I Died And Turned Into A Cat

Ch. 9 A Cat That Becomes A Person (2)

They both left, leaving me to explore the home while they were gone. I roughly figured out how to switch between a human and a cat form so I could I unlock and open the door…

But what if Tae-il returned and found out that I had mysteriously disappeared in a locked home? I couldn’t go out right now. I had no choice but to wait for a chance.

As I roamed around the place, I spied a laptop on a table. I jumped onto the chair and gently closed my eyes. Then I wished with all my heart: I want to be a person. I want to be a person.

If the sensation that was washing over me was the same one as I remembered, then this was the correct method of transforming. My whole body became numb like before, and then it gradually faded away. When I opened my eyes again, I was in my original form—a human.

“Nya.” (Oh.)

I could still only meow.

***

This was all novel and strange to me, and I unsteadily crawled on my knees to the bathroom. I pushed myself up onto the sink, then looked in the mirror as I touched my face here and there.

It was definitely my face. Eyes, nose, lips, and every little dot. Still, I wasn’t able to make any noise other than meowing…

It was a serious problem. I couldn’t go back to my mother and talk to her like this. I couldn’t even make a phone call.

I crawled back to the table with the laptop. What if I was forced to crawl like this whenever I moved about? It was a frustrating process, and I wasn’t even able to stand up.

I managed to climb on the chair and then turn on the laptop. I stiffly straightened the fingers on my hand. First, I wrote an email to my mother. My hands kept bending downwards, but I managed the slow process of pecking each key with my index fingers.

[Mom, I think my story is going to take longer. I’m happy because there are so many interesting things. Oh, my cell phone’s broken, but strangely it’s not blowing up. I’ll get in touch with you through email once in a while, so please don’t worry.]

I wasn’t able to type any longer than that, and even if I could, I kept the email short as to not look too suspicious. I was supposed to have gone on a trip to cover my next story, so I wouldn’t be available for a while. However, I never went a month without calling my mom. I needed to hear her voice.

I turned off the laptop, and then made another attempt at vocalization.

“Mya mya!” (Ah, ah!)

My voice stayed the same. Why would something with a human body speak like a cat? It was ironic. I was not really a person nor a cat…

I sent my friends similar emails, then went to Tae-il’s closet to pick up a rolled T-shirt on the floor and put it on. Wearing clothes felt unfamiliar to me after getting used to a naked body.

I practiced standing up by holding on to the clothing rod. As soon as I could balance, I stretched myself, when I suddenly felt a strange sensation. It wasn’t one of my five senses. It was more like a feeling of an empty stomach…

“Mya!” (Ah!)

It was similar to the sensation of hunger, or sleepiness, or fatigue. I didn’t know how, but I realized that I had limited time left in this human form.

Although I could stand, I crawled back to the living room on my knees, then instinctively sought out a warm spot underneath the sunlight while I racked my brain on what to do next. Even if I could leave the apartment, it wouldn’t be easy to find the chance.

As I contemplated my options, I shifted back into my cat form. My inner clock told me that my time as human was limited, and I didn’t want to waste any more of it. I didn’t want to use it up on practicing walking either, not when I couldn’t even speak like a human.

When I shrank, the only thing that was left was the large shirt around me, and I picked it up with my mouth and returned it to the closet where I found it.

I went back to the sunny spot. My cat form was much more comfortable, and I ended up closing my eyes on the armrest of the sofa.

***

I had fallen into such contented sleep that drool was dripping from the corner of my mouth.

Pibibibi.

My ears perked up at the sound of an electronic key. I had no idea how long I slept, but it was dark outside. I stretched and then bounded towards the door, and poked my head outside as it opened. My nose twitched at the smell of Tae-il’s cologne, and he walked in with a smile.

“Meowy!” He seemed happy to see me welcome him.

“Mi.”

I glanced at the clock and saw that he had been gone for twelve hours. As I suspected, Tae-il didn’t seem to have an ordinary office job.

I blinked at him with large eyes as he gently lifted me into his arms. His dark brown, curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and it suited him greatly. His eyes were a warm reddish-brown as he looked at me and then held me close to his chest. Should I try living as the cat of this soft-eyed man? The idea of it was seriously tempting.

“I got you some gifts. Do you wanna see? Delicious snacks…and toys.”

“Mya…” (Mmmm…)

“And a carrier.”

A carrier? Wasn’t that a kind of suitcase? Actually, it looked more like an igloo. It was white and hard. What was that?

I had never raised an animal, and I stared at this strange object in front of me. Tae-il pushed it towards me so I could give it a sniff. It was just a normal bag, albeit a weirdly shaped one. Were these kinds of suitcases considered fashionable these days?

I kept sniffing, but I only smelled new plastic. Sensing my interest, Tae-il opened the door of the carrier. There was only one entrance on the side, and I realized what it was.

A house! A cat house, right?

Tae-il looked at me encouragingly. “You can go inside.”

“Ing?” (Eh?)

His hand pushed me into the carrier, and the entrance swung shut. I turned around and found myself enclosed in the space. I was bewildered at what was going on, and I put my paw on the metal wires of the door.

It wasn’t a cat house. It was a prison.

“Myak?”

Was I trapped? Was he not going to let me go? I couldn’t believe how careless I let myself be, and I desperately scratched at the carrier. Meanwhile, Tae-il lifted the carrier and walked out the front door.

“I’ve made an appointment at the veterinary clinic.”

Maybe he was concerned I had diseases from living out on the rooftop for several weeks. Or maybe he was looking for my owner.

But the veterinary clinic? My fur suddenly stood on end.

The clinic?!