Kitty’s Watermill
With the New Year, we all ask-
What luck is coming, how and when?
Wizards read into the letters,
The wise are thinking, Seers see.
The dark of future is a terror,
We all face when years cross;
All the hearts for light are craving,
Who provides this light in life?
Cat, come in, come in, come on in!
Tell us a tale, cat, tell us a tale! Come, tell us a tale! Please!
It was long time ago,
when the grass was greener
those days a cat had a watermill.
It worked day in, day out,
Purr, purr, purr
it cracked nuts, it peeled almonds,
and it all was there in those good times of old...
the moon like a little fish dancing among the clouds
sifts silver to all those around
sifts clearest silver right on my path
My heart, my heart is so full
like that of a poet, full of the happiest hopes and thoughts
The moon like a little fish dancing among clouds
sifts clearest silver right onto my path
It was a joyful mill:
the water singing, the mill answering: and in the mid-day, the Miller’s daughters would come to see their father
yes, he had three daughters
their eyes were of long gold
and their claws were hidden in pink paws, soft and noiseless.
But the most joyful time of all was the Christmas-tide.
There was a green fir-tree decorated with golden nuts and brilliant candles.
All the windows were lit with golden lights
and the daughters would dance with the young neighbours...
So the Christmas-tide passed, and spring came.
There were many who wanted to marry Kitty’s daughters
and he wanted to give a rich dowry to each of them.
To daughters! To daughters.
But the Black Cat who lived in a castle nearby
and guarded the Devil’s money in the dungeons
he wanted to have the Kitty’s mill for himself.
That’s mine! Mine!
Mine.
So, which one is it?
All of them.
All of them? All three?
All the three of them.
I need a lot of money
I see your point
Then mortgage the mill.
When you get the money, you’ll buy it out! Come!
Don’t know... perhaps...
Come later tonight, when Master’s at home. We will talk then.
Here is the address.
What are you looking at? It's a contract!
You have to sign it to get the money
See, Master gives you a year to pay it back.
You sign here. ... right here, come on.
come on, sign it!...there..there.
That's it, how nice.
It's done!
Are we ready to settle it?
Settle what?
Money. Master wants money.
What money? The contract said a year!?
See? It’s time. Where’s the money!
How so?
We did not talk about that
Maybe we could
No. We cannot. you can see we cannot.
Right. Are we taking the mill?
With all the gnomes!
That’s your garbage
That night the Cat spent in a haystack.
In the morning he was thinking what to do.
Don’t I have relatives? he thought.
Even the stones get pushed together by streams...
I’ll go and see how my daughters are doing.
So the Cat went to the manor-house.
His son-in-law was an overseer there.
Oh goodness! Daddy!
Come in, come in! Purr!
Sorry I don’t have any order here...
Listen...
Take a seat, rest some. This one? No.
Maybe this? Yes... No.
Maybe this one? Yes this is perfect!
No, not this one. What shall i do!
I must hurry!
Maybe... No, no sit just there.
This one! By the way, how’s the mill?
The mill, you see...
Oh! Maybe this one?
What do you think of this? ... Daddy!
Yes, this one is fine...
Yes, this one then
Coming! Coming!
Kitty...
I must be off now. See you later, daddy!
Yes, dear...
So the Cat went along.
The road was dry and clean like a table-cloth
yet his feet felt so heavy
Where to go?
He thought... Another his son-in-law was a dairy-man.
He oversaw the dairy for the manor
He had a lot to do and did it well.
But both of them were so happy together that they did not need anyone else.
Daddy has come!
We are so happy!
Do take a seat.
Here's some cheese
Here's some cream
Here's milk
Thank you, dear
How are the things at home?
How's the mill?
I do not have the mill any more
What do you mean?
The mill was taken by the Black Cat
What do you mean, taken?
well, you see
i had borrowed money
For a year
but the Black Cat wanted it back now
Oh -- I see
And where will you go now?
I do not know
You could have saved up something
for rainy day
yes.. Daddy?
We will have babies soon!
Really?
We have to think of babies now
We cannot let our family to become beggars
Of course not, children. And i am very busy now
I have to go see other relatives
Exactly!
The weather is very nice, too
One could walk on the roads with dry feet
it seems so
I'll be going then
yes, yes, of course
Good-bye, Daddy. Good-bye
Late in the evening
the Cat came to the city
Here he had a cat Inspector for a son-in-law
He was a very strict Inspector
all the cats in the neighbourhood wailed and tended wounds for weeks
when he would come for an audit
When Madame Inspector saw the Cat
she did not recognise him
How horrible!
Another beggar!
That's life
The cats are losing dignity these days
Not a day passes without some loiterer
turning up on our doorstep
See?
He would not go away!
Jut you wait!
I will show you!
Have you seen where our dog's got to?
