Perihal Si Kucing Parsi II

A Letter to Miss 001... 

Apa khabar para pengunjung yang dikasihi sekalian? 

Selamat kembali ke blog Aku dan Kafe Buku. Ini kafe kita. Sebagaimana yang anda maklum, blog ini tidak ditulis dalam bahasa akademik atau penulisan berbaur makalah. Ia ditulis dari hati ke hati dengan konsep dan bahasa yang lebih santai. Namun masih mengekalkan kemurnian dan kesopanan Bahasa Melayu sebagai menyambung ketinggian pekerti kita, Bangsa Melayu. 

Saya senang sekali menerima kunjungan pembaca dari seluruh Malaysia. Malah sejak akhir-akhir ini, semakin ramai yang menjenguk dari negara jiran seperti Indonesia dan Singapura. Saya juga mempunyai seorang pembaca misteri dari negara Jerman. Berdasarkan statistik, beliau akan singgah ke sini cuma seminggu sekali. Seorang teman saya dari India juga tidak lupa membaca coretan-coretan saya menggunakan 'Google Translate'. 

"Thank you so much for your support!"

Selaku seorang penulis yang menyebarkan perpaduan dan kasih sayang melalui kerja-kerjanya, berkembangan ini membuatkan saya berasa amat terharu. Terima kasih atas kesudian anda semua bertandang ke kafe kita. 

Tahukah anda, entri Perihal Si Kucing Parsi adalah 'menu' kegemaran di Aku dan Kafe Buku? Semenjak disiarkan, ia menduduki carta teratas dalam statistik hampir setiap hari. Ini membuatkan saya selalu terfikir, betapa ramainya peminat kucing dari seluruh Malaysia. Apakah ini satu petanda bahawa saya harus menulis dengan lebih kerap tentang Jelly Bean? Atau sebenarnya, anda hanya berminat mengetahui perihal si kucing parsi? Saya sedang berkira-kira untuk mengangkat Jelly Bean menjadi watak utama dalam cerita buku bergambar kanak-kanak. Manuskrip dan ilustrasinya sedang saya usahakan. Apa pula pendapat anda? Perlukah saya menulis lagi cerita tentang anak kucing parsi kesayangan kafe ini? 

Berbicaralah dengan saya. Tuliskan kepada saya apa sahaja cadangan anda dalam kotak komen di bawah. Mungkin perkenalan di kafe ini membolehkan kita bertukar-tukar ilmu dan pendapat. Mengeratkan silaturrahim dan persahabatan. Sudikah anda lakukan itu untuk saya?... .

Baiklah. Entri pada kali ini, saya tujukan khusus buat seorang sahabat yang menetap di Jerman. Beliau sangat suka melukis. (Tidak, beliau bukanlah pengunjung misteri yang saya maksudkan tadi) Saya sedar, jika membaca blog ini menggunakan 'Google Translate' memang memeningkan kepalanya. Oleh sebab itu, entri kali ini terpaksa ditulis dalam Bahasa Inggeris bagi memudahkan sahabat-sahabat saya yang tidak boleh berbahasa Melayu dan  Miss 001 yang tinggal di Jerman memahaminya. Sudahkah anda bersedia?

This entry is dedicated to my dearest friend from Germany, whom I would like to introduce to you as the lovely 'Miss 001'. Oh, and the entry will be creatively presented in a form of letter writing... so, enjoyed!

*********************************************************************
Dear Miss 001,

Big Brown Envelope - All The Way From Germany

What a splendid surprise to find a big brown envelope on my desk this morning. Although it was a bit crumpled around the edge, the content was perfectly safe inside its clear folder.  

How nice of you to send me these lovely drawings of my naughty little kitten. I'm sure, if I showed them to Jelly Bean (JB), she will be jumping in pleasure. Ah, yes, jumping and chasing flies or birds are her favourite hobbies with her little sister cum partner in crime, Kapas. In my Malay language, 'kapas' means cotton. As you can see, JB and all her siblings are as white as cotton. Not snow. Maybe because we don't have snow here. Otherwise, we should be calling her Snowy or 'Salji' in my language. 

Miss 001,

Jelly Bean's sketches - Even Mr Teddy is admiring!

THIS is MY FAVOURITE

I must say that, you impressed me every time with your drawings. They are alive and talking to me like they always do. You are such a talented artist in the making. In my opinion, you could be my next children book illustrator at any time! I still remember the 'wondering eyes' you used to draw for your mother. One with the brown pupil - wondering behind a hibiscus flower and the other one with the blue pupil - wondering behind a peacock feather. Both have the mysterious look. I remember you told me that your mother gave one of the drawings to her friend. Don't you see? It shows that your drawings are really special. Of course, they are not Picasso's but they are beautiful and passionately done. Most importantly, they are genuinely yours.

How is your cat, Sam? I'm sure he is as adventurous as my JB. I still have some of your previous drawings. In one drawing, a cute little kitten was trying to bite a rope. Haha, what was he thinking? Hmm, I could make up a story out of that drawing alone. Would you like to read about it?... 

Little Sam

There was a playful kitten named Little Sam. 

