Konstantina

“From his shoulder, I leapt down to the ground and nosed my way into the pampas grass.
The path before me was blocked by the thick stems. I lifted my head and saw, far above me, the white ears waving against a clear blue sky.
'Nana?'
Satoru's worried voice reached my ears.
'Nana, where are you-uuu?'
There was the sound of dry grass being trampled so I knew that Satoru had entered the pampas grass sea, too. I'm here, just here, just near you.
But as he called me, Satoru's voice drifted further away. From where I was, I could see Satoru, but he couldn't see me, hidden as I was by the pampas.
I guess I have no choice, I thought, and followed quickly after Satoru so he wouldn't get lost.
'Nana?'
Right here! I answered him, but it seemed like my voice was being carried away by the wind and didn't reach him.
'Naaaaana!'
Satoru began to sound desperate.
'Nana! Nana, where are you-uuuuu?'
Satoru started to call out into the distance and, unable to bear it, I let out a loud shout, as big as I could make it.
I'm right heeeere!
And then there he was, framed against the sky, gazing down on me. The instant our eyes met, his stern look melted. His eyes softened and light caught the trails of water sliding down his cheeks.
Without a word, he knelt down on the earth, placed his big hands around my middle and hugged me. That hurts! My guts are going to squeeze out.
'You silly thing! If you wander off in here, I'll never be able to find you!'
Satoru's whole body shook with his sobs.
'For someone your size, this field is like a sea of trees!”
― Hiro Arikawa, The Travelling Cat Chronicles

“As we count up the memories from one journey, we head off on another.”
― Hiro Arikawa, The Travelling Cat Chronicles

“Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you've been ruined.”
― Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

“Our silver van was like a magic carriage. Every time I got into it, it carried me to a place I’d never been before. At that moment, we were without doubt the greatest travelers in the world. And I was the world’s greatest traveling cat.”
― Hiro Arikawa, The Travelling Cat Chronicles