Come, my angel, let's go for a walk!" Grandmother leads the cheerful cherub down a dusty path, dry in places and lined with lush vegetation. It rains often in this corner of Africa, but the gods of wind and storms are capricious, and it has been dry for two weeks. Except for the birdsong, calm reigns as soon as they leave the road. The little boy chirps, tugging at the Lady, who lets him, touched by his burst of energy. He points his chubby finger at the tops of the trees, which laugh. She decides to dawdle, which is unusual. It is hot, and she thinks that this will eventually calm the toddler's enthusiasm.
They walk barely fifty meters to find themselves in a different world, so far from everything that it feels like they have traveled fifty kilometers. The afternoon is drawing to a close. The network of paths allows them to walk in a sort of circle around the garden.
It is possible to time the walk so that you are back in time for the adults' aperitif and the little one's evening meal. Night falls abruptly around here, so there is no question of risking a nighttime walk home with the child! “Oh!” A piece of tail has just appeared among the tall grass.
It disappears immediately, causing a rustling sound and knocking off the thin layer of dust covering the plants. “Oh!” the child exclaims again. “It's Picpus!” announces the grandmother. The garden of the colonial house is home to tribes of cats that have often returned to a semi-wild state. Kindly, they are credited with the ability to guard the food supplies stored in the room next to the kitchen. They are supposed to keep away the many rodents that prowl around. But these overfed guardians, who love nothing more than to bask in the sun and rest after their exhausting night, prove to be ineffective. Bad servants, sometimes aggressive beggars, nasty thieves worse than those they are supposed to chase away, eternal exhausted party animals, they remain precious companions with often overflowing affection!
The little one loves to put his ear on the overheated belly of one of these mini-beasts. This usually triggers an intense purr that makes their whole head vibrate. In this position, they like to place a familiar paw on the youngster's fine-haired head. From time to time, they half-extend their claws, both to show that they only accept an armed peace, but also to provoke a reaction from the adult humans. When the young nose brushes against the fur, an irresistible sneeze explodes, startling all the mammals present. The nose then wrinkles because the fur gives off a strange smell, unlike anything familiar! It has nothing to do with Mom's, which smells like soap, or Grandpa's, which exudes pipe tobacco. Reciprocity being well understood, in general, the toddler is sniffed in return. A wonderfully rough tongue rubs and reddens the delicate skin of his cheek to collect some milky residue, but also to respond to this cleaning habit common to felines. This gesture, though friendly and supposedly hygienic, causes panic among the ladies who preside over the destiny of the offspring.
We move forward without haste. The little rascal manages to go in the opposite direction to his grandmother. She pretends not to notice, which stops her grandson in his tracks and makes him come back immediately, because the edge of a forest remains a worrying place. All we see is a wall of silent greenery, broken by a few bird calls and creaking in the high branches. The plants on the ground rustle without moving, and invisible monkeys occasionally cry out their eternal anger, hidden from view. This forest is more alive than it appears! A continuous buzzing reminds us that, alongside the reign of insects, all other animals are in the minority. In places, bare feet in sandals become covered in fine, stubborn dirt, and then tiny pebbles crunch and clatter under the soles. Yet the overall impression remains one of silence!
It is as if all the noises cancel each other out or as if the animal noise is part of the forest, like a bush.
Funnily enough, cats always accompany their mistress on her wanderings. This behavior contradicts the legend that cats are selfish and only attached to the places where they live. Far from being indifferent to their owners, they follow them from afar. So when the grandparents travel, sometimes miles away, to attend a meeting or respond to an invitation, systematically, but later in the evening if the trip is long, the amused hosts see a small troop of faithful followers appear at the edge of the garden. Their arrival provokes an unfriendly reaction from the local cats, who hiss furiously at the newcomers. The latter remain calm and unobtrusive, showing that they are not there to invade the premises, which peacefully resolves any neighborhood issues. They will leave anyway when the Jeep's engine starts. Inevitably, the Major then says, “Look, your court has arrived!” Everyone finds it amusing, but no one, not even the distinguished biologist who studies the flora and fauna of the region, can find a plausible explanation for this behavior. What's more, they move around in groups, which is very unexpected for these felines, who are known for their individualism!
Suddenly, a skinny black cat emerges from the bushes. She moves as if drugged, regaining her balance with each step, bumping her head irregularly to the left and meowing weakly to attract the attention of her distracted mistress. The owner is walking very slowly, so the animal finally manages to reach her, circles around her to block her path, and, swaying, folds its front legs, seeming to bow down before an idol, as its stretched-out hind legs leave its rear end higher than its head. Her tail is stiff and bristling. The female then collapses on her side and swipes her claws a few times in the air and the short grass. A trickle of viscous saliva appears at the corner of her mouth.
Taken aback, Grandmother stops and leans over the little feline. The animal is seized by increasingly spectacular convulsions before becoming stiff as a board: it has just died! The lady straightens up and calls her grandson, who has come as close as his little legs will allow, very intrigued by this strange dance. Grandmother takes the little boy by the hand and looks around.
At that moment, a second cat emerges from the bushes. It is from the same litter. It is a cheerful mongrel, brother of the first, but whose coat gives a much more mixed impression. The spots are scattered haphazardly and its nose is a candy pink of the worst taste. Inseparable brother and sister, their appearance had led the ruthless Grandfather to name them Mop and Dishcloth, much to his wife's displeasure. But today, Mop has just died and Dishcloth is not feeling very confident and is no longer funny. He hisses softly and his complaints sound like moans. He staggers along, hesitantly making his way toward the group. It seems he can no longer see very well. He loses his balance twice on the way and collapses near his sister. With his nose buried in the ground, he suffers the same violent cramps that arch his entire body. In turn, he stops moving and stops breathing.
“Huh?” says the child, pointing in surprise at the stiff animals. It vaguely reminds him of something he was beginning to forget: his encounter with the dead monkey in the garden. In this case, there is no coagulated blood, and the flies are not there yet. “A snake!” cries Grandmother. She grabs her grandson by the waist and carries him at full speed to the house.
All hands on deck! All the servants and laborers, including those from the neighborhood, are called upon to beat the bushes and try to locate and kill the fearsome killer. As they are barefoot and bare-legged, they strike the grass with their sticks to scare away the elusive monster and avoid suffering a similar fate to that of the unfortunate walkers. Back home in the evening, Grandfather orders the gardener to mow everything around the lawn and hedges for a width of five meters. The man looks up at him: it will take him days! He timidly asks if he will be alone for this job. The Major thinks for a moment, then says, “No! You're right, I'll send two planters with you. And besides, experience has just proven that it can be dangerous! Oh yes! Wear boots too!”