before me. The king of the world, the ruler of Istanbul, a beautiful spotted cat resembling a serval. Just a regular street cat from Krasnodar.

KRASNODAR

I was born in the dark basement of a ten-story brick building. The first thing I remember is my mother, who smelled pleasantly of milk, and my squealing brothers and sisters. We all nuzzled around searching for magical milk fountains. I always found them. I was generally very bold and active.

When mother first led me, small and timidly stepping on trembling paws, into the courtyard, I discovered an amazing new world. And its creatures. Birds chirping somewhere high above, beautiful colorful butterflies, prickly hedgehogs, tiny slimy snails – brr… And humans. They were kind to me. They made funny sounds like "kitty-kitty," petted me, and scratched behind my ears. At first I was scared, but mother explained that they were divided into good and bad ones. You had to listen to your animal instincts and trust them.

I explored this world with incredible eagerness. Breaking free from the stuffy basement, I jumped and ran, rejoicing and marveling at everything. My first caught mouse. A paw injured by a hedgehog. An ear torn in battle with a big cat over food. And Her. I know She had a name, but that's just how I called Her. She came to me every evening and brought something tasty. There were many people who fed me and treated me well. But I singled Her out from all of them. It was nice to sit with Her and listen to the sounds of the courtyard. Children playing, wind blowing, or crickets chirping.

I was still just a kitten when I started thinking about a great journey. My birthplace – the dark cramped basement where I sometimes came to sleep when it was cold and rainy – never became my home. I was a free cat. A cat who walks by himself. When I got older, I began exploring other courtyards and even wandering around the city. I wasn't afraid of cars or dogs. My paws were strong, I was very fast and agile. People in the courtyard loved me for these qualities. They always petted me, fed me treats and lovingly called me Bandit. Once I gave a worthy fight to the local German shepherd. And I caught mice and birds too. Just hunted.