English Translation: The Cat

I don't like cats. I've never liked them.  I've always thought them cold and selfish.

Yesterday, I was cleaning the garden and, all of a sudden, under a bunch of weeds, emerges the head of a black cat. I yell at it, trying to scare it away. It looks at me with intense yellow eyes. It doesn't move. I continue screaming and gesturing to make it leave. It doesn't move. Not an inch. I don’t understand anything. Isn't it afraid? It continues looking at me. With those eyes, incredibly wide-open. I feel their penetrating force and a chill runs from my head to my toes. Then, suddenly, something moves under it. It's the tiny head of a cat. Its eyes are still shut. It moves slowly, like in slow motion, seeking its mother's warmth. A second later, another tiny head. This one is white. Its eyes also closed. The mother continues looking at me. I now understand. Those eyes express the greatest fear I have ever seen. I feel ashamed of myself.  I hide her again behind the plants. I go home. Today I learned something new.

Translated by Lina Strenio