SCHWARZWALD: STORIES FROM THE BLACK FOREST

The Cat Wearing a Yellow Scarf

Long ago, in a village near the Black Forest, there lived a little girl named Clara. Clara dreamed of leaving her home and seeing the rest of the world. So often, when she was with her family at the market, she would wander off to explore the village. Until one day, she realized she had visited every village corner.

"I need to go see what is in the forest," she thought. So Clara planned to sneak into the forest the next time her family entered the village market.

Clara thought of a way to put her plan into action, and when her family had gone to sleep for the night, Clara devised her scheme.

"Oh," Clara thought. "I hope this plan works out."

The following day, her mother said, "Let's get going to market. We're going to be late!" Her mother called out.

But Clara stayed in bed, then after some time, her mother came in to check on her.

"What's the matter, Clara?" her mother said as she walked toward Clara's bed. "Why are you not out of bed? We are going to the market today, and I know how much you love going into the village."

"Oh, mother, I am not feeling well today. My head is hot, and my stomach is sore. Can I stay in bed today?" pleaded Clara.

"Well, okay," her mother replied. "But we are going to be late for the market."

"No, no. I am fine," Clara insisted.

The mother said, "All right. But don't get up until you feel better, okay?"

Clara stayed in bed for a while until she heard her mother had finally left for the market.

After her mother left, Clara sat up and started her plan. She pulled her dress and jacket from her dresser, threw on her boots, and ran out the door. She knew she only had a few hours to explore the forest, so she ran quickly to the forest's edge.

She paused momentarily and thought about this new adventure's excitement. For a second, she thought maybe it wasn't a good idea, and she shouldn't go in the forest alone. But then she thought it was perfectly safe because it was daytime and nothing bad ever happened during the day. So, she ventured into the forest and was amazed at how tall and enormous the trees were. After walking in the woods for a short time, she noticed that she could barely see the sky above her through the thick tall trees. So, she walked for a while longer and then became tired. Finally, she saw a small meadow and decided it was a perfect place to rest.

Clara pulled out a piece of bread she had packed in her pocket, broke off some pieces, and began eating it as she walked deeper into the forest. Clara took off her boots, rolled up her dress sleeves, laid down on a soft patch of grass, and began to snack. She ate, looked at her beautiful surroundings, and paid no attention to the time.

After eating her bread, she lay down in the meadow on her back and looked up at the small piece of sky she could see through the treetops. It was so beautiful, and the sound of the birds singing nearby soon lulled her to sleep.

She woke startled and panicked. She had no idea how long she had slept and how much time had passed.

"Oh no!" she thought, "I am late to go home, and mother will notice that I am no longer in bed." Clara sat up then noticed a cat was lying on her lap. It was an orange cat, and it was wearing a bright yellow scarf. Clara couldn't remember seeing this cat before and did know how it got there. She reached her hand to push it off her lap gently.

The cat's eyes gently opened. It had yellow eyes that looked more like a snake's eyes than a cat's. It lifted its head and looked up at Clara.

"Hello, I hope I didn't wake you," said the orange cat in the yellow scarf.