Once there was a boy who loved to draw. His name was Joji.

Joji grew up on a farm with lots of brothers and sisters. The others were a big help to their father and mother. But not Joji！

He did nothing for hours but draw in the dirt with a stick. And what Joji drew was just one thing.?Cats.

Cats， cats， and more cats. Small cats， big cats， thin cats， fat cats. Cats， cats， cats， cats， cats.

“Joji，” his father told him， “you must stop drawing all those cats！ How will you ever be a farmer？”

“Im sorry， Father. Ill try to stop.”

And he did try. But whenever Joji saw one of the farm cats go by， he forgot about his chores and drew another cat.

“Joji will never make a farmer，” said the farmer sadly to his wife.

“Maybe he could be a priest，” she told him. “Why dont you take him to the temple？”

So the farmer brought Joji to the priest at the village temple. The priest said， “I will gladly teach him.”

From then on， Joji lived at the temple. The priest gave him lessons in reading and writing. Joji had his own box of writing tools， with a brush and an ink stick and a stone.

Joji loved to make the ink. He poured water in the hollow of the stone. He dipped the ink stick in the water. Then he rubbed the stick on the stone. And there was the ink for his brush！

Now， the other students worked hard at their writing. But not Joji！ With his brush and rice paper， he did nothing for hours but draw. And what Joji drew was just one thing.

Cats.

Cats， cats， and more cats. Small cats， big cats， thin cats， fat cats. Cats， cats， cats， cats， cats.

“Joji，” the priest told him， “you must stop drawing all those cats！ How will you ever be a priest？”

“Im sorry， honorable sir. Ill try to stop.”

And he did try. But whenever Joji saw one of the temple cats go by， he forgot about his writing and drew another cat.

That was bad enough. Then Joji started drawing on the folding screens of the temple. Soon there were cats on all the rice-paper panels. They were everywhere！

“Joji， youll never make a priest，” the priest told him sadly. “Youll just have to go home.”

Joji went to his room and packed his things. But he was afraid to go home. He knew his father would be angry.

Then he remembered another temple in a village nearby. “Maybe I can stay with the priest there.”

Joji started out walking. It was already night when he got to the other village.

He climbed the steps to the temple and knocked. There was no answer. He opened the heavy door. It was all dark inside.

“Thats strange，” said Joji. “Why isnt anyone here？”

He lit a lamp by the door. Then he saw something that made him clap. All around the big room were folding screens with empty rice-paper panels.

Joji got out his writing box and made some ink. Then he dipped in his brush and started to draw. And what Joji drew was just one thing.

Cats.

Cats， cats， and more cats. Small cats， big cats， thin cats， fat cats. Cats， cats， cats， cats， cats.

The screen he drew on last was almost as long as the room itself. Joji covered it with one gigantic cat—the biggest and most beautiful cat he had ever drawn.

Now Joji was tired. He started to lie down. But something about the big room bothered him.

“Ill find someplace smaller.”

He found a cozy closet and settled inside. Then he slid shut the panel door and went to sleep.

Late that night， Joji awoke in fright.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

It sounded like a large， fierce animal in the temple！ Now he knew why no one was there. He wished he wasnt there either！

He heard the thing sniff around the big room. It halted right in front of the closet. Then all at once…

Yowl！

There was a sound of struggling， and a roar of surprise and pain. Then a huge thud that shook the floor.

Then a soft treading sound. Then silence.

Joji lay trembling in the dark. He stayed there for hours， afraid to look out of the closet.

At last， daylight showed at the edge of the door. Joji carefully slid the door open and peered out.

In the middle of the room lay a monster rat—a rat as big as a cow！ It lay dead， as if something had smashed it to the floor.

Joji looked around the room. No one and nothing else was there—just the screens with the cats. Then Joji looked again at the one gigantic cat.

“Didnt I draw the head to the left and the tail to the right？”

Yes， he was sure of it. But now the cat faced the other way—as if it had come down off the screen and then gone back up.

“The cat！” said Joji. His eyes grew wide. Then he pressed his palms together and bowed to the screen.

“Thank you， honorable cat. You have saved me. For as long as I live， no one will stop me from drawing cats.”

When the villagers learned that the monster rat was dead， Joji became a hero. The village priest let him live in the temple as long as he liked.

But Joji did not become a priest. And he did not become a farmer.

He became an artist. A great artist. An artist honored through all the country. An artist who drew just one thing.

Cats！

從前有個男孩非常喜歡畫畫。他的名字叫讓一。

讓一在農(nóng)場長大，兄弟姐妹眾多。他的其他兄弟姐妹都是父母親的好幫手，但讓一不是！

讓一在好幾個小時里什么也沒干，就只是拿著一根棒子在泥土上畫畫，而且他只畫一樣?xùn)|西。

貓。

貓，貓，還是貓。小貓、大貓、瘦貓、胖貓。貓，貓，貓，貓，貓。

“讓一，”他爸爸對他說，“你不能再繼續(xù)畫那些貓了！這樣下去你怎么當(dāng)?shù)昧宿r(nóng)民呢？”

