The Cat Who Liked Rain

Two

At first Lukas was disappointed.

When he woke up and heard his mum and dad singing at the side of his bed, all they had with them was a large cardboard box. It didn’t even have any wrapping paper and ribbon round it. Lukas thought it looked like one of the boxes stored in the garage, full of old shoes. It didn’t help that Mum was carrying a tray with a cake and seven burning candles. Lukas stared at the cardboard box. Why was he being given a cardboard box full of old shoes as a birthday present? He could feel his lower lip starting to tremble, and it felt warm behind his eyes. But he didn’t want to start crying, he didn’t want to show that he was disappointed. Dad might be angry. He didn’t like people being sad when it wasn’t necessary, as he used to say. Lukas also wondered why Whirlwind wasn’t there. Was he still asleep, even though it was his little brother’s birthday? The important day when he became exactly twice as old as Lukas? But just as Lukas started thinking about Whirlwind, in he came. He was wearing only one slipper, and looked half asleep.

‘Good, now we can all sing,’ said Axel in his booming voice. He led them into a repeat version of ‘Happy Birthday To You’ so loud that the windowpanes rattled. You could hardly hear Beatrice, but Lukas could see that she was moving her lips. And she was smiling. Lukas thought that it couldn’t just be old shoes in the cardboard box. His parents weren’t as cruel as that. But he became worried again when he looked at Whirlwind. His brother wasn’t singing at all. He just stood there, grinning at Lukas. Nobody could grin like Whirlwind. The way he grinned made you angry and sad and frightened, all at the same time. Obviously, Lukas thought, he knows what’s in the box. He knows it’s a pair of old shoes.

Lukas started to wonder if he ought to run away. If all he got for his birthday was a pair of old shoes, that must mean that Mum and Dad and Whirlwind didn’t love him any more. And so he would run away. He’d go to somewhere where you were given proper parcels with wrapping paper and ribbon when it was your birthday.

Then Lukas heard something.

It was a different sort of sound forcing its way through his father’s booming voice.

What was it? There it was again. It sounded as if something was squeaking. Then suddenly, just as ‘Happy Birthday’ was finished, the cardboard box started moving. It started jumping up and down, the lid was shaking, as if the box had turned into a saucepan full of boiling water.

Lukas stared at the box. That couldn’t be a pair of old shoes. There was something moving inside there. And suddenly, that something popped up out of the box, something completely black. What was it? Lukas couldn’t see at first. Then it dawned on him that it was a paw. A black paw. And then a head appeared, and Lukas realised he’d been given a cat as a birthday present. A black cat that was now clambering out of the box. It jumped down from the lid, it was black all over, except for a white tip on its tail, and it looked at Lukas and squeaked.

Then it peed on his dad’s foot.

Axel burst out laughing. ‘You’ll have to house-train it,’ he said. ‘It will need a box with some sand in, what’s called a litter tray, where it can pee. Many Happy Returns, Lukas. You’re a big boy now.’

‘Many Happy Returns,’ said Beatrice. (It was always like that in Lukas’s home. First Dad said something, then Beatrice repeated it.)

‘It mustn’t come into my room,’ said Whirlwind sternly. ‘I don’t want it breaking anything.’

‘My cat won’t break anything,’ said Lukas angrily. ‘And in any case, it doesn’t want to go into your room.’

Whirlwind was just going to reply when Axel held his hand up.

‘Come on, cut out this nonsense,’ he said. ‘It’s Lukas’s birthday. Let’s have a slice of cake.’

And that’s what they did. But Lukas hardly noticed what the cake tasted like: he was too busy watching the kitten, which had started exploring the room. It crawled under the bed then suddenly reappeared from behind the chest of drawers. It kept squeaking, and Beatrice said it was probably still looking for its mother.

‘Now you’ve become a cat’s mummy,’ said Whirlwind with a satisfied smirk.

Lukas said nothing. But he thought that he’d teach the cat to hiss at Whirlwind whenever he said something stupid.

