Read Online Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Haruki Murakami
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like now, people ask me to help them find cats. They give me a present when I do. But I've got to keep this a secret from the Governor, so don't tell anybody. They might cut down my sub city if they find out I have some extra money coming in. It's never a lot, but thanks to it I can eat eel every once in a while. Nakata loves eel."
"I like eel too. Though I only had it once, a long time ago, and can't really recall what it tastes like."
"Eel is quite a treat. There's something different about it, compared to other food. Certain foods can take the place of others, but as far as I know, nothing can take the place of eel."
On the road in front of the empty lot a young man walked by with a large Labrador retriever with a red bandanna tied around its neck. It glanced over at Otsuka but walked on by. The old man and the cat sat there in the lot, silently waiting for the dog and his master to disappear.
"You said you look for cats?" Otsuka asked.
"That's correct. I search for lost cats. I can speak with cats a little, so I go all over tracking down ones that have gone missing. People hear that Nakata's good at this, so they come and ask me to look for their lost cats. These days I spend more days than not out searching for cats. I don't like to go too far away, so I just look for them inside Nakano Ward. Otherwise I'll be the one lost and they'll be out looking for me."
"So right now you're searching for a lost cat?"
"Yes, that's correct. Nakata's looking for a one-year-old tortoiseshell cat named Goma. Here's a photo of her." Nakata pulled a color copy out of his canvas shoulder bag and showed it to Otsuka. "She's wearing a brown flea collar."
Otsuka stretched out to gaze at the photograph, then shook his head.
"No, 'fraid I've never run across this one. I know most of the cats around here, but this one I don't know. Never seen, or heard, anything about her."
"Is that right?"
"Have you been looking for her for a long time?"
"Well, today is, let me see... one, two, three... the third day."
Otsuka sat there thinking for a time. "I assume you're aware of this, but cats are creatures of habit. Usually they live very ordered lives, and unless something extraordinary happens they generally try to keep to their routine. What might disrupt this is either sex or an accident—one of the two."
"Nakata's thinking the same thing."
"If it's sex, then you just have to wait till they get it out of their system and they'll be back. You do understand what I mean by sex?"
"I haven't done it myself, but I think I understand. It has to do with your weenie, right?"
"That's right. It's all about the weenie." Otsuka nodded, a serious look on his face.
"But if we're talking about an accident, you might never see her again."
"That's true."
"Also, sometimes when a cat's on the prowl for sex it might wander off and have trouble finding its way back home again."
"If Nakata went out of Nakano Ward, finding my way home wouldn't be easy."
"That's happened to me a few times. Course that was a long time ago, when I was much younger," Otsuka said, eyes narrowed as he searched his memory. "Once you're lost, you panic. You're in total despair, not knowing what to do. I hate it when that happens. Sex can be a real pain that way, course when you get in the mood all you can think about is what's right under your nose—that's sex, all right. So that cat—what was her name? The one that's lost?"
"Do you mean Goma?"
"Yes, of course. Goma. I'd like to do what I can to help you find her. A young tortoiseshell cat like that, with some nice family taking care of her, wouldn't know the first thing about making her way in the world. Wouldn't be able to fight off anybody or fend for herself, the poor thing. Unfortunately, however, I've never seen her. I think you might want to search somewhere else."
"Well, then, I suppose I should follow your advice and go to some other place to look. Nakata's very sorry to have interrupted your nap. I'm sure I'll
"I like eel too. Though I only had it once, a long time ago, and can't really recall what it tastes like."
"Eel is quite a treat. There's something different about it, compared to other food. Certain foods can take the place of others, but as far as I know, nothing can take the place of eel."
On the road in front of the empty lot a young man walked by with a large Labrador retriever with a red bandanna tied around its neck. It glanced over at Otsuka but walked on by. The old man and the cat sat there in the lot, silently waiting for the dog and his master to disappear.
"You said you look for cats?" Otsuka asked.
"That's correct. I search for lost cats. I can speak with cats a little, so I go all over tracking down ones that have gone missing. People hear that Nakata's good at this, so they come and ask me to look for their lost cats. These days I spend more days than not out searching for cats. I don't like to go too far away, so I just look for them inside Nakano Ward. Otherwise I'll be the one lost and they'll be out looking for me."
"So right now you're searching for a lost cat?"
"Yes, that's correct. Nakata's looking for a one-year-old tortoiseshell cat named Goma. Here's a photo of her." Nakata pulled a color copy out of his canvas shoulder bag and showed it to Otsuka. "She's wearing a brown flea collar."
Otsuka stretched out to gaze at the photograph, then shook his head.
"No, 'fraid I've never run across this one. I know most of the cats around here, but this one I don't know. Never seen, or heard, anything about her."
"Is that right?"
"Have you been looking for her for a long time?"
"Well, today is, let me see... one, two, three... the third day."
Otsuka sat there thinking for a time. "I assume you're aware of this, but cats are creatures of habit. Usually they live very ordered lives, and unless something extraordinary happens they generally try to keep to their routine. What might disrupt this is either sex or an accident—one of the two."
"Nakata's thinking the same thing."
"If it's sex, then you just have to wait till they get it out of their system and they'll be back. You do understand what I mean by sex?"
"I haven't done it myself, but I think I understand. It has to do with your weenie, right?"
"That's right. It's all about the weenie." Otsuka nodded, a serious look on his face.
"But if we're talking about an accident, you might never see her again."
"That's true."
"Also, sometimes when a cat's on the prowl for sex it might wander off and have trouble finding its way back home again."
"If Nakata went out of Nakano Ward, finding my way home wouldn't be easy."
"That's happened to me a few times. Course that was a long time ago, when I was much younger," Otsuka said, eyes narrowed as he searched his memory. "Once you're lost, you panic. You're in total despair, not knowing what to do. I hate it when that happens. Sex can be a real pain that way, course when you get in the mood all you can think about is what's right under your nose—that's sex, all right. So that cat—what was her name? The one that's lost?"
"Do you mean Goma?"
"Yes, of course. Goma. I'd like to do what I can to help you find her. A young tortoiseshell cat like that, with some nice family taking care of her, wouldn't know the first thing about making her way in the world. Wouldn't be able to fight off anybody or fend for herself, the poor thing. Unfortunately, however, I've never seen her. I think you might want to search somewhere else."
"Well, then, I suppose I should follow your advice and go to some other place to look. Nakata's very sorry to have interrupted your nap. I'm sure I'll
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