The cat running through the walls

(a Halloween short story about a strange friendship)

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Schrodinger My cat is completely extraordinary. First, it was not born like other cats. It simply appeared inside my room when all doors and windows were closed. I know that cats can do strange things, but for a long time I could not explain how he came inside. When it showed up, and started staring at me, I felt a little scared because I was still a boy. But as it didn't meow, nor snorted, nor moved, I started relax and admire the beautiful animal specimen. Secondly, I noticed that he wore a leash with a written name: Schrodinger. When I saw it, I thought who would be crazy enough to give such a name to a cat. Then I thought it was a name that suited well that noble, flashy and elegant animal. I always wished to have a cat and I thought God felt my wish and sent me the cutest cat in the world. It was big and had a shiny well kept fur. It had long whiskers and its eyes were like smart people's eyes. I felt immediately in love with that cat. I ran to catch it and strangely it did not run away and let me grab it as if it knew me for a long time. I showed him the room and talked to him while I showed my stuff: my toys, my pets, my books and my console. It listened to what I said as if it understood everything. When I felt my mother in the hall to hug her and I said: "What a beautiful cat you gave me!" My mother told me in astonishment: "What cat?" I pointed to the room where Schrodinger was majestically sitting on my bed, and I said: "Come and see! That one! ". My mother said: " It must be some stray cat that came into the house without anyone noticing it" I replied: "That can't be a stray cat. It has its name written on a leash, it is Schrodinger ". My mother poured an ice bucket over my enthusiasm: "Then it must have an owner! It is surely a neighbor's cat that came in through some open window. We have to give it back. Shoosh him out of the house!, "I whimpered: " But it likes me it even let me hold it in my arms. Let it stay here at home. I'll ask the neighbors if anyone knows the owner of this cat Schrodinger. " My mother agreed and I called the cat that strangely followed me like a dog and together we went out to the street. For hours we roomed all the streets together in the neighborhood where I asked all the houses if that cat belonged to them. Tired, but happy, I returned home with the cat always by my side and triumphantly I told my mother: "Nobody knows it. So it's mine! It was lost and I was the one who found it. " My mother again cooled my enthusiasm when she said that, to keep him, I would have to ask permission to my father. My dad watched the critter, commented on the fact that it is well kept and on the leash with the strange name. He said at the time "This collar looks like yellow gold and white gold!" But they allowed me to keep him at home until I found the owner . We decided to put an add in the newspaper with the photo, the cat's name and the phrase: "We will give it back to whoever proved to be the owner. " We publish the add every weekends for a month but no one claimed to the cat to my delight. So it was staying with me at home. Well staying is a expression because Schrodinger used to disappear without a trace and return into my room without anyone noticing it. My strange cat has always been a pit of strange surprises. If I say my cat speaks, no one will believe me and will think that I'm crazy. But the truth is that it speaks to me. Well, talking is a way of saying. In fact I feel its words as if they were my thoughts. The first time it happened I thought I was going mad. The cat was talking to me but its mouth released no sound, not even its whiskers moved. This happened first when I was in my room trying to solve a difficult puzzle and could not. So I "heard" someone telling me: - "The piece that fits is the green and brown one." Startled, I looked around and I only saw Schrodinger staring at me, which, as usual, had appeared from nowhere. I had closed the door and windows and these remained still closed. The cat was still quiet but the voice kept hammering my ears "So don't you see that the piece that fits is green and

Antnio Subida, 31st October, 2012 . With special appointment to WSI teachers: Paula, Gabriel and Ricardo Page 1 of 3

The cat running through the walls

(a Halloween short story about a strange friendship)

