Chapter 23 Türkiye (6) "I only have you as a friend..."
The jewelry store was nearly empty on Monday afternoon. Thankfully, after so many days, the demon eye pendant was still in the same spot, as if it were waiting specifically for someone to visit.
I watched as Aisha, her face flushed with excitement, emerged from the store carrying a small gift box.
“Let’s go,” Aisha said, her eyes shining. “Let’s go find Zelin!”
She practically jogged the whole way, passing through familiar streets and alleys, and almost couldn't catch up with the other person's pace for a long time.
Aisha ran straight to Hussein Street and eagerly knocked on the door.
The nanny smiled when she saw her: "What a perfect time! Miss Zelin is in good spirits today and just needs a friend to keep her company."
Aisha strode into the room. Zelin was sitting at her desk reading. Sunlight streamed through the glass window and fell on her. Although her complexion remained the same, she did look a little better than before.
“You look happy,” Zelin said, closing her book. “Has something good happened?”
Aisha tugged at her braids sheepishly, and instead of immediately taking out the trinkets she had collected as usual, she kept her hands tightly behind her back.
"Close your eyes."
"What fun thing is it this time?" Zelin asked curiously.
I want to give you a gift.
"You've already given me too many gifts."
Zelin said, "Even if I come alone without bringing anything, I'll still be very happy."
Aisha wrinkled her nose and urged, "Quickly close your eyes."
Zelin obediently closed her eyes.
Aisha took out a cream-colored gift box from behind her and opened the lid: "Open your eyes."
A pendant with a devil's eye edged in fine gold came into view. Aisha took the pendant out and placed it in Zelin's palm.
It looked even smoother than it did in the shop window; the deep blue was like a vortex formed by eyes, making it impossible to look away.
"Evil Eye?"
Zelin recognized it and looked up at Aisha: "But it's not quite the same as the other demon eyes I've seen."
“Yes,” Aisha said. “I knew it the moment I saw it. It’s different from those piles of demon eyes on the market stalls. I hope it can be your talisman and help you get rid of your pain.”
Zelin lowered her eyes and gently stroked the cool cut surface with her fingers: "This is too precious."
"Aisha, thank you."
She looked up sincerely and took Aisha's hand: "I like it very, very much."
Aisha's cheeks flushed with excitement at seeing how much the other person liked the gift she brought. She noticed that Zelin's eyes were slightly red and she seemed at a loss for what to do.
"You, you shouldn't do this."
"I really like it."
Zelin's eyes were still red, but she smiled broadly: "I'm going to hang it in the most conspicuous place so I can see it every day."
They found a pretty blue ribbon, carefully tied it to the headboard curtain, and adjusted the angle so that the pendant hung exactly in the center.
The deep blue pendant, set against the light-colored walls and bed curtains, looked particularly mysterious, like the eyes of a guardian quietly protecting the entire room.
It was both wonderful and reassuring.
Whether it was the pendant hanging above the bed that really worked, or Aisha's devout prayers under the dome that had an effect, Zelin visibly improved over the next few days.
When Aisha came to keep her company, her pale lips would regain their color, no longer appearing weak at first glance.
My appetite has improved a little.
No more eating soft, bland, and tasteless healthy meals every day; you can now enjoy easily digestible stewed meat and roasted vegetables.
Although she still can't eat the sweets that the other person has been craving, it's a big improvement compared to the time when she used medicine as food.
Aisha would secretly bring Zelin sweet dried fruit, nuts, and freshly baked sesame rings, without telling anyone else.
The frequency of her physical pain has decreased somewhat, and sometimes Zelin can even play with the kittens in the yard with Aisha and pick a few jasmine flowers to make perfume.
As Chi Chi watched Ze Lin's eyes gradually brighten, he felt happy for her.
The kitten can keenly sense that the sense of powerlessness that constantly weighs down the other person is being lifted up by a firm hope, and this change in mindset is reflected in their mental state.
Chichi leisurely flicked its tail by the window, took a nap, and then walked out of Hussein Street.
"The sun is shining brightly today, let's go explore somewhere else," Chi Chi said to the system.