“對不起，爸爸。我會努力不再畫的?！?/p>

他確實努力了。但每當(dāng)讓一看到農(nóng)場的貓經(jīng)過時，他就會忘記手上的活兒，轉(zhuǎn)而畫起貓來。

“讓一永遠(yuǎn)都當(dāng)不成農(nóng)民，”農(nóng)民傷心地和他的妻子說道。

“也許他可以當(dāng)僧人，”她對他說?！昂尾话阉腿ニ聫R呢？”

因此農(nóng)民帶著讓一去拜見了村里寺廟的住持。住持說，“我很樂意教導(dǎo)他?！?/p>

從那時起，讓一就住在了寺廟里。住持教他讀書和寫字。讓一有一盒自己的文具，里面有一支毛筆、一塊墨和一個硯臺。

讓一喜歡磨墨。他把水倒進(jìn)空硯臺里，再把墨條伸進(jìn)水里，然后開始研磨墨條，最后便磨出了蘸染毛筆的墨水。

此刻，其他學(xué)生都在認(rèn)真寫字。但讓一沒有！數(shù)小時內(nèi)，他什么也沒干，只用毛筆和宣紙畫畫。而且讓一只畫一樣?xùn)|西。

貓。

貓，貓，還是貓。小貓、大貓、瘦貓、胖貓。貓，貓，貓，貓，貓。

“讓一，”主持對他說，“你不能再繼續(xù)畫那些貓了！這么下去你怎么當(dāng)?shù)昧松?？?/p>

“對不起，大人。我會努力不再畫的。”

他確實努力了。但每當(dāng)讓一看到寺廟里的貓經(jīng)過時，他就忘記了寫字，轉(zhuǎn)而畫起畫來。

那已夠糟糕的了。接著，讓一開始在廟里的屏風(fēng)上畫畫。很快，所有的宣紙屏風(fēng)上就全畫滿了貓。它們無處不在！

“讓一，你永遠(yuǎn)都當(dāng)不成僧人，”主持傷心地對他說。“你必須回家了?！?/p>

讓一回到他的房間收拾東西。但他不敢回家。他知道他爸爸會生氣的。

這時，他想起鄰村有另一間寺廟?！耙苍S那間寺廟的住持可以讓我留在那里?！?/p>

讓一動身出發(fā)。當(dāng)他去到另一條村子時，天色已晚。

他走上寺廟的臺階，敲門。沒人應(yīng)門。他推開了沉重的門。里面一片漆黑。

“真奇怪，”讓一喃喃自語?！盀槭裁催@里沒有人？”

他點(diǎn)亮近門處的燈。然后他看到了讓他拍手稱好的東西。偌大的房間里全是空白的宣紙屏風(fēng)。

讓一拿出他的文具盒，磨了一些墨，用毛筆蘸墨并開始畫畫。而讓一只畫一樣?xùn)|西。

貓。

貓，貓，還是貓。小貓、大貓、瘦貓、胖貓。貓，貓，貓，貓，貓。

他最后畫的那張屏風(fēng)足有整個房間那么長。讓一在這張屏風(fēng)上畫了一只巨大的貓——這是他畫過的最大最漂亮的一只貓。

現(xiàn)在讓一很累。他躺了下來。但房間太大讓他感到很困擾。

“我要找個小點(diǎn)的地方?！?/p>

他找到一個舒適的壁櫥，呆在了里面。接著，他把柜門關(guān)上，開始睡覺。

深夜，讓一從睡夢中驚醒。

呃……

寺廟里傳出類似兇猛巨獸的叫聲！現(xiàn)在他知道為什么這里會沒人了。他也寧愿自己沒來這里。

他聽見那東西在房間里嗅來嗅去。它在壁櫥前停下了。忽然……

呦！

外面響起一聲夾雜著掙扎、詫異與痛苦的吼叫。然后傳來巨大的撞擊，地板都震動了。

接著是輕輕的踏步聲，最后一切歸于寂靜。

讓一在黑暗中顫抖著身子躺著。他在里面呆了好幾個小時，不敢朝壁櫥外看。

最后，陽光從門縫照射進(jìn)來。讓一小心翼翼地推開門，悄悄往外看。

房間中間躺著一只巨大鼠怪——像牛一般大！它一動不動地躺在那里，仿佛有什么東西把它撞倒在地上。

讓一環(huán)顧房間四周。房里沒有任何人和其他東西——只有畫著貓的屏風(fēng)。然后他再次看向那只巨大的貓。

“我不是把頭畫在左邊，尾巴畫在右邊嗎？”

沒錯，他很確定。但現(xiàn)在這只貓卻朝向了另一邊——就像它從屏風(fēng)跳了下來又跳了回去。

“是這只貓！”讓一說道。他睜大雙眼，然后雙手合十向屏風(fēng)鞠了個躬。

“謝謝，貓大人。你救了我。只要我還活著就沒有人可以阻止我畫貓?！?/p>

村民得知鼠怪已經(jīng)死了后，讓一成為了英雄。村子的住持允許他住在寺廟里，想住多久就住多久。

但讓一沒有成為僧人，也沒有成為農(nóng)民。

他成為了一名藝術(shù)家。一名偉大的藝術(shù)家。一名聞名全國的藝術(shù)家。一名只畫一樣?xùn)|西的藝術(shù)家。

貓！