O Night of all times! O Knight and Fairy of Peace and Silence! Free O beautiful saint, this jailer who watches you without sparkling, close his eyes of misery a little, for a single moment of rest!
Take him to the depths of your marvelous serenity, embark him in one of your chariots, like a prince, the time of a twinkle of one of your stars, a single dream of your starry escorts, will be enough to heal him the wrinkles of a lifetime and to find his salvation and his homeland, and spare me for a moment his lashes in the void, to try to vainly distance myself from his solitude!
PRELUDE
So here I am, Hector, I'm going to speak, I'm going to write, I'm going to say everything and keep quiet.
I am going to shout out all the truths, the very ones that true human beings never dare to want to say, and also those that they ignore and will never be able to know.
It's not because a cat like me has never spoken that it doesn't know anything, what if it knew everything and even more?
And why wouldn't he know it, since he sees and hears everything?
I even have every chance of seeing better and more than real humans.
I can be everywhere and nowhere, no limits, no prohibitions, no frustration, except when I am chased through a door, but I can return through a window, or through the patio or through the garden, the garden of my glories and of my feasts, made of exquisite sparrows and delicious lovebirds.
And I wrote this book with my own hands!
Why are you looking at me like that?!
You do not believe me ?
Like all the cats in the residence, of course, and throughout the neighborhood, who also never believed me!
A cat who writes a book!
It doesn't even happen in dreams, they told me, and speaking of dreams, the neighbor on the 2nd floor dreamed of me.
Yes, I projected myself into his dreams and spelled my first name like that: HECTOR, my name is madam!
And here I am revealing to you black on the page what I could not say in my cat's language! We'll see when the autographs are signed!
Because nothing scares me or makes me feel any more now, I have trodden under my soft feet all the sweet memories and left behind me all the bitter moments, nothing surprises me anymore, nor capsizes me.
And if I have remained whole all these years, it is because I still have the guts and the bump to ride on earth for a long time.
And the enormous click that rang in my head and to which I resounded was this door that opened before me, and this man at the threshold of his home with his new arrival; me a nocturnal visitor who followed in his footsteps.
And as the minutes passed and my serene progress in the corridor and in the living room of this foreign home, all was confirming my certainties. A house of course still unknown, but which sent back to me from every corner and from all sides a serene feeling of already familiarity, even if I had never visited it before.
A few steps were enough to land in front of the eager, passionate and curious looks that were beginning to surround me from everywhere. And I so quickly became the center of a world, of a family that only looked at me alone, me a helpless cat, but suddenly becoming the star of a moment.
Voices, questions and remarks came from everywhere: “Where did this cat come from? ", " Look at him! It's all black! ", Mom! Can I keep it? ", no, it's dirty! but mom looks at those eyes... like two green diamonds...! no, take it out! You know I'm allergic! "...
Disappointed, nostalgic, dejected, dull and almost at the end of tears, the memory of my glorious, lucky and rich past in this warm but distant home that I abandoned forever, seized my throat as if to strangle me of regret or repression.
My damaged, wasted paradise, although useless now, was scarring me violently. But I prevented myself from showing my emotion in front of an audience already so affected and somewhat tormented.
I was the hero of a scene without lines, a hero without voices, a giant of a profoundly true and tragically human story...!
Besides, cat that I am, what human thing am I missing apart from speech?!
speech, some clothes and a good hot shower, oh how I need it now!
My wish was quickly granted as if by magic, my head still buried in a plate, finishing such a delicious dinner, when two gentle hands took me on both sides, and only gently released me into a pool of warm foamy water and well scented.
It was the mother and her child who were now busy scrubbing and brushing me with soap and shampoo, before wrapping me in a towel and letting the hot air from a large dryer blow on me. .
This brought back my memories of my last shower almost a year ago, yes a year without a shower, fortunately there is rain, wind and sun every month and every week, and when we think about it in our community of cats, it seems that nature is made for us and our wildlife neighbors, near and far.
We have feelings and also reason and we are often more reasonable than some humans...!
You see, I never steal, or if vice takes hold of me, it's just to snack and not starve, but never to pile up riches! Lying, I'll never know, we cats are free from lies!
Besides, we don't even have the language, don't we, as you say: lick your tongue to the cat, or have a cat in your throat...and all these proverbs with which we are overwhelmed and of which we are innocent!
Tiny little beings, at the foot of this mythical monster!
Man and his only truth, closed and locked under vaporous masks!
I celebrated my fifth birthday a few months ago in a small house in a Casablanca neighborhood.
It was there that I experienced the most wonderful days of my little cat life.
My mistress, may God rest her soul, was one of those women whose heart encompassed the whole world...!
It was goodness itself that walked on earth.