"That's what I've been waiting for." 1221 flashed a few times. "Your personal tour guide is now online."
Following the system's guidance, the kitten rode the surging crowds at Topkapi Palace to visit the famous palace. As soon as it entered the gate, the smell of stone bricks and ancient wood filled its nostrils.
Outside is the "Imperial Gate," teeming with tourists, while inside is the First Courtyard, where sturdy trees and grass stretch as far as the eye can see.
"This palace has four courtyards. It was the residence of the Ottoman Sultan, the leader of the Ottoman Empire. Now it has been turned into a museum."
The trees are towering, and their rough bark symbolizes their great age. Whenever I see these ancient trees, my claws itch to climb them.
Unfortunately, most of the trees were sycamore and pine, which were thick and tall, with their branches spread high in the air. Even if she was good at climbing trees, she couldn't find a foothold and had to give up.
"Turning the left corner leads to the Imperial Council Hall and the audience room," 1221 explained enthusiastically, but the kitten, already attracted by the birds in the tree, ran to the tree first.
"That tree is really tall."
Sitting under the tree for a long time, the kitten looked like a tiny ant compared to the ancient tree that required several people to encircle.
"Yes, these trees have been growing here for hundreds of years, since the Ottoman Empire."
What's that building over there?
"St. Elena Church, the oldest church in the country."
Chichi's nose twitched, and instead of looking at the ancient church, she ran to the fountain in the garden.
A large Angora cat was crouching there, its eyes slightly narrowed, its gaze disdainful, like the master of this palace.
1221 whispered, "It must be the imperial cat from the palace. Be careful not to provoke it."
"Hello." Chi Chi stepped forward, sniffed the other person, and greeted them.
The other person glanced at her lazily, as if sizing up an ignorant country bumpkin, and didn't respond, instead turning to look at the crowd.
"I thought the palace cats would show us around," Chi Chi said to 1221.
Who are you talking to?
The Angolan cat suddenly meowed at her.
Chichi: "With my friend."
1221 Chao Yu Mao appeared, causing the other party to finally put away its arrogant attitude and come over to carefully examine the light sphere that had turned into a semi-transparent shape.
Even a royal cat is still a cat. It flew a few times before being lifted high by the other party's paws.
After playing with this robust royal cat for a few rounds, the cat's attitude changed somewhat: "Come with me."
The other person jumped into the fountain first, and although they didn't know where the other person went, they followed closely behind.
Instead of taking the main road that tourists usually take, the other party skillfully turned into a narrow path under the shade of trees. The path was lined with dense laurel hedges, like a natural secret passage.
"This way."
I almost got lost, but luckily the Angora cat in front of me turned around.
They arrived at the side of a row of buildings with huge domes, and the other party led them slowly to the corner of the wall to a feeding spot specifically for cats: "The food here is the best."
Chichi sniffed the cat food in the stainless steel bowl and meowed gratefully at the other party.
The Angolan cat flicked its tail: "Eat up, and I'll take you for a walk after you're done."
Leaving its former location as the imperial kitchen, the royal cat slowly ascended the outdoor stone steps used by servants, reaching a higher platform that humans could not climb.
A building supported by marble columns came into view.
"That's the Imperial Council Hall over there." The Royal Cat gazed at it. "Humans used to argue there and decide on important national matters."
I looked up for a long time, trying to imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years ago when many people gathered together and argued.
"It stole my job." In the face of the "local tour guides" living here, 1221's database has become useless.
"It was an honor for us to have a tour with native cats."
He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's go, follow it."
The other person spoke with pride as they introduced the various parts of the palace, as if these places were all the cats' territory, which was indeed the case for the royal cats who had lived there for generations.
They are not animals living under the protection of humans, but rather the "masters" who truly understand this palace.
We followed the off-tourist route, admiring the sights, and finally arrived at a cliff near the strait close to the palace.
The wind suddenly picked up, blowing Chi Chi's fur to one side.
The view suddenly opened up, and the entire Bosphorus Strait seemed to be right beneath their feet. The seawater sparkled in the sunlight, and Galata Tower could be clearly seen on the opposite shore.
