The Cat Who Liked Rain

Eight

What do you actually do when you want to run away? Lukas didn’t know. And so he stayed in his room all afternoon, thinking about what to do.

Children sometimes ran away from home in the books his mum and dad read to him when he was finding it hard to go to sleep. Lukas curled up on the bed and tried to remember everything he’d heard about those children.

What surprised him most was that children always ran away when it was dark outside. How come that children in books are never afraid of the dark? Without hesitation, they all dared to climb out of a window when it was pitch black, and howling gales were lashing the swaying trees. Why wasn’t it possible to run away when it was still light? Lukas asked himself. Why couldn’t you at least start to run away before the sun had set, and all the shadows had become so scary?

And besides, where would he run away to? In the books his mum and dad read to him, the children were always running away to somewhere in particular. To a parent who lived a long way away beyond a vast, dark forest. Or to a castle on a rock in the middle of a raging ocean. But where would Lukas go to? He didn’t know where Night was, after all! It would have been much easier to run away if he’d known where Night was hiding. But then again, if he knew that, he wouldn’t need to run away.

Lukas sighed and put the pillow over his face. It was always difficult to do something you’d never done before. Besides, he’d never heard anything about running away being something they taught you in school. Whirlwind had never said anything about lessons in running away studies.

Lukas threw his pillow at the wall in frustration.

He’d decided that he was going to run away and look for Night. But he didn’t like the idea of having to do that at all. He fetched the pillow and lay down on his bed again. Then he tried thinking so hard about Night that his cat had no choice but to come back. When he reckoned he’d been thinking hard for long enough, he jumped up and ran over to the window. Night was bound to be sitting out there on the lawn, gazing up at the window.

But the lawn was empty. Apart from a lone magpie, hopping around and pecking between blades of grass.

Maybe that’s Night, who’s been transformed, Lukas thought. Somebody’s turned him into a magpie. He carefully opened the window and shouted for Night — but the magpie was scared and flew off, settling on the chimney of one of the neighbouring houses. Lukas closed the window and sighed again. He tried to sigh so loudly that Night would have to hear him. But all that happened was that Beatrice opened his door and asked if he was ill.

‘No,’ said Lukas. ‘I’m not ill.’

‘Are you hungry?’ she asked.

Lukas tested. He wasn’t really hungry. But if he was going to run away, he needed to eat. He followed his mum into the kitchen.

It was already late afternoon. Lukas heard Whirlwind slamming the front door then rushing into the kitchen to get something from the fridge. Shortly afterwards the front door slammed again. Whirlwind was always in a hurry. It was as if he always needed to whirl around in order to do everything he wanted to do.

Lukas felt a bit jealous, and wished he were the one who whirled around in the world. He didn’t like being a Lukas who sat around in his room not knowing what to do in order to run away.

But run away is what he did. Shortly after Axel had come home. He’d made a few sandwiches and put them in his red rucksack. He’d also packed a tin of cat food, his piggy bank containing thirty-two kronor, a compass he’d been given by Whirlwind, and his pillow. He didn’t have room for a blanket. But he didn’t think he’d be able to leave home without his pillow.

He sneaked out of the front door, climbed over the fence at the back of the house, adjusted his rucksack, took a deep breath, and said aloud to himself: ‘Now I’ve run away!’

He didn’t know what to do next. Which direction should he take? Should he head for town, or for the forest? Should he tiptoe along, or walk normally? Could anybody tell by looking at him that he’d run away?

Dusk had slowly started to set in. Dark clouds were hanging over the forest in the far distance.

He decided to walk towards town. Partly because it would probably start raining soon, but also because it was light in the town’s streets. He thought that Night surely couldn’t be so stupid as to be hiding away in the forest, where Lukas would never be able to find him. Night was a clever cat.

Now and then Lukas would turn round to see if his mum or dad had come looking for him in the car. But there were hardly any cars on the road at all. It was such an unpleasant evening that only those who had run away from home were out in the streets. Lukas thought that all the people he passed, and the ones he saw behind the wheel of the few cars on the road, were running away. Perhaps certain evenings were running away evenings? When only those running away needed to be out and about?

He could see the town lights in the distance. Soon he would come to the dual carriageway that led into town. He wondered if he’d have the strength to walk as far as that? Maybe he’d have to stop and sleep by the roadside?

The thought that he might have to sleep out in the open gave him stomachache. Would he be brave enough to do that? And where would he sleep? He couldn’t simply lie down on the pavement. Should he see if he could find one of those places they called hotels? He knew that you could sleep in a hotel if you had enough money. That thought made him feel a bit happier. Besides, he had his own pillow with him. He’d tell the people at the hotel that he only needed a sheet and a duvet. That would make them realise they were dealing with somebody who knew what to do when they were running away.

It was a long way to town. But Lukas kept on walking and walking. He occasionally stopped and looked around, to see if Night was following him. But the only animal he saw was a dog on a lead, with an old lady.

