Chapter 47 Santorini (1) The Little Cat Ghost.

Santorini, afternoon.

On the small volcanic island nestled against the cliffs and overlooking the sea, all you can see are white-walled houses built along the steep cliffs.

She lay in the shade cast by the blue-domed church, the volcanic rock beneath her warmed by the afternoon sun. The white, yellow, and black kitten lay on it, feeling like a loaf of bread being baked.

She was in a good spot, in the shade and not in direct sunlight.

The stone slabs, worn smooth and rounded by countless visitors, continue to carry a steady stream of tourists, while the lazy little cat has become a permanent attraction.

Everyone who passed by was itching to scratch the kitten's chin or pinch its soft, adorable face.

“The sense of layering in these houses is wonderful,” 1221 exclaimed, “like layers growing out of a cliff.”

The streets here are not very flat, but meander along the contours of the volcano.

Built on a mountain, facing the sea, it was Chichi's favorite view. Before the trip, 1221 asked her what place she most wanted to go, and she said a place where she could see the sea. As a result, she could see the sea every time.

Tourists with cameras slowly passed by, snapping photos one after another, not only of the scenery but also of the leisurely kittens.

After being petted so much, it finally started using its paws to block the relentless onslaught of head pats from humans. Today's business volume has far exceeded previous levels, so it's time to politely decline.

The rejected tourist took the opportunity to pinch her paw pads, then withdrew his hand at the right moment and said with a smile, "So cute."

After lying there for a while, she jumped up the low wall of the observation deck from under the wall. The Aegean Sea was so blue it seemed unreal. She asked 1221, "Are there this many people here all year round?"

"This is the best place for sightseeing. After the peak season, there will be fewer tourists."

The kitten and the system watched as the sunset turned the white rooftops orange, and the distant sound of church bells mingled with the crashing waves below.

This place is as beautiful as a fairy tale.

The town is crowded with people and cats. You can see cats lying around resting with their eyes closed on the street after walking only a few steps. Just as I was about to ask a friendly fellow cat where I could find food, a clear bell rang out from an unknown place.

The cats that were lazily napping on the street and in the corners suddenly perked up, their eyes shining, and they jumped up and ran towards the direction from which the bell rang.

"What's that sound?" Chichi asked 1221. "Where are they going?"

"I don't know, let's go check."

Chichi also curiously followed in their footsteps.

She followed the cats through a narrower alley, around the side of the church, and stopped at the edge of a relatively quiet small square with a glimpse of the sea view.

There were no shops here, only a few scattered large trees and stone benches. A local woman, around forty years old, wearing a cotton plaid skirt, was putting away a brass bell she was holding and putting it into her bag.

There was a bag and several paper bowls on the stool behind her.

The cats gathered around her feet, some of them fawningly rubbing against her legs and making expectant, high-pitched meows that gave her goosebumps.

The bell was actually a meal bell.

A smile on a human face reveals a tenderness even in the fine lines around the eyes.

"Don't worry, everyone gets a share."

She muttered to herself as she skillfully opened the bag, poured the cat food into bowls, and placed them on the ground so that all the cats could have a meal.

Lola noticed the honey-eyed kitten standing on the periphery, hesitating about which side to join for the meal.

"I haven't seen you before. Did you just come from somewhere else?"

She grabbed a small handful of cat food from the bag, placed it on the stone slab closer to her, and waved to Chichi: "Come here, little cutie, these are for you."

He called out to the other person a moment later to express his gratitude, and then buried his head in his food.

As Lola watched the cats eat, she sat on the stone bench and said with a smile, "Eat slowly, and I'll pour you water when you're done."

After slowly finishing its small handful of cat food, it voluntarily sat down next to the other person, licking its paws and washing its face.

After the cat finished eating the food, the other person magically took out a large bottle of water from the bag, poured it into the bowl, and very considerately kept quiet.

When a kitten drinks water, world wars pause for a moment.

After the cats had eaten and drunk their fill, and had been vying for the humans' attention for a while, they dispersed in twos and threes to find places to rest.

I watched as the humans packed their bags and moved from the edge of the square toward the residential streets.

She didn't have anywhere to go at the moment, so she followed in the direction the other person had gone.

Walking from the beach to a residential area far from the tourist attractions, 1221 looked around and said, "This street is called Anafi Street, which is probably where the other person lives."

He emerged slowly from under the bougainvillea waterfall that covered the wall, watching Lola turn into Anafi Street and push open the door to a small courtyard.

The walls of this street are covered with blooming bougainvillea, their reds and purples a beautiful sight. The kitten escorts humans safely home, stopping as soon as it hears the door close.

Sitting on the wall watching the other person enter the house from the courtyard, this street was deserted compared to tourist attractions, and was far quieter than the bustling crowds of scenic spots.

Having come all this way, I've finally decided to stay here tonight.

While 1221 was grooming the kitten, she had already planned the next sightseeing route for it: "From here, you can walk to Oia. The towns here aren't far apart, so you don't need to take a car to get there..."

"Great!" Chichi asked. "Is there a beach here too?"

"certainly!"

1221 flashed: "After we've finished exploring the town, we can go to Camati, where there's a famous red sand beach!"

The system was still explaining the island's map to the kitten. It had already licked its fur, which had been messed up by the vines, and was just about to go down to find a suitable place to sleep when its eyes were drawn to a certain spot.

At the end of the alley, an inconspicuous courtyard gate was ajar.