"So beautiful..."
I couldn't help but admire it.
The Royal Cat seemed quite pleased with her reaction: "This is the real scenery. What's the point of those two-legged creatures crowding into some treasure hall to look at inanimate objects?"
The other creature tucked its front paws in, gracefully sat down, and gazed into the distance, like a monarch surveying his territory.
"I love coming here at dusk, when the lights on the other side of the strait gradually come on, and at that time the stars seem to fall into the sea."
He slowly imitated the other person's posture, squatting down beside them and waiting from daylight until after sunset.
“Look,” the Angolan cat suddenly spoke, gesturing slightly to the surface of the sea with its tail.
"A golden sea."
The setting sun dyed the azure sea gold, and several ferries left long trails on the water, like slits cut into a golden cloth.
As the sun slowly sank, its golden light turned orange-red and then tinged with purple, and the lights on the opposite bank lit up one after another.
At this moment, the kitten didn't have a large enough vocabulary to describe the scenery, so it could only offer the most direct praise.
"It must be wonderful to be able to see such scenery every day."
The other person hummed in agreement: "Every night, I never get tired of it."
Once all the tourists had left, the palace was completely enveloped in twilight.
"I'm going to inspect the territory now. You can do as you please."
The imperial cat leaped off the platform, gracefully blending into the night and becoming part of the ancient architecture.
Chichi lay alone on the stone railing for a while longer, watching the lights on the opposite shore grow brighter and brighter. The sea breeze made the cat feel cold. She licked her ruffled chest fur and imprinted the scenery that the other person had shared with her into her mind.
Cape Zaraquilio, where Topkapi Palace is located, is the heart of the city and is dotted with top attractions.
Most importantly, cats can freely move between the two sides while walking.
Led by 1221, Chichi spent several days touring these squares and gardens, from the Hagia Sophia directly opposite Topkapi Palace to the Blue Mosque on the other side of the square.
There is also the ancient Roman racecourse to the west of the mosque.
When they get tired, they can take a nap in Gülhane Park, making their lives more fulfilling than those of the tourists.
Unless one stays in this beautiful city for an extended period, a short vacation is not enough for humans to fully appreciate all the scenery in a short time.
Cats with unlimited vacations are an exception.
Not only did Chichi encounter foreign tour guides, but he also met many friendly fellow travelers here.
Having learned from her experience at Topkapi Palace, she would first befriend the local cats wherever she went, letting them lead her to places that humans couldn't appreciate—secret viewing spots known only to cats.
Stepping back onto the city's main thoroughfare feels like returning from an ancient empire to reality.
The trams on Istiklal Street clanged and jingled, and the rich aroma of grilled meat rolls wafted from the street corner. The little cat felt that this kind of liveliness was a bit too light and airy.
These past few days I've been eating food from tourists or at designated feeding points, and I really miss the freshly baked sesame rings and smoked meat from the market.
So I went to the market right after returning from my vacation.
The kitten's paw pads were sore from walking too much these past few days. It hitched a ride on a delivery truck to the market, and when the truck stopped at the market entrance, it jumped off the back of the truck bed.
The familiar aromas of spicy spices, dried fruit, and roasted meat enveloped the cat in a genuine sense of everyday life as soon as it entered the market, making it feel very safe and secure.
She could navigate the passageways here with her eyes closed.
As soon as I entered the aisle of the store, I discovered that the shawl shop, which had been closed, had reopened.
The owner of the flat-nosed shop was sitting on a recliner inside the shop, greeting customers. When the man stopped at the shop entrance, his eyes had barely rolled around twice when the female owner of the porcelain shop next door started tapping him.
"Stop doing stupid things, Sam. Doing business honestly is better than anything else."
After saying that, she turned to Chichi and asked, "Isn't it my little darling?"
Chichi meowed softly and rubbed against the other's leg.
Sam snorted, thinking about the strange circumstances of his misfortune, but reluctantly listened to the advice and stopped trying to harm the kitten.
Chichi drank some water to soothe his throat at the ceramics shop, then jogged along the area where the stalls were set up, finally reaching the bearded man's sesame ring stall.