It was dark now, and it had started drizzling. Lukas tried to walk a bit faster, so that he would get to town before it started pouring down. It also occurred to him that his mum and dad must have begun to wonder where he was. He’d normally be in bed by this time. He noticed that he was starting to feel tired.

He eventually came to the edge of town. By then, he was so sleepy that he had to sit down on a bench and rest. He nearly fell asleep on the spot. In order to stay awake, he ate one of the sandwiches he’d taken with him in his rucksack. Then he set off walking again. Now it was light everywhere, from all the shop windows. He suddenly gave a start and stopped dead. In one of the big windows was a big black cat, sitting there and looking at him. When he went to examine it more closely, he saw it was made of porcelain.

That’s a clue, he thought. That means that Night is here in town somewhere.

He wanted to know what time it was. He stopped at a hot dog stall and hid in the shadows until there were no customers. Then he went to ask the time. He had to stand on tiptoe in order to see over the counter.

‘A quarter to nine,’ said a girl chewing gum. ‘Do you want a hot dog?’

‘No,’ said Lukas. Thank you very much.’

‘Thank you for what?’ she said angrily, closing the hatch.

Lukas hurried away. He’d been a bit scared of that girl. Maybe people who lived in the town didn’t like people who had run away from home and asked about the time without buying anything?

He started looking for a hotel. If he was going to have enough strength to run further away, he must soon get some sleep. He trudged along street after street, and soon was so tired that he almost burst out crying. He’d never have the strength to walk back home — and besides, he didn’t even know how to get there. He’d lost his sense of direction ages ago, wandering from street to street. He started to have nasty thoughts about Night, who’d caused all this trouble by running away from Lukas.

He eventually came to a big square where he could see a building with a large sign saying Hotel. It was a big house with lots of lit-up windows. Music was playing, and lots of people were sitting at tables, eating. He sat down on the steps, took out his piggy bank, opened it and counted up his money. He’d been right, he had thirty-two kronor.

Then he went in through the big doors. The room he’d come into was very large. And full of people rushing back and forth. Somebody was laughing very loudly, somebody else was using a telephone, and speaking a language Lukas didn’t understand. A man was standing behind a high counter, handing keys to people who came up to him. Lukas waited until there was nobody waiting there, then he plucked up courage and went there himself. The counter was so high that he could barely reach up to it this time either.

‘I want to sleep,’ he said to the man with the keys. ‘I have my own pillow.’

The man behind the counter didn’t hear him. Lukas said it again, but a bit louder. Still the man with the keys didn’t hear.

So he shouted.

‘I want to sleep. I have my own pillow.’

The man behind the desk gave a start. Then he noticed Lukas.

‘What did you say?’ he asked.

Lukas said it yet again.

The man eyed him thoughtfully up and down. Then he put his glasses on and leaned over the counter to take a closer look at Lukas.

‘How old are you?’ he asked.

Lukas thought it was best to be polite.

‘I’m seven,’ he said. ‘My name’s Lukas and I’m looking for my cat. I need to sleep now. I have my own pillow with me. And I have thirty-two kronor. I can pay.’

The man looked serious, and nodded.

‘I’m sure you can,’ he said. ‘I think you’d better come back here with me so that we can talk a bit more about it.’

He opened a little door under the counter and beckoned Lukas into a back room with a bed, a table and a television set.

‘So you’re out looking for your cat, are you?’

‘It’s run away,’ said Lukas.

‘And so you’re out tonight, looking for it?’

Lukas thought it might be best to tell him the facts.

‘I’ve run away,’ he said. ‘If you’re going to be able to find a cat that’s run away, you have to run away yourself.’

The man nodded.

‘I see,’ said the man. ‘Where do you live when you’re not running away?’

‘In Rowan Tree Road,’ said Lukas.

‘You said your name was Lukas. But when you take a room in a hotel, you have to give your surname as well.’

‘Johanson,’ said Lukas.

The man nodded, and smiled.

‘Of course you can have a room,’ said the man. ‘Why not lie down on that bed while I fix it for you? You can have something to drink as well, if you’re thirsty.’

‘I can pay,’ said Lukas.

‘I’m sure you can,’ said the man, taking a bottle of pop from a little refrigerator. ‘I won’t be a minute.’

Lukas took his pillow out of his rucksack. He was so tired that he could hardly stand up. But he was so proud that he’d proved he could run away.

He lay down on the bed with his head on his own pillow, and looked at the door, which was standing ajar. The man who’d been so kind to him kept looking at him and smiling. He seemed to be leafing through a telephone directory.

Lukas wondered what kind of a room he’d get, and if there would be any toys in it.

That was his last thought before falling asleep.

He noticed nothing at all when Axel and Beatrice came into the little room, and Axel picked him up and carried him out to the car.

Nor did he hear what the man with the keys said to his mum.

‘He must be very fond of his cat,’ said the man.

‘Yes,’ said Beatrice. ‘He is very fond of his cat.’

Then they drove back home to Rowan Tree Road.

Lukas didn’t notice a thing.

He was fast asleep.