He enjoyed playing in the garden. 

One day, he saw a long, small and red coloured rope. The rope was hanging from an old wooden chair. It was moving as the wind was blowing. "What is that thing?" Little Sam was asking. 

"Could it be a snake?" 

"No. A snake will be making a hissing sound."

"Could it be a caterpillar?" 

"A caterpillar lives in the garden too but a caterpillar likes to eat leaf not an old wooden chair. Besides, they are usually green and not red." Little Sam was scratching his head.

As a curious playful kitten, he was thinking very hard. "What ever it is, it couldn't be a postcard!"

It was not a snake. 

It was not a caterpillar.

"Oh, could it be a shoelace?" 

Quickly, Little Sam ran into the house. He was jumping and running. He was searching all over the place. Then, he saw a pair of polka-dot shoes with  a pair of red shoelace. 

"It was not the shoelace!" Frustrated, he walked away. Besides, he had turned the house into a mess. 

He ran back to the garden. The red rope was still there, hanging. It kept on swinging as the wind was blowing.

"What is that moving thing?" Little Sam was still thinking. The dancing rope was making him wondering.

"Oh, I know!" Cried Little Sam. 

"I know what is long, small and red. It's the liquorice!" 

Excited, Little Sam climbed up the old wooden chair. He was trying to bite  his 'liquorice'. 

He bit and chewed but the liquorice tasted like a dried glue. 

"How could a liquorice doesn't taste so nice?" Little Sam was talking to himself. At least, he was sure that it didn't taste like a mice. Not at all!

"Ooo, Little Saaaaaaaaam!" 

Suddenly he heard a very sweet voice. It came out all the way from that very cosy house.

"Meow, meooooow... ." Little Sam answered to his master loudly. Soon, he was running too  fast and he tumbled like a rolling Humpty Dumpty. 

"Sam, what are you up to? Are you playing with your imaginary friends again?" asked the master.

"Meooooow, meow... ." Little Sam lowered his head. He blinked his eyes and snuggled inside a small basket.

"It's okay. I know you like to play outside but look at all this mess! Solving a mystery could be fun but next time, please walk and do not run." She reminded him.

"Meooooooow," said Little Sam sadly. 

Head on his paws and he closed his eyes. 

Dreaming about that long, small red colored rope. Hoping that it was one chewy liquorice. 
           
Well, what do you think so far? That simple story came out from your little cat drawing. Of course, it wasn't Sam. I made it up just for you.

Sometimes, I was imagining both of us as the writer and illustrator of some lovely children picture books. Then, we could go to The Children Literature Festival in Bologna, Italy. Together. Proudly as a writer and illustrator. That is not so bad, isn't it? Okay, perhaps we could erase that 'Bologna, Italy' dream part. That is too much, hahaha. Still, I could go on and on making up stories with your other lovely drawings. It is such a wonderful feeling to complete a simple story based on a beautiful illustrations. Especially when it was made by a dear friend. 

Oh, yes! I remember your sleeping leopard. A colourful beak parrot and those adorable blue birds from your garden. They called you 'The Bird Whisperer', aren't they? That is one cute nickname. I think it suits you very well since you love animals so much. You must be inspired by the lovely surrounding where you're living. You are one lucky girl! The only animals I encountered besides JB are some alley cats and stray dogs. The cuter thing would be this one squirrel who used to hop at my kitchen back lane stealing some wild berries from my neighbour. Now the rumble berries are no more, I've 'lost' the only friendly squirrel I've ever known.

Well Miss 001,

I wrote a special blog entry just for you. It's nice to share your arts with my 'cafe' patrons. My blog is called 'Aku dan Kafe Buku' - Me and A Book Cafe. I'm sure, they will love it as much as I do. Thanks for the colourful postcard. I wish to visit that 'mediavel town' one day. Please keep on sketching. 

Until then, take care. Have a nice weekend.

Yours truely,

Miss 002

*************************************************************

At one time, Miss 001 used to have a rabbit named Hoppel. She likes to draw animals and colour them. I can't show all her drawings here but I can tell that she is getting better and better everytime. As a self-taught artist, her talent is something to be proud of. Miss 001 reminds me of my own favourite writer and illustrator. She is none other than the world famous children book writer, Beatrix Potter. Her story of Peter Rabbits always been my valuable collection in my personal library. I dream of visiting her home town in Lake District, UK. Anyone interested enough to join? 

Sekian dahulu 'hidangan' Aku dan Kafe Buku pada minggu ini. Semoga anda terhibur dan berhasil memperolehi sedikit manfaat daripada mana-mana tulisan saya di sini. Jika anda perhatikan, mungkin ada sesuatu yang dapat anda pelajari dalam penceritaan 'Little Sam's Liquorice' di atas. Terutamanya kepada mereka yang berminat dengan penulisan buku bergambar kanak-kanak. Saya tidak mahu menyebutnya sekarang. Mungkin sahaja pada kesempatan yang lain pula. Hingga bertemu lagi pada entri akan datang. Selamat berehat pada hujung minggu.

Salam sayang,

Mazny M.R.