She was the one who named me Hector!
But I don't know for what reason?!
A Greek name for an Arab cat!
Mythical first name of a Trojan hero from the Iliad; Homer's masterpiece It's Hector, son of Priam, one of the heroes of the Trojan War. However, I hope not to suffer the same tragic fate!
Hector comes from the verb heiken which means “to lead”. Which explains the temperament of the Hectors, including myself. They are true men of action, ambitious beings, always in search of glory and great success.
first names so rare or non-existent these days, among you other humans, ordinary or renowned men, have we also lost the verve that goes with them?
the Hectors are a little proud, but for a cat, pride is not a vice, modesty is the dirty virtue of dogs!
I'm always neat and clean! I respect hygiene rules! I am unique ! What me ?! What are you saying ? Me, selfish?! Ah! no! oh that never!
This is an offense that my self-esteem could not tolerate!
It is true that I sometimes think a little too highly of myself; but, don't you think I deserve it?!
The death of my benefactress meant for me, the death of pity and the burial of hope.
His heirs; human wolves, they stripped me of my miserable possessions: my kennel, my bowl, my little ball and a roof that sheltered me; and threw me mercilessly like a dog in the street...!
With all due respect to the dog breed, to be able to tolerate the street as their eternal home!
CHAPTER I
A shrill cry of a frightened woman rang in my ears and throughout the staircase, throughout the building and throughout the world:
“aoudou billah (God preserve us)…A black cat! »
The neighbor bawled with all her strength and with all the tendons and nerves of her face, which so quickly became disfigured.
A cry which immediately put me on the lookout for an imminent danger or a peril arriving from the sky, before realizing, when she stared at me with bewildered eyes and pointing at me with the finger of her trembling hand, that it was mine. that it was a modest kitten, very discreet and very friendly, who would hesitate to harm a mouse if it panicked at the sight of me.
But to make such a strong woman tremble to death who would make an entire regiment retreat just with her sordid howl is insane in my opinion and unheard of.
It may be the fault of my muffled and silent steps which never announce my arrival or my presence.
But to cause such horrible fear, I should have the appearance of a black and ferocious panther, in miniature moreover I admit, but I am not ferocious.
Although I might look like this vicious and predatory animal, I am ultimately just a silky cat,
But I am not just a cat in fact, and I may not even be one, I am not a simple beast, I am a being I am Hector, I am me with my name and my person, my heart , a mind and thoughts for myself alone and for the world, and nothing human is foreign to me, I share the same fate as all these humans with whom I lived one of the stages of my little life, making an integral part of their families and crossing one of their paths and some of their stories.
Am I not worthy of being human too?
I jumped up the stairs, fleeing this frightened and accusing look, and ran to take refuge in the garden of the residence, before the frightened madwoman stirred up all the neighbors.
My bitterness pinned me to the brush beneath the trees, hiding me from furtive, prying eyes, as I slowly gave way to the disappointment that invited me to numb myself and fall into sleep.
Suddenly, barely dozing off, I jumped violently, suspecting that this time I was overtaken by a mistake that I unfortunately did not commit, when fortunately, I realized that it was only the sound of a portal opening. opened.
I recovered and pointed my eyes and ears in the direction of the noise, only to see a man enter the residence, a fifty-year-old wearing a black coat.
I moved my paws gently and approached to see who it was.
I now had a strong desire, a feeling and a curiosity to want to know the inhabitants of this fragment of residence.
Arriving a few meters from this newcomer, I could see that on the lines of his face, words and sentences, thoughts and perhaps meditations were traced...Who is this mysterious man?
It's probably one of the inhabitants of the 2nd or 3rd floor.
He walked up the stairs with a meditative step, he looked like a dancer! Or maybe a singer.
Because listening to this voice he purrs... Words like pearls illuminating a tone of a mystical melody.
but...what kind of song is it or what romance is it? Western? No ! More oriental?
Not at all ! This seems unique to me! Like heavenly music…a Koran or a Gospel! What do I know? This enchanting voice bewitched and captivated me, to the point that I found myself following his steps without thinking, like a fan fascinated by his idol, or someone crazy with faith and fervor!
Go after that and say that a cat has no reason, or is not spiritual either!
I followed him and my steps, tuned to the cadence of his steps, trotted to the rhythm of his voice always humming this melodious tune
Arriving on the 2nd floor, the man stopped for a moment before opening a door, probably his home, he only realized that he was being followed after 2 floors.
I felt him surprised by my black silhouette behind him, and widened his eyes as if to confirm a vision that he thought improbable, given my black fleece and the color of the night.
I did the same, looking at him with all my sparkling eyes, like two blue stars in the night of my coat; him, reaching out his hand as if to caress me, and me sneaking between his legs and stroking him with my hairy tail, doing my dance of euphoria.