Now he did not know where to go
But all his relatives were rich
and he had given large dowries to his daughters
had he one single relative
as poor and unhappy as himself
he would have had mercy on him
But the rich help the rich
and the poor Cat could find no shelter
Look, a kitty
all alone in the dark
How did the lamb get here?
Lamb?
I carry him under my cloak
See?
He has hurt his little feet,
He cannot walk? Yes
I have to carry him in my arms
Grass,
It all turns into grass
That's you, Fairy-tale Dragon,
It seemed, the grass itself was speaking
Do you think, grass has nothing to say?
It takes everything
Every.Thing.
See? All is covered by grass.
Indeed it does.
The grass takes everything...
It grows in summer
And it withers in the autumn
But its roots
Just listen!
Listen...
It is all there -
in those roots...
Grass has taken away all I had,
I become lighter every day
I have to think hard to remember
that i used to drink blood.
And what do you eat now?
What food do I need?
I get honey from flowers
and the only meat I get
are.. the flies!
But do you know...
But I can actually fly!
Come, get on to my back!
I'll take you for a ride.
I can take you home, if you wish
No,
I do not want to go home yet
Could you go higher?
Look!
Those are the travellers
wonderers all
And homeless
You also seem to be without home
but not to worry, we are both alike
Dragon?
Where are you?
Where did you go?
You see?
All this grass...
how it grows.
Dragon?
Are you..grass?
Where are you going? little leaves?
To the end of the world, end of the world!
Why are you so happy?
Those who have lost everything
Have lost their sorrows, too!
To the end of the world...
How strange
When the rivers and lakes froze over
And grey winter clouds slept behind the hills
The Cat saw blue towers under the clouds
This was the King's city
The King's castle stood on a hill behind ancient trees
And all the King's house
seemed to be sick with mourning.
Look here! A cat!
Come on in,
come along,
The old tom died in his sleep last night
and we need a cat indeed!
not to worry about your scruffy looks,
we will feed you up!
You won't have to live off the hunt here.
Oh! Little princess Ilse!
Look!
We have a guest!
He arrived last night.
It's a kitty!
Oh!
You do look shabby...
Do not cry, there, there
Little princess, do not cry.
I will get better!
You know, Kitty
There are so many sorrows in the world
And we cry for all of them
Do you see how wet it is all around?
Yes, that is so indeed
Our king cries for all the world's sorrows
For those fallen in war, for the sick
for the hungry, for the dying
for the living For all
Except that this is not the way to diminish sorrows
The doctors advised him to put gold round his heart
so it would not tremble with every sigh,
But he refused
because those sighs are his treasures
I must go now
My daddy is calling me. I have to help him be sad
And so they come to feed
off our sorrow
It was a very, very strange castle
It was like an old barrow where sad fates are buried
it was like a dark forest where the dead bones cry every night
it was weeping field where every ear bore grain of sorrow
for the great storehouse of God
It was a very strange king
All the pain of the world
shot to his heart like so many arrows.
Come, come, my children
My children
Give us your tears,
feed us on tears
tears...
Daddy? They have got a cat in the kitchen
a poor kitty. One more then...
Let me see...
You said, kitty?
Kitty... Had a mill
Let him be called to me.
So.
Do come closer
Come, Kitty
Tell me your sorrow
You were a miller, and you had a mill...
Yes, my king
Yes, I did
But the Black Cat took it away.
I see...that is the way of the world.
And then?
I went to my daughters
And they turned you away?
Come on, my king?
What would you like me do
to that Black Cat?
Come on, my King, I do not keep memory of evil for long.
Is that so?
And what would you have me do to your ungrateful daughters?
Do good to them.
Good? Yes
When I was thrown out into the world, there was sorrow enough already.
Why should we breed pain?
Let us grow joy!
How strange
Don’t we have to strive for justice?
What should I do to those boys that tortured you?
My king,
They are small yet,
they are so curious about everything,
they do not know pain yet.
They like to watch pain, and laugh at a cat tortured
But we will be good friends in time.
Good friends...
The king listened to Kitty
and wondered, how the Cat could speak of pain with such lightness.
that pain can fly and buzz like white fluffy snowflakes
that cover the grey mud of the tortured earth.
Why is it so dark in here?
Give me light!
Light!
Light for the castle!
Still you will get back your mill.
You are a miller
and i cannot come up with a better place for you.
This is how the Cat helped the King to heal.
All the golden lamps of the castle were brightly lit.
And a new life started in the castle.
But Kitty went home, to the mill.
Wait, you forgot me!
Take me, too! Me too!
And so it happened that the Cat got back his mill
And he stood in his mill in his white coat
and the mil went buzzing, cracking nuts, peeling almonds...
The dark of future is a terror
We all face when years cross;
All the hearts for light are craving,
Who provides this light in life?
Happiness with stars in hand
Visits those of pure heart
They whose heart is free of evil,
See the brilliance of this life.