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- The Cat Who Lived a Million Times
- Once, there was a cat who lived for a million years.
- He died a million times. He lived a million times.
- He was truly a splendid tabby-cat.
- A million people loved him,
- and a million people cried when he died.
- But never once did the cat cry.
- Once, the cat belonged to a King.
- The cat really hated the King.
- The King was good at war, so the King always went to war.
- He always put the cat into a splendid cage and took him along.
- One day, a stray arrow hit the cat and he died.
- Right in the middle of battle, the King held the cat
- and cried.
- The King quit the war and went home to his castle.
- He buried the cat in the castle's garden.
- Once, the cat belonged to a seaman.
- The cat really hated the sea.
- The seaman took the cat across all the world's seas, and all the world's bays.
- One day, the cat fell out of the boat.
- The cat could not swim.
- The seaman quickly caught the cat in a net and pulled him back onto the boat.
- But the cat was soaked through. He got sick and died.
- The seaman hugged the cat, who now looked like a wet rag,
- and cried loudly.
- He buried the cat beneath a tree in the park of a faraway bayside town.
- Once, the cat was a circus magician's cat.
- The cat really hated the circus.
- Every day, the magician would put the cat into a little box,
- and then saw the box right in half.
- He would pull the balled-up cat out of the box,
- and the crowd would clap and cheer.
- One day, the magician made a mistake, and really did saw the cat right in half.
- The magician held the two pieces of the cat, one dangling from each hand,
- and cried loudly.
- No one clapped or cheered.
- He buried the cat beneath the circus's biggest tent.
- Once, the cat was a thief's cat.
- The cat really, really hated thievery.
- The thief would always take the cat into towns at night,
- quietly sneaking like a cat down the dark alleys.
- The thief would only break into houses that had dogs.
- While the dog barked at the cat, he would go break into the safe.
- One day, the cat was bitten by a dog, and died.
- The thief hugged the cat and a stolen diamond, walking down the alleys
- and crying loudly.
- He went home and buried the cat in his small yard.
- Once, the cat was a lonely old widow's cat.
- The cat really, really hated the lonely old widow.
- Every day, the widow would hold the cat in her lap
- and stare out a little first-floor window.
- The cat would sit in the widow's lap all day, and nap.
- In due time, the cat grew old, and died.
- The decrepit old widow held the decrepit old cat,
- and cried all day.
- She buried the cat underneath the a tree in her garden.
- Once, the cat was a little girl's cat.
- The cat really, really hated children.
- The girl would make the cat ride piggy-back,
- or sleep holding him too tight.
- When the girl cried, she would wipe her tears off on the cat's back.
- One day, the girl made the cat ride piggy-back
- by tying a string around his neck. The cat died.
- The girl hugged the wobbly-necked cat,
- and cried all day.
- She buried the cat underneath a tree in her garden.
- The cat didn't really mind dying.
- Once, the cat was nobody's cat.
- He was a wild cat.
- For the first time the cat was his own cat.
- The cat really, really liked himself.
- For you know, he was a truly splendid tabby cat,
- So of course he made a truly splendid wild cat.
- Every girl cat wanted to be the cat's wife.
- Some brought him big fish as presents.
- Some brought him the best mice as presents.
- Some brought him presents from unusual journeys.
- Some said he was greater than the greatest of tigers.
- The cat said: "I've died a million times. After so long a time, this is amusing!"
- The cat liked himself better than anyone else.
- There was only one cat who never looked his way.
- She was a beautiful white cat.
- The cat would go up to her and say: "I've died a million times!"
- "Oh." is all the white cat would say.
- The cat was a little angry, for you know he liked himself better than anyone else.
- The next day and the next, the cat would go up to the white cat and say:
- "You'll probably only live once, you know."
- "Oh." is all the white cat would say.
- One day, the cat stood in front of the white cat
- and turned three summersaults in a row.
- He said: "Once, I was a circus cat, you know."
- "Oh." is all the white cat would say.
- "You know, I've died a…" the cat started to say, then:
- "Do you mind if I stay with you?" he asked the white cat.
- "No," she said.
- From then on, the cat was always with the white cat.
- The white cat had many, many cute little kittens.
- The cat no longer said "You know, I've …"
- The cat came to like the white cat and all her little kittens
- more than he liked himself.
- In due time, all the little kittens grew up,
- and went their separate ways.
- "They all became splendid wild cats, didn't they."
- the cat said with satisfaction.
- "Yes." the white cat said, purring softly.
- The white cat grown a little old.
- The cat purred even more softly.
- He wanted to live together always with the white cat.
- One day, the white cat laid beside the cat, and quietly stopped moving.
- The cat cried for the first time ever,
- all day and all night.
- All day and all night, he cried a million million tears.
- Day and night, day and night the cat cried,
- until one day, when the sun was high and bright, he stopped.
- Lying beside the white cat, he quietly stopped moving.
- The cat was never, ever born again.
- The end.
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