A story about an eight- tail-cat

It is an old story from an old man.

Buddha said, every life with seven facial holes can get "fo" and be a celestial being. The cat, too.

The cat can be a celestial being, if it has nine tails.

It was said that after every thirty years moral teachings practice the cat will get a new tail. After 210 years it gets eight tails, then it has to make a wish from a human being come true. After that it will lose one of his eight tails.

And another 30 years, eight tails, make the wish of a human come true, again, seven tails.

Its act is always a repeat and seems to be futile.

But it repeats patiently. Because it wants to be a wonderful cat, a cat who can live aside Buddha forever.

The old man was a boy that time. One day it was raining heavily and he had to hide himself in a hole, where he saw a cat with pure white fur and so big that it even could have been a small white leo.

Anyhow, it was very beautiful and unusual.

The boy was fascinated and wanted to touch it a little while. But he saw suddently that the cat had eight tails.

Eight tails!

The tails raised in the air. Its black eyes like the twinkling stars made the hole brilliant and were gazing the boy. The cat seemed like a grace king.

The boy knew, the cat with eight tails could accomplish his wish. But at the very moment he couldn't think out what he wanted. Then he said :" Please go home with me. Once I have a wish, I will tell you."

He felt asleep soon. When he was awake, he saw the cat in front of him. And it was now just a normal white cat. The boy knew however, it just made a magic.

He took it home and tried to play with it. But the cat, the very very old cat hadn't the interests to play with him. It just liked lying in the sun and waiting that the boy told him a wish.

This day, a very nice day, while everyone was sleeping after the lunch, which is a costume in this country, the boy took the cat in his arms and laughed.

The cat behaved still distant. Well, he was just waiting, what the boy was going to say.

The boy ganzed at him and said slowly:

"If I have a wish, then I hope that you will get the ninth tail."

Suddently, the cat seemed to be astonished and moved. Its eyes became wet.

It hadn't thought that the boy would make this wish. And it is the only way that it could get its ninth tail and finally be a celestial being with Buddha.

At this moment it understood what Buddha meant.

The human beings before were just igoistic. They just hoped that their wishes come true.

The eight-tail-cat could only be successful with the wish from a human being, who says " I hope you get the ninth tail." And the boy did it.

The cat kissed the hand of the boy. It became again to the beautiful big cat -- now with nine tails.

And disappeared in the air. The boy said he saw a golden light flying in the sky.

The boy had always a peaceful life in the future, also in the wars.

Several years a ago he was dead. His children said they saw a nine-tail-cat came and went away.

Maybe with the soul of the old man?

But it's a beautiful story, really.