_____________________________________________________
brown?". I put the piece and it fitted. I found myself amazed to ask the cat: "Schrodinger, you can speak and solve puzzles?". "Yes," replied the same voice and the cat jumped on the table and to my astonishment began to put all the pieces of the puzzle in the right place. From that day onward I started talking to my cat. But it happened only when it wanted. The most often it ignore my requests and behave as if it were more stupid than normal cats. Once my mom caught me on my room talking out loud to it , as I used to do, and when she opened the door, she asked: "Who were you talking to? I answered without thinking "With Schrodinger." "What Scrodinger? I see no cat here! ", she said. Only then I realized that there was no cat in the room and I said, "It must have gone out when you opened the door. Cats are very fast. ". That cat always entered in and walked through the door when my family was around. He behaved like a kitten always well-behaved. What is certain, is that after a few days, my parents led me to a very annoying doctor, that asked me many stupid questions about whether I heard voices without seeing people and seeing things that were not there. I told him that I was already quite grown up to know that there are no ghosts, but I confirmed that I was talking with my cat because it was talking to me. I told him that Scrodinger loved solve puzzles and has smarter conversations than most adults. I also told him that my cat never asked me questions as silly as his. Well, the man must have been very angry with my irreverence and must have told this to my parents because I was grounded without watching TV or playing on my console for many months. And also I was forbidden to play with the cat. The animal must have realized that it was not welcome at home because it went several months without showing up. I hat not talked about it to my friends. I've always had many friends aside from the cat, of course. In my group we were nine friends who all knew my cat when they went to my house because they met him often in my room. They listened to my stories with skepticism because the cat was never more than cat when they were present. Sometimes when I could not get away from me at some game console they joked with me, "Why not ask Schrodinger for help ? I'm sure he is capable! " I always became sulk with these jokes. As if it understood, my cat jumped onto my lap to comfort me. It would conveyed to me a sense of understanding and comfort without talking and, then, after a short time, it passed and I continued to play. When I was ten years old, on the eve of the Halloween party, a great misfortune took place. My friend Hugo Caldeira suddenly fell ill and went to the hospital. I heard my parents saying that he was going to die. Just that day we had agreed to go together door to door asking: "Trick or treat!" I went to my room and cried. Schrodinger, as always, appeared suddenly. Since I felt sad it jumped into my lap and asked, "What is up?" I said, "Hugo is in the hospital and will die! You are a magical cat, you could cure him. "Schrodinger said:" If you give me ten years of your life, I'll give them to Hugo and he will live up to twenty. " I said "But he's going to die soon anyway? The cat said: "If every boy in your group offers ten years of their lives to Hugo you'll live together all up to ninety. Do you think the others will agree?. I replied: I think so, I'll call them! " I called my friends and in less than half an hour we were all in my room where I exposed the cat's plan. They thought it was another one of my crazy things. The cat seemed to confirm they were right. It was placidly watching us. Suddenly Schrodinger's voice screamed in my head, "Hugo's heart stopped!" I screamed "Hugo is dying!" Right now the bedroom walls were transparent and we could see Hugo in the hospital bed connected to many strange beeping machines and the doctors and nurses running to him. I told Schrodinger, "I give half of my life. Do something! The others still stunned by what they saw all said in unison "Us too! Schrodinger save Hugo!. " The cat told all of us "I'll take ten years of each one's life and I will give them to Hugo! You are all good boys and you'll live up to

Antnio Subida, 31st October, 2012 . With special appointment to WSI teachers: Paula, Gabriel and Ricardo Page 2 of 3

The cat running through the walls

(a Halloween short story about a strange friendship)

_____________________________________________________
ninety! "Walls became opaque again and we started to skip and scream: "We saved Hugo! We saved Hugo "! Alarmed with that noise my mother knocked on the door and said "What's up? Open the door? "Schrodinger told us:" Go visit Hugo! ", and at everybody's sight it jumped through the wall and disappeared. When my mother came in, I told her Schrodinger saved Hugo and for my mother's astonishment we all ran to the bus stop to get one, passing by the Hospital. When we arrived there we asked to visit Hugo Caldeira, but at the reception, they didn't allow us to go until a doctor came and said, "Are you friends of Hugo? He is waiting for you! "Put the mask, wear the robe and put on the ballerinas, to enter in intensive care. We did this at a glance, climbed the elevator and entered the room where there were many astonished doctors. One who accompanied us from the reception told the others: "These are the boys that Hugo says that each lent him ten years of their lives. It seems unbelievable but after the crisis, he is miraculously cured. I think that at the end of the day we can send him home. You can all go begging for Halloween cookies " We were not sure how Hugo knew what had happened, but we suspected. Nobody mentioned the cat that crossed the walls. It's our secret.

Antnio Subida, 31st October, 2012 . With special appointment to WSI teachers: Paula, Gabriel and Ricardo Page 3 of 3