Disappearing English and a Cat‘s Verdict

I found out on a Tuesday afternoon. On the radio, an announcer read the news in a flat tone: Wannian County, Jiangxi, would no longer be hiring English teachers starting in 2025. I was making coffee, and the hissing of the boiling water mixed with the announcer's voice, like some kind of old jazz.

I put down the moka pot and went to the window. Outside, the rain was relentless. The gray sky was like a giant, damp old newspaper, the words on it blurred. I thought of my English teacher, a middle-aged man who liked to wear plaid shirts and gold-rimmed glasses. He always played Beatles songs during breaks. He said they were memories of his youth. And now, English, along with those songs, seemed to be disappearing from this small county.

I took a sip of coffee, the bitterness spreading across my tongue. I opened my computer and browsed the web aimlessly. A news item popped up: American man sentenced to 40 years in prison for abusing a cat. I was stunned. 40 years, longer than a person's lifetime.

I clicked on the news, a blurry photo appeared on the screen, a black and white cat, its eyes filled with fear. I could almost hear its faint meow, echoing in the empty room. I remembered a cat I had when I was a child, a pure black cat with emerald eyes. It liked to jump onto my desk in the afternoon and quietly watch me do my homework. Later, it disappeared. I searched the whole town, but couldn't find it.

Where did my cat go? I don't know. Just like I don't know why English is disappearing from this small county, or why a man would be sentenced to 40 years for abusing a cat. In this world, there seem to be some things I can't understand.

I turned off the computer, went to the record player, and put on Miles Davis's Kind of Blue. The sound of the saxophone, low and melancholy, seemed to be telling a story. I closed my eyes, letting the music envelop me.

Night fell, and the rain continued. I opened the refrigerator and took out a can of beer. The cold liquid slid down my throat, bringing a hint of clarity. I went to the balcony and lit a cigarette. The smoke dissipated in the rain, like a lonely ghost.

I looked at the lights in the distance, those lights, like twinkling stars, guiding the way in the darkness. But where was my direction? I don't know. I only know that in this world, some things are disappearing, while others exist in a strange way.

I put out the cigarette and went back inside. The jazz continued, repeating those familiar melodies over and over. I lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. On the ceiling, there was a water stain, shaped like a cat.

I suddenly remembered the American man's face, why did he abuse that cat? Was it because of loneliness? Was it because of despair for the world? I don't know. I only know that in this world, everyone is like a lonely cat, searching for their own warmth.

And those disappearing English words, those forgotten songs, those missing cats, where did they all go? Perhaps, they just changed their way of being, existing in some corner of the world, waiting to be rediscovered.

I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep. In my dream, I returned to my childhood, the black cat was back by my side, it jumped onto my desk and quietly watched me. Its eyes, like two emeralds, shimmered with a gentle light.