The kitten lowered its paw, sensing something was off.

The whole street was lined with red flower walls, except for that one house whose wall was messy and without the blooming bougainvillea.

She walked over the wall and looked into the yard. There were some messy leaves on the ground, and several drooping potted plants in the corner, which looked like they hadn't been watered for a long time and had withered.

What caught my attention were the things piled up haphazardly by the courtyard wall.

A large pile of carelessly discarded easels, big and small, some still with canvases stretched out. The canvases were covered in thick, haphazard layers of paint, as if they had been roughly applied and then thrown away by their owner.

That's weird.

Without thinking too much, he glanced around a few times, jumped off the wall, and started walking out again from the end of the alley.

Apart from the dilapidated courtyard, everything else was in good order. White walls framed the cascading flower waterfall, and people tended to their own plants in front of their doors. In the alley, flowerpots belonging to unknown owners also grew green plants whose names were unknown.

The wall was covered with vegetation, and sleeping on it would easily make it damp. Chichi walked out from the end of the alley and said to 1221, "It would be nice if there was a roof that we could climb up to."

She likes high places.

"I'll take you there," 1221 assured him. "Turn right first..."

"See that white staircase?" 1221 gestured for the kitten to look in the distance. "You can go up from the side of the building. The roof there is a platform, so it's easy to go up and down."

It was more spacious than the other rooftops, and there were a few old wooden chairs on it, perfect for a cat to put its paws on.

Before I even got close, I saw a lemon tree in front of me.

The leaves were somewhat withered and yellow, with a few green fruits scattered on them, and a very faint white shadow was hidden behind them.

Like a wisp of white mist, it has no solid form and cannot be seen under the streetlights.

Chichi's fur stood on end slightly involuntarily, and her honey-colored eyes narrowed into vertical pupils. She slowly turned around, initially just instinctively wary of the unknown presence, but became even more frightened after seeing the other party clearly.

It was the outline of a small cat, pure white, and petite.

"1221, what is that?" He hesitated for a moment, then took a half step back and asked the system.

She quickly jumped to a high place and stared intently at the other person from above. The white figure also noticed her gaze and its form appeared from under the lemon tree, becoming clearer.

The other's body was translucent, like thin moonlight draped in a layer of mist. Only one eye was intact, like a sapphire embedded in the mist, while the other eye was covered with a hazy gray.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s a little cat ghost,” 1221 said. “It has no physical form, just a remnant of consciousness.”

"A ghost!"

This was Chichi's first time seeing a ghost. Based on her previous knowledge of ghosts from humans, she knew that ghosts were not to be trifled with.

"Should we run away? Will it pester us?"

"The little ghost is alright. It's not aggressive and poses no threat to living creatures," 1221 reassured the ruffled kitten. "Don't be afraid."

The other person noticed Chi Chi, tilted their head slightly, seemingly surprised that she could see them, and then floated over.

Can you see me?

A faint, weak sound reached Chichi's ears, and the little cat ghost floated in front of her.

The opponent's four claws were suspended in the air, like a ghost, and it still looked quite impactful.

He cautiously maintained his distance: "I can see you. Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I don't remember."

The other party looked very confused and floated closer to her. The kitten was so frightened that she quickly took two steps back. Seeing that the other party hesitated to retreat, she stopped in place and dared not go any further.

"This is how it is after I woke up. No one else can see me or hear me... Only you can see me."

Its voice grew softer and softer, sounding utterly helpless.

He turned to the ball of light beside him, asking, "Why can a cat remain in the human world after it dies?"

Shouldn't they be reincarnated like human ghosts, or have their souls and consciousness simply dissipate?

“No matter what kind of creature it is,” 1221 explained, “if there are unfulfilled wishes, attachments that cannot be let go, or extremely deep emotional imprints, a part of its consciousness cannot dissipate smoothly and will remain in the place where it was in life and refuse to leave.”

He looked thoughtfully at the bewildered little cat ghost.

It has even forgotten who it is, so what obsession does it still have?

"Is there any wish you haven't fulfilled?" Chichi tried to ask it. "Perhaps if you fulfill your wish, you can go where you're meant to go."

The little cat ghost shook its head blankly, its semi-transparent body trembling slightly as it tried to remember: "I don't remember... I can't recall anything. I just feel that this place is very familiar. I can't leave, and I don't want to leave."

Chichi: "Then think about it again. Why don't you want to leave? There must be something that you care about."

The little cat ghost fell silent and remained motionless.

All that remained was the sound of the wind rustling through the lemon tree leaves, and the faint sound of cars passing by in the distance. The bright sunlight deliberately avoided this corner, leaving behind a cool and quiet shady spot.

After a long while, just when I thought it wouldn't speak again, the other party's voice rang out again, tinged with uncertainty.

"I remember something." The little cat ghost's one eye seemed to light up. "I'm looking for someone. I need to find someone."

He pressed on, asking, "Who are you looking for? What kind of person?"

"I don't remember her name."

The little cat ghost struggled to organize its thoughts, its translucent tail swaying unconsciously on the ground, as if just thinking of this person made its mood lighter.

"She smelled wonderful, her hands were warm, and she would gently stroke my head. She seemed to be sad often, and she was always crying..."

"I want to find her."

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Author's note: This story, which blends fantasy, xuanhuan (a genre of Chinese fantasy), and science fiction, will be coming to an end once it's finished.