"Oh, here comes the little glutton again."
The guy selling pickled foods always had a keen eye for kittens, skillfully picked her up, and patted her bloated belly: "Would you like some pickles or sesame ring bread?"
Is that even a question?
Freshly baked sesame rings, of course!
It slowly raised its front paw and placed it on the other's chin, meowing towards the stall where the aroma wafted.
The other person pretended to bite her paw, but was actually just trying to scare Chichi. He turned to the bearded man and said, "Give me a sesame ring, with kitten filling."
"..."
Finally, after much anticipation, I received a small bite of sesame ring from the humans.
For carnivorous cats, occasional carbs are quite delicious, especially freshly fried ones, sizzling and hot, so hot that they burn your palate when you bite into them.
Having already devoured the sesame rings and smoked sausages, he remained content, lying by the aisle, letting passing vendors and customers dart around to look at him.
"Pat the little cat's head, and you'll have nothing to worry about."
Humans always mutter this phrase while petting a kitten, as if stroking it can dispel all their worries.
Although you can eat and drink anywhere outside, the market still has a more lively and bustling atmosphere.
Aisha wasn't there today, so she lingered and wandered over to other stalls to "inspect" their work, making sure that every stall owner could touch her.
When Ahmed came across Aisha's stall, he remembered his daughter's instructions and took out a bag of dried fish that Aisha had left behind.
She hesitated for a moment before saying no, since she had already eaten and drunk her way here and her belly was round from all the food she had eaten.
However, the other party still meticulously counted out two small dried fish and fed them to the kitten.
Chichi: "I'm not greedy, I just don't like wasting food."
1221: "Who said anything? Eat up, eat up."
The kitten wasn't hungry at all; it pawed at the dried fish for a few moments before slowly finishing it.
Now she couldn't even lie down anymore, so she had to get up and continue shopping, walking from inside the market to outside, along the streets between the fruit stalls to places she had never been before.
After passing through a sewer, I was momentarily blinded by a light reflected from something.
She moved closer to the edge of the slightly loose stone slab, where the light was even clearer in the shadows.
Chichi used its claws to hook into the crevice below, and with a little effort, a stone the size of a pigeon egg rolled out.
"Wow, what an unexpected bonus!" 1221 also came over to take a look.
"What's this?"
I stared at the strange, jet-black stone for a long time. Unlike the glass and ceramic shards commonly found at market stalls, it was extremely pure black, without a single impurity.
It looked as if it had been dyed with the blackest, thickest ink, and could absorb almost all the light shining on it.
1221: "It looks like a piece of black agate, which was deliberately cut into such a round shape by humans."
It kept poking at it with its paws.
The heavy texture and understated black reminded her of a pair of eyes she had seen before.
When it looked over in the twilight, its deep, all-seeing eyes were very similar to the strange, dark stone.
A thought, like a small fish taking a bite, is quickly dispelled as soon as it arises.
How could someone who doesn't like cats accept a cat gift? It would probably end up like that seashell, just lying in the yard, becoming part of the soil.
Although he hadn't decided whether to give it away, he still took the stone back with him.
It was hidden in a wooden box on the roof of Anran Lane.
After being away for so many days, the little nest she made from a wooden box and doormat remained untouched on the floor, and no one came to claim it. Chichi felt even more at ease sleeping inside.
Before long, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Chichi rested one paw on the black rock and used the other as a pillow under his head, his eyes gradually closing as he dozed off.
Raindrops hitting the top of the wooden box sounded like rhythmic drumbeats, a natural white noise.
Every now and then, a drop or two of rain would be blown in by the wind. The kitten, half asleep, got up, licked its fur, and then fell into a deep sleep again until the next day when the sun came out.
The stone paving stones gleamed from the rain, and residual water seeped in through the cracks, with some leaking into the roadside drains.
It dried out mostly in the sun.
I lay on the sun-dried roof for a long time, listening to 1221 talk about other places worth visiting.
The kitten's ears suddenly twitched, keenly hearing the door open and close. Aisha was running from Eyes Lane across the street, and as she passed the end of the lane, she saw the eye-catching kitten on the rooftop, which even waved at her.
