The Cat and the Parrot

The Cat and the Parrot agreed to invite each other for lunch every day. Today, for instance, the Parrot would invite the Cat, and the next day it would be the other way around, and so on. It was the Cat's turn first. The Cat bought half a penny's worth of rice, the same amount of milk, and sugar at the market. When the Parrot arrived at the appointed time, he found nothing but plain food. Moreover, the Cat had taken such poor care of his guest that the Parrot had to prepare his own meal.

The next day, it was the Parrot's turn. He bought thirty pounds of flour, plenty of butter, sugar, and everything needed to bake pies. There were so many pies that they could fill a huge basket, like the ones laundresses carry. In total, there were five hundred golden, delicious pies. When the Cat arrived, the Parrot placed a dish in front of him, piled high with four hundred and ninety-eight pies. He kept only two for himself. The Cat devoured everything on the plate in an instant and asked for more.

The Parrot gave him the remaining two pies. The Cat ate them and said:

"I want more."

"There are no more pies," replied the Parrot. "However, if you're still hungry, you can eat me." The Cat was indeed still hungry. So, without a second thought, he gobbled up the Parrot whole, including his bones, feathers, and even his beak!

An old woman passing by saw this. Picking up a stone from the ground, she shouted:

"Ugh! Ugh! Go away, you scoundrel, or I'll throw this stone at you!"

Hearing this, the Cat thought to himself: "I've eaten an entire basket of pies. I've devoured my friend, the Parrot. Surely I won't feel ashamed if I eat this old hag? Not a chance!"

He pounced on the old woman and—gulp, slurp—swallowed her whole. Patting his belly, he continued down the road. Soon, he encountered a farmhand leading a donkey.

"Hey, Cat, get out of the way," the man shouted, "or my donkey will kick you so hard you'll drop dead on the spot!"

But the Cat muttered under his breath:

"I've eaten five hundred pies, my friend the Parrot, and a cranky old woman. Should I feel ashamed to eat a farmhand? Not at all!"

And—gulp, slurp—he devoured both the farmhand and his donkey.

Walking a bit further, he came across a wedding procession: the King and his bride rode at the front, followed by a column of soldiers, and at the very end, pairs of enormous elephants marched solemnly.

The King shouted:

"Hey, Cat, move aside, or my elephants will trample you!"

But the Cat replied:

"I've eaten five hundred pies, my friend the Parrot, a cranky old woman, a farmhand, and his donkey. Shouldn't I eat some pitiful King? Of course, I will!" And—gulp, slurp—the Cat swallowed the King, his bride, and the entire procession, including the elephants.

He walked on and stumbled upon two enormous Crabs.

"Run for your life, Kitty," one of them threatened. "Or we'll pinch you to death!"

"Ha-ha-ha!" laughed the Cat so hard that his sides shook (he had grown quite fat by now). "I've eaten five hundred pies, my friend the Parrot, a cranky old woman, a farmhand and his donkey, the King, and his entire wedding procession! And I should run away with my tail between my legs from two Crabs? Why on earth? I'd rather eat them too!" With that, he pounced on the Crabs and—gulp, slurp—swallowed them in one go.

Once inside the Cat's belly, the Crabs found a crowd of people: the King, sitting gloomily with his head in his hands; his bride, lying in a deep faint; a company of soldiers, trying to form a column and utterly confused; elephants, trumpeting loudly and stomping their feet; a donkey braying shrilly, with the farmhand beating it with a stick; the Parrot; the old woman, loudly cursing everyone at once; and, in the farthest corner, five hundred pies. It was very dark inside the stomach, except when the Cat opened his mouth, but the Crabs could feel that his belly was soft and pliable. So, they got to work with their claws—snip, snip, snip!—and began cutting a hole in the Cat's belly. They snipped away until they made a large opening. Then they crawled out and hurried away. Following them came the King, carrying his bride; the elephants, still marching solemnly in pairs; the soldiers, finally forming a marching column; the donkey, pushed along by the farmhand; the old woman, grumbling everything she thought about the Cat; and, last of all, the Parrot flew out, clutching a pie in each claw. They all quickly went their separate ways as if nothing had happened, and the Cat spent the rest of the day sewing up his fur coat!

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The Cat and the Parrot

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