“Sissi and Her Cat” by Luo Qianxuan

Translated by Lan Xin

World Memory Heritage The Only Female Inheritor of Dongba Culture, International Renowned Writer & Poet. Internationally acclaimed bilingual writer, poet and translator, member of the Chinese Writers Association. The only female inheritor of UNESCO-listed Dongba Culture, International Disseminator of Dongba Culture and practitioner of Chinese culture’s global outreach. Winner of the Italian Francesco Giampietri International Literary Award, President of Lanxin Samei Academy and Dean of Yulong Wenbi Dongba Culture Academy.

Eva Lianou Petropoulou
Αποκλειστικη Eκπρόσωπος για την Ελλάδα για την προώθηση της πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς – Dongba Culture Κίνα

Sissi and Her Cat by Luo Qianxuan

Sissi sat at her desk and finally couldn’t help bursting into tears. Her tears fell onto her exercise book, and her small body trembled. It was the third day since her beloved cat, Qiu Qiu, had gone missing.
She stroked the back of the chair that Qiu Qiu used to scratch, as if the faint marks of its claws still lingered there.
“Qiu Qiu, you little rascal! Scratching Sister’s chair again!” she used to say every time. But now the room was quiet. She could no longer see Qiu Qiu walking in proudly, nor hear the “thump-thump-thump” of its paws on the floor, nor its greeting meows, nor see it suddenly scratching the chair when she wasn’t looking…

Sissi sobbed bitterly: “The cat I’ve raised for years is gone. My Qiu Qiu, where are you? Come back quickly… Sister can’t live without you…”
She called herself “Sister” in front of Qiu Qiu, and the cat was like family to her. Four years ago, this little one followed her out of the pet shop and even chased her all the way to her mother’s academy. Her mother said it was meant to be, so they kept it!
And so the cat became part of the family. Her father often joked: “My position at home is even lower than Qiu Qiu’s!” Because of Qiu Qiu, she learned to love — loving it just as her parents loved her. And because of it, she wrote the series “If Little Cat Qiu Qiu Could Talk”, all of which won gold awards.
But three nights ago, this little “famous” one ran out of the gate. She thought it would come back after playing as usual, but it didn’t return by one o’clock in the morning… Three days passed, still no sign… The cat food by the door was eaten, and she hoped so much that Qiu Qiu had quietly come… At that moment, she wished more than anything that Qiu Qiu would jump onto her and cover her with cat hair she usually disliked…

“Meow, meow, meow!” Suddenly she heard cat meows at the door! Turning around, she saw a little black cat! It had run into the house from the yard and even come upstairs to find her! It looked at her tearful face as if saying: “Sister, come with me! I’ll help you find Qiu Qiu!”
She hurried downstairs, following the black cat out of the house and yard. The black cat stood in the grass opposite and looked back at her, as if hinting something… At that moment, she loved these little stray cats more than ever! Before, she would greet them gently; now they felt just like her beloved Qiu Qiu! She thought they were so pitiful, so in need of love! If they wanted, she would happily feed them every day… let them live in her warm home…
“Qiu Qiu, come home quickly. Sister and Mom will never blame you. As long as you come back, we will love you even more! Come home safely!” she called sincerely at the door.

That night, she had a wonderful dream.
“Little one, please take me to find my Qiu Qiu, okay?” she begged the black cat gently.
“Then follow me!” the black cat said proudly, leading her through the grass opposite her home into an empty unrenovated house. There she saw many cats, and in the corner lay curled Qiu Qiu, the one she missed day and night!
“Qiu Qiu! My Qiu Qiu! Sister finally found you!”
“Sister, I heard you crying loudly last night…”
“My Qiu Qiu, why didn’t you come home… sob…”
“Sister, I just wanted to experience more ‘cat life’! I will come home…”
She picked it up and ran home as fast as she could…
It was only a dream! She jumped out of bed: “Mom, is Qiu Qiu back?”
“Baby, not yet, but don’t worry. Our bond with Qiu Qiu is so deep; it will surely come back! Trust Qiu Qiu, trust Mom! Mom is still waiting for Qiu Qiu to run back and call ‘Mom’!”
Yes, just like her, Qiu Qiu clung to “Mom” every day, meowing affectionately. It called “Mom” so clearly, even in different tones and accents! It melted her mother’s heart! Her mother was the head of the family, her “anchor,” always making her feel safe and at peace.
“Meow, meow, meow…” came the cat meows from outside the door!
“Qiu Qiu? Qiu Qiu… is that you… Qiu Qiu!”