"I'm going to Zelin's house, do you want to come with me?"
He was slow to regain his energy.
He jumped down the roof from the wall in two or three steps and landed directly on the other person's shoulder.
"Where have you been these past few days?" Aisha muttered to herself as she walked down the street. "I've wandered around this street several times but haven't seen you. I thought you'd left."
It meowed twice, then said, "Going sightseeing."
"I've been going to Zelin's house after school lately to do my homework with her, and she seems to be looking better. I think that Demon Eye really works..."
She blinked slowly.
Maybe after a while, once Zelin has recovered, she really will be able to go to the market and the dock with them.
In the past, the other party probably wouldn't have even dared to think of such a thing.
When they arrived at Hussein Street, Aisha put Chichi down on the ground: "Zelin's mother is here these days, so you can't come in with me. I'll go in through the front door and have Zelin open the window for you. You can come in from the back quietly in a bit."
He nodded hesitantly and slipped through the side door on the back street.
Aisha rang the doorbell from the front and said sweetly, "Hello, Auntie, I'm here to ask Zelin to do my homework."
The woman, dressed in a low-key yet elegant manner, smiled and said, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside. I'll have the housekeeper pour you a cup of hot chocolate."
Aisha downed the hot chocolate in one gulp and skipped into Zelin's room.
The two of them worked together to open the window and quietly let Chichi in.
Having not seen the kitten for a while, Zelin gently scratched her chin with her finger.
How are you doing?
Chichi squinted comfortably, showing off her little belly fat to the other person; she couldn't be better off.
“I saw your mother when I came in just now. I haven’t seen her so happy in a long time. It must be because you’re getting better soon,” Aisha said.
“It’s not that easy to cure,” Zelin said. “But I haven’t seen her looking relaxed in a long time…”
“The way she and my dad looked at me before always made me feel very sad.”
"Grief? That serious?"
"It's that feeling of pity for me, yet also of feeling indebted to me," Zelin thought for a moment.
She lowered her eyelashes, which cast a shadow under her eyes.
"They feel they owe me too much for not giving me a healthy body. I don't think being sick is that scary. What's scary is that we both feel burdened."
Aisha seemed to understand, but not quite.
"Doesn't this just show that they love you? My dad has never said it to me, but I know he feels indebted to me because our family isn't well-off. Just take it as a form of love and don't overthink it."
"This is different."
Zelin shook her head: "They treat me differently than they treat other children."
“I feel like a burden, like I’ve stolen their smiles. If they had a healthy child, this wouldn’t be the case.” She looked out of the room.
"This is a form of differential treatment, just like how I receive different looks at school..."
She turned to Aisha: "They all treat me differently, except for you."
“You won’t carefully avoid mentioning your illness, nor will you distance yourself from me because of it, nor will you make me feel like a fragile patient… You’ll even bring your kitten to play with me.”
"You are my only friend, Aisha."
The room was quiet for a moment, with only the noise of cars passing by on the street.
A single, gentle word can weigh heavily on the heart.
Aisha looked into the other person's downcast eyes, and felt a dull, slightly painful sensation in her chest, as if something had hit her.
She is usually carefree and energetic, and sometimes she can't understand heavy feelings. She never thought that simple companionship was so important to Zelin.
Aisha reached out and patted the other person's shoulder forcefully.
"Of course you only have me as a friend, because one best friend is enough."
She dispelled the gloom with a lighthearted tone. Zelin looked up and saw the other person clumsily trying to comfort her, and nodded gently: "Mm."
Seeing her smile, Aisha's face lit up again: "And from now on, no one will dare to treat you differently, and your illness is almost cured."
"When you're almost fully recovered, I'll take you to the market, climb the irrigation canal, go to the dock to see the ferry, eat delicious sweets, and do all the things you've wanted to do but can't!"
The scene she described was so vivid that Zelin felt as if she could see herself running and jumping.
"Really? You'll do everything with me?"
"certainly."
Aisha gazed into the other's bright yet slightly sad amber eyes and took his hand.
"Get well soon, and I'll make you my best friend."
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