The Boy Who Drew Cats
Once upon a time, in a small village, lived a farmer with his wife and their three children. The first child helped a lot, and so did the last. They did everything their father asked.
But the middle child, Andy, did nothing but draw and paint. And what did he draw? Cats.
Andy, where are you? — Hey, Dad! I'm drawing a beautiful cat. Do you like it? — Of course I like it, just like I liked all the other cats you've drawn. — Ha ha ha! Listen, son, you need to stop drawing so many cats. — But Dad, I don't just draw them for fun. I've tried drawing other animals or things, but when I draw cats, I feel like they talk to me.
His father was very upset with Andy.
— Andy, I want you to help me in the field. You don't even do that. The next time I see you drawing cats, I'll send you to the wise man at the end of the village. — What? No! I don't want to go there! — Well, if you don't listen to me, that's what will happen. Now come help me carry the potatoes.
Poor Andy didn't like working in the field. He only thought about painting cats. He saw cats everywhere he looked and never got tired of them.
One day, his father came looking for Andy, who seemed to have disappeared.
— Where is that boy? I need someone to carry the wheat. — Meow! — Hmm, what's that?
As he walked through the field, he saw Andy sitting and playing with a cat that looked very upset.
— Oh, I can't take it anymore! Andy, boy, tomorrow you must go to the wise man and ask him what he can teach you, because you won't be happy just painting cats. — But Dad, that's what I love to do.
The Journey to the Wise Man
But Andy's father was determined to make him stop drawing cats. And later that day, Andy went to the old wise man.
The old wise man greeted them and asked what they were doing there.
— Well, you see, my father doesn't like me because... — Hmm, it's not that I don't like him. My boy, Andy, doesn't work hard enough, as a strong boy like him should. — Well, what does he do then? — He paints. He only paints cats. Just those whiskered creatures. — Hmm. Dad, I told you I do it because the cats talk to me. — They talk to you? How interesting!
Andy told the wise man what he had told his father. And in the end, the wise man was very quiet and thoughtful.
Then, his father left him with the wise man. And the old man spoke kindly to the boy and asked him some very difficult questions. He gave such intelligent answers that the wise man agreed to school the boy.
The boy learned quickly what he was taught and was usually very obedient. However, the wise man also noticed that the boy liked to draw cats during lessons. And he even drew cats in places where cats didn't exist.
The wise man called the boy's father.
— Your boy likes to draw cats, and this is a gift from above. — A gift that allows him to talk to little cats? — If you don't want to, don't believe me. But listen to me, Andy. A long time ago, I dreamed of cats and the neighboring town. I have a feeling they are connected. — Okay, so I should go there? — Yes. But remember the last piece of advice I give you: don't draw too many scary cats in one place.
Andy was very puzzled. He didn't understand what the wise man meant. But he thanked him and left.
The Haunted Town and the Saving Cats
However, his father didn't support him much and let him do what he wanted. He walked a long way, and soon arrived in the town at night. The town was very quiet.
— How strange! There's no one here, and the houses all seem closed. I wonder if people live here.
The town had been terrorized by a giant and frightening rat, bigger than a cow. It only came out at night, so at night people left and returned during the day, when they stayed in their houses, until they had to leave again.
Andy continued walking and reached a huge house. It was so beautiful and tempting that Andy couldn't resist and went inside. In this house, people offered food to the giant rat.
When Andy entered, he immediately saw the food. He was so hungry that he ate everything. When he finished, he realized that the walls were all white.
— White walls? Huge white walls! I can only do one thing here: draw!
And he began to paint. As usual, he painted many cats on the wall.
— Good. They all look good. But I'm tired of painting. I should get some sleep.
But Andy didn't sleep long. Suddenly, he was woken by a loud growl from an animal.
— Huh? What?
He heard the growls getting closer and louder. Andy got scared and hid in a huge chest.
The growling animal entered the house and made such a loud noise that Andy was really scared. Then the cats began to be heard.
— Cats?
And then, the house began to shake. The animals were fighting, and Andy covered his ears.
— Oh dear, what's happening?
The house was shaking, and the loud noises brought people out of their homes.
— What? What's that sound? — Let's go see. Maybe someone brave has come to save us from the monster rat.
So they went to see where the strange sound was coming from. Meanwhile, at the mansion, the fight continued.
Andy was trembling all over.
— What is it, what is it, what is it? — Oh, what's that? — No!
The fight had finally ended, and when Andy heard silence, he came out of his hiding place and saw the giant rat defeated and lying on the ground, unconscious.
— Oh, what happened here?
He looked at the paintings and saw that the cats had blood on them.
— What happened? — You, the rat! You defeated the monster rat! It terrorized us for a long time. Thank you, good stranger!
Andy didn't know what to say. He was surprised by what had happened. Then he understood why the wise man had told him: don't draw too many scary cats in one place.
— Hmm, you're welcome!
Soon, the legend of Andy, who defeated the monster rat, spread throughout the world. As for Andy's father, well, soon the news reached him too.
— I knew Andy had that gift for a reason. Aren't you proud? — Hmm, yes, I'm very proud of him.
In fact, he was ashamed that he hadn't let Andy follow his dream from the beginning. However, now he was happy, because his son was happy and doing what he did best: drawing cats.
Andy's story teaches us that we should do what we love, and the universe will find a way for it to become something magical.