Hector, I say to myself, have you perhaps found your refuge this time?
Have you finally found your oasis? For all the time that you have been roaming these gardens and these residences like an orphan of men and a coward of your kind, in persona non grata fled like the plague.
The man, intuitive no doubt, because quite pitiful as I suspected, caressed the feline that I am while speaking to me: “O poor stranger! What are you doing there with your strange appearance in front of a poor stranger?!” I could only meow at him: “You speak like a philosopher, sir!” »
He then asked me: “What’s your name?” ", Hector, I replied
-You don’t have a name?!
-Do not worry ! I'll find you a nice name! Is not it !
My name is Ali, and welcome to you, you will always be at home whenever you want.
I quickly had tears in my eyes and my heart and head were racing.
I am certainly a cat, no one will tell you otherwise; not even me, but all my life I have tried to speak to humans like this guardian who never wanted to listen to me or understand me.
He repeated to me each time this leitmotif word that I always heard without ever having understood the meaning for a long time: “Tssabb!”, go away, he always liked to say to me!
With this kicking gesture that pushed me away from him; I ran away from him, complaining and chewing on my anger.
And it was only with reluctance that I joined the section of cats gathered together, bickering all the time... Am I obliged to only live with cats?!
Don't I also have the right to choose my social environment...if I may say so?
Or will I have to gather some real good cats from the neighborhood, rally them to the cause and go out in demonstrations to make ourselves heard!
No matter how much he chases me away with kicks and batons, this poor devil of a guard makes me sad.
An ageless man, a diurnal being with a soul firmly trapped in the body, it does not move, does not evaporate, always there on the lookout, the poor sentinel soul.
He stays up at night and sleeps part of the day! A miserable and tortured soul in this clay dungeon! This dungeon so narrow, so bloodless and so dark! !
Could he one day escape?
O Night of all times!
O Knight and Fairy of Peace and Silence! Free O beautiful saint, this jailer who watches you without sparkling, close his eyes of misery a little, for a single moment of rest!
Take him to the depths of your marvelous serenity, embark him in one of your chariots, like a prince, the time of a twinkle of one of your stars, a single dream of your starry escorts, will be enough to heal him the wrinkles of a lifetime and to find his salvation and his homeland, and spare me for a moment his lashes in the void, to get away from his solitude!
Not enjoying the divine and universal nocturnal grace, he kept watch and his ordeal with it, from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Long hours ahead of him wandering around, observing, monitoring, dozing…..but all the senses on the lookout!
He was my only companion at night. I sat next to his cabin. He was, winter and summer, wrapped in his rough gray apron. I watched him preparing his dinner...The smell of his tagine intoxicated me...When he had finished eating, he threw me a few crumbs. He was sipping his tea while listening to his thoughts to the rhythm of his radio. One day, I made a small mistake but he never forgave me, despite the pleading that Mr. Ali presented in my favor.
He reminded him that the prophet did not punish a countryman who pissed, out of ignorance, at the mosque.
But he, intransigent and mad with anger, wanted to decapitate me for a few drops of urine on his prayer rug.
When we are Muslim, we are tolerant, right?!
And then, I just took advantage of one of my natural rights: delimiting my territory! You know ?
I am a loyal cat who knows his limits well: My freedom ends where that of others begins! And my piss too!
But who respects my rights?
Show me just one!
The other day, being a few steps from the neighbor on the 1st floor, she said to her son: “Bring that cat! He will eat the mouse hiding in the storage room! ".
He and I quickly looked at each other like two cowboys ready for a duel!
A sadistic and cheeky child, like all those kids who only know how to welcome cats with kicks and sticks.
He then took the initiative and jumped to grab me, and when he was about to captivate me, I grabbed my paws and was able to escape the danger!
But the imp was running with all his might to catch me, he looked like an athlete at the Olympic Games!
Out of breath, he stopped at the foot of the tree where I took refuge.
He called me with disingenuous kindness “ps!” ps ps! Come on, my pretty cat, come on! Do not be afraid !
Tommy! Come on my hero, get down! Jerry is waiting for you at the storage room! Come on my brave! Show us what you can do!
-But who are this Tom and Jerry ?
This kid has probably lost his mind !
I thought for a moment and then said to myself, “Hector, that bad?
We want to make you an assassin and a vampire?
We want to make you eat a mouse!
An innocent little creature!
And then with all the rights with which we are burdened today: men's rights, women's rights, children's rights, the environment, and everything that moves...and where are the rights of mice, and what right do they have? harm?
And then, I'm not a criminal!
I am an honest and civilized cat ! And what right do you have to impose a crime on me or on all the cats?
To be continued….!
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