Mind you, he wasn’t really bothered about Whirlwind just now. What had happened was so special that it hadn’t really sunk in yet. Could it really be true? Yes, it was true. He had a kitten. He’d thought he would never have a pet of his own. When he’d asked for one, his dad had said that pets were far too much trouble, and you needed to be grown up in order to look after a cat or a dog. So Lukas had given up hope. When Dad spoke so firmly, things usually turned out like what he’d said. But now he’d been given a cat after all, a kitten that was black all over.

‘What’s its name?’ Lukas asked.

‘You’ll have to give it a name yourself,’ said Axel.

‘I hope it’s not a she,’ said Whirlwind. ‘We don’t want it having loads of kittens.’

‘It’s a he,’ said Axel. ‘Shouldn’t you be leaving for school soon?’

Whirlwind disappeared into his room without answering. Lukas was relieved to be rid of him. Whirlwind could be difficult sometimes.

‘Well,’ said Axel. ‘What do you have to say?’

‘Thank you,’ said Lukas. ‘Thank you very much.’

‘You mustn’t ever forget that you have a cat,’ said Beatrice. ‘He needs to have food every day, and you’ll have to play with him. And change the sand in the litter tray. You’re a big boy now, Lukas. Seven years old.’

‘I’ll look after him,’ said Lukas.

‘Anyway, I’d better be going,’ said Axel. ‘By the way, what did you think, when we came in with an old cardboard box?’

‘I thought I was going to get a pair of old shoes,’ said Lukas.

Axel gave him a wink.

‘I saw your lower lip starting to tremble,’ he said. ‘But of course we weren’t going to give you a pair of old shoes!’

‘Of course not,’ said Beatrice.

They went out of the room and left Lukas alone with his cat for the first time.

When he lifted him up, he gave a little squeak. Then he started playing with one of the buttons on his pyjama jacket.

At that moment, Lukas just knew that he was in love with this cat. He’d often wondered what it would be like, being in love with something. Now he knew. He’d got something for his birthday that he’d never even dared to dream about.

He was interrupted by Whirlwind barging in through the door.

‘It’s not allowed in my room,’ he said. ‘Don’t forget that!’

‘You must knock before you come into my room,’ said Lukas. ‘Look, you’ve frightened him!’

‘A dog would have been better,’ said Whirlwind. Then he left and slammed the door shut.

Lukas guessed that Whirlwind was only jealous. That wasn’t a bad thing. Now Whirlwind could find out what it felt like. It was usually Lukas who felt jealous, because Whirlwind was allowed to do much more than he was. Now he could have some of his own medicine.

It seemed to Lukas that today marked the start of something different. Having a cat of your own that you were responsible for — that was something tremendous, something important. He must start by finding a name for the cat. What could you call a cat that was completely black? He wondered if he ought to have the same name as he did, Lukas. That could be good when Mum or Dad shouted: they would both come. But what would happen when Whirlwind shouted? That would be bound to cause problems, because he’d said the cat wasn’t allowed in his room. No, Lukas would have to think of a different name. He looked at the cat, who had lain down on the middle of his pillow and fallen asleep. He was a completely black patch on the white pillow. And then it struck him what name the cat must have. Lukas didn’t know of anything that was as black as the night.

Obviously, his cat would be called Night.

Now he had the only cat in the whole world called Night.

He lay down with his head next to the cat, and started stroking him. He immediately started purring.

‘Night,’ said Lukas. ‘I have a cat called Night. I have you.’

Then Lukas fell asleep, and when his mum wondered why it was so quiet in his room and popped her head round the door, only Night was awake. Lukas was fast asleep.

From that day on, Lukas thought of hardly anything apart from his cat. Night was a remarkable cat. Although he could only miaow, or squeak when he was hungry, it seemed to Lukas that he always understood what he’d said. Lukas had made up his mind that if he couldn’t teach the cat to talk, he would have to learn the cat’s language. Then they could go out into the world together.

He had never imagined he’d get such a wonderful present when he celebrated his seventh birthday.