Week 9 Story: The Tailless Cat

Tailless cat from Wikimedia

There once was a cat who was known to prowl around a village. No one knew who owned the cat, only that it walked around with an air of importance. The assumption was that this cat belonged to one of the wealthier and more well-off villagers who lived just beyond the hill, but no one had been able to confirm or deny it.

On the other side of the town, further away than even the elite, was a poor widow with her two children. She often did laundry for those who could afford to pay her, but she mostly earned money through foraging. Her daughter and son would often help her by selling off the wild roots and berries in the Townsquare. They also carried laundry to and froe and did any of the shopping that needed to be done. The woman rarely stepped foot into the town if she didn't have to.

Because of her lack of socialization, the woman had never heard of the infamous cat. One day, however, this cat found its way to her doorstep. Whether the cat was lost or sought her out specifically is unknown, but she welcomed the little cat into her cottage without a second thought.

"Why, hello there, little kitty. You're a handsome fella aren't ya?" she cooed while petting behind its ears. "I bet you are just starving. Lucky for you, I just started cooking supper. How does fish sound?"

She was completely enamored by the cat and took quite a liking to it. One could even say that she took this cat to be her new pet. The longer the cat stayed with her, the more affection she felt for it. She started calling it by the name Fella and was always looking for new ways to entertain him.

Her son was also quite fond of the cat, always excited to play around with him when he had the chance. "C'mon Fella, chase the string," he would excitedly tell the cat. He could play with that cat for hours and never be bored.

The woman's daughter, on the other hand, was not quite so fond of the cat. She was jealous that this cat had taken her mother and brother's love and attention away from her. Every hour, every minute, and every second they spent with that cat was another strain on the daughter's nerves. One day, she just couldn't stand it any longer.

"You ugly little cat, I will get you if it is the last thing I do," she whispered to him one evening. "Just you wait. While brother is selling in the town and mother is washing outside, I will get you."

It took a few days, but at last, the daughter was alone with the cat. She pulled a pair of the garden scissors from the table and lunged for it. Unfortunately for her, all she could manage to do was cut the cat's tail off as it ran out the door. When the mother and brother returned to the house, she made up a tale of how Fella was pawing at the door, and as soon as she opened it, he just ran. The two were sad to hear it but moved on with their lives. The daughter was quite happy with herself.

Sometime later, the mother decided to make a rare trip to town. It was there that she met a homeless man who was missing a leg. Taking pity on him, she decided to offer to feed and clothe him. The poor man had never had someone take an interest in him before. He allowed her to spoil him a little and then let her in on a little secret.

"You know," he started slowly. "Once upon a time, I went by the name Fella." This got the woman's attention. She looked at him closely and then burst into tears. She could see the same sparkle in his eyes and she did in her long-lost cat.

"What happened to you? I was so worried! Come back home with me, I am sure my son and daughter would be delighted to see you again," she wailed. At some point, she had starting hugging the man, and he pats her back as she cried.

"I cannot go with you, for it was your daughter who hurt me to start with," he said as he raised the part of his leg that remained. "But for your pure and kind heart, I will offer you a gift. A way to change that little girl of yours into a better person." He handed her a little vial, with gold liquid in it.

From there, she thanked Fella and ran home. She knew she would see him again, but she needed to deal with her daughter. When she walked through the front door of their cottage, she saw her daughter, staring out the back window.

"Here, daughter, I have a gift for you," she said calmly. She placed the vial in her hand and took a step back. She instructed her to drink from it, and the daughter did so. The change was almost immediate. Her skin brightened, her posture straightened, and her smile widened. The potion had done it's magic --she was now just a harmless little girl and all was well.



Author's note:

I based this off of the story of the split-tongued sparrow from the Japanese fairy tales as told by Lang. In this story, a little bird is found by this sweet little man. He takes care of it, but his greedy wife hates the thing. While he is gone one day, she tries to kill the bird, but only manages to slit its tongue. The man ends up meeting this woman one day, and it turns out to be the bird. They have a nice evening, and she offers him a big or small gift. He takes the small one, thinking he can hide it better from his wife. When he gets home, however, she sees it and demands he opens it. It is full of awesome treasures. She becomes angry that her husband didn't take the big gift, so she decides to go get it herself. Inside the big gift, however, was serpents who eat and killed her.

I changed a lot of the basic story, but the premise is still really similar. The major change was that I didn't have the daughter punished in the end, but changed for the better. Killing her would break the mother's heart, so I created a situation where everyone wins. Mother and brother keep their family member and the cat/man can be assured she won't hurt anyone else.

Bibliography

Japanese Fairy Tales retold by Lang