The Cat Who Liked Rain

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.