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！

从前有个男孩非常喜欢画画。他的名字叫让一。

让一在农场长大，兄弟姐妹众多。他的其他兄弟姐妹都是父母亲的好帮手，但让一不是！

让一在好几个小时里什么也没干，就只是拿着一根棒子在泥土上画画，而且他只画一样东西。

猫。

猫，猫，还是猫。小猫、大猫、瘦猫、胖猫。猫，猫，猫，猫，猫。

“让一，”他爸爸对他说，“你不能再继续画那些猫了！这样下去你怎么当得了农民呢？”

“对不起，爸爸。我会努力不再画的。”

他确实努力了。但每当让一看到农场的猫经过时，他就会忘记手上的活儿，转而画起猫来。

“让一永远都当不成农民，”农民伤心地和他的妻子说道。

“也许他可以当僧人，”她对他说。“何不把他送去寺庙呢？”

因此农民带着让一去拜见了村里寺庙的住持。住持说，“我很乐意教导他。”

从那时起，让一就住在了寺庙里。住持教他读书和写字。让一有一盒自己的文具，里面有一支毛笔、一块墨和一个砚台。

让一喜欢磨墨。他把水倒进空砚台里，再把墨条伸进水里，然后开始研磨墨条，最后便磨出了蘸染毛笔的墨水。

此刻，其他学生都在认真写字。但让一没有！数小时内，他什么也没干，只用毛笔和宣纸画画。而且让一只画一样东西。

猫。

猫，猫，还是猫。小猫、大猫、瘦猫、胖猫。猫，猫，猫，猫，猫。

“让一，”主持对他说，“你不能再继续画那些猫了！这么下去你怎么当得了僧人？”

“对不起，大人。我会努力不再画的。”

他确实努力了。但每当让一看到寺庙里的猫经过时，他就忘记了写字，转而画起画来。

那已够糟糕的了。接着，让一开始在庙里的屏风上画画。很快，所有的宣纸屏风上就全画满了猫。它们无处不在！

“让一，你永远都当不成僧人，”主持伤心地对他说。“你必须回家了。”

让一回到他的房间收拾东西。但他不敢回家。他知道他爸爸会生气的。

这时，他想起邻村有另一间寺庙。“也许那间寺庙的住持可以让我留在那里。”

让一动身出发。当他去到另一条村子时，天色已晚。

他走上寺庙的台阶，敲门。没人应门。他推开了沉重的门。里面一片漆黑。

“真奇怪，”让一喃喃自语。“为什么这里没有人？”

他点亮近门处的灯。然后他看到了让他拍手称好的东西。偌大的房间里全是空白的宣纸屏风。

让一拿出他的文具盒，磨了一些墨，用毛笔蘸墨并开始画画。而让一只画一样东西。

猫。

猫，猫，还是猫。小猫、大猫、瘦猫、胖猫。猫，猫，猫，猫，猫。

他最后画的那张屏风足有整个房间那么长。让一在这张屏风上画了一只巨大的猫——这是他画过的最大最漂亮的一只猫。

现在让一很累。他躺了下来。但房间太大让他感到很困扰。

“我要找个小点的地方。”

他找到一个舒适的壁橱，呆在了里面。接着，他把柜门关上，开始睡觉。

深夜，让一从睡梦中惊醒。

呃……

寺庙里传出类似凶猛巨兽的叫声！现在他知道为什么这里会没人了。他也宁愿自己没来这里。

他听见那东西在房间里嗅来嗅去。它在壁橱前停下了。忽然……

呦！

外面响起一声夹杂着挣扎、诧异与痛苦的吼叫。然后传来巨大的撞击，地板都震动了。

接着是轻轻的踏步声，最后一切归于寂静。

让一在黑暗中颤抖着身子躺着。他在里面呆了好几个小时，不敢朝壁橱外看。

最后，阳光从门缝照射进来。让一小心翼翼地推开门，悄悄往外看。

房间中间躺着一只巨大鼠怪——像牛一般大！它一动不动地躺在那里，仿佛有什么东西把它撞倒在地上。

让一环顾房间四周。房里没有任何人和其他东西——只有画着猫的屏风。然后他再次看向那只巨大的猫。

“我不是把头画在左边，尾巴画在右边吗？”

没错，他很确定。但现在这只猫却朝向了另一边——就像它从屏风跳了下来又跳了回去。

“是这只猫！”让一说道。他睁大双眼，然后双手合十向屏风鞠了个躬。

“谢谢，猫大人。你救了我。只要我还活着就没有人可以阻止我画猫。”

村民得知鼠怪已经死了后，让一成为了英雄。村子的住持允许他住在寺庙里，想住多久就住多久。

但让一没有成为僧人，也没有成为农民。

他成为了一名藝术家。一名伟大的艺术家。一名闻名全国的艺术家。一名只画一样东西的艺术家。

猫！