Animal Activities #56

A striped cat named Langit. They had no idea where he had come from. One day, he just turned up on Pak Ranu’s porch, his yellow eyes wide with curiosity and his fur a little matted. Langit became one of those village cats from that day forward, only he was never anyone’s cat.

Sky had a routine of leisurely strolling the earthen rice paddy dams nearly every afternoon. He read them quiet as he sat, as if taking the farmers hoing home by the hook. Village children also trailed behind him, thinking the cat attracts good fortune. When Langit snuck past them on the way to class, it would make their day a little brighter, or so they believed.

But Langit was a lot more than a sweet and docile cat. He had a peculiar appetite for sadness. When widowed Mrs Sari lost her husband, Langit was a regular fixture sleeping in front of her door. He didn’t meow, nor did he demand for food, he just lay there, like he was on guard. Even in silence, the presence small made Mrs Sari feel some sense of companionship.

One night, a great rain fell with mighty winds. The river rose, flooding the houses at the village’s edge. In the confusion, Langit was running here and there, meowing loudly, now and then giving utterance to a plaintive cry -- something he rarely did. His voice awakened Mr. Ranu, who then noticed the water was almost at his door. Several households were able to save valuables and assist elderly neighbors, thanks to the warning.

The floodwaters finally ebbed, and the village settled down-- but something had shifted. Villagers took to leaving bowls of water or scraps of food in little clusters throughout the village. They never decided on who would look after Langit, but everyone wanted to help. Langit was still wandering, still would sleep wherever he wanted, but these days he was always smiled at wherever he went.

On a bright day,Langit sat on a rice field embankment watching the sun slow rising up. His striped fur shimmered in the light, and his eyes are as calm as the village he watch over in his way. He was just a cat but even in his simplicity Langit showed people to care, to hold hands, be together, and really be -- those little things that get pushed aside but are the most meaningful.

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