[With my father-in-law.] A story about a pet cat [During the war]

When I talk with my father-in-law, I often bring up the NHK morning drama when we run out of things to say. The current morning drama is, of course, 'Anpan'.

“The NHK morning drama currently airing is about the author of a picture book and the creator of an anime that is very popular with children. Are you watching it?”

“No, I’m not watching it.”

“I see. The war ended in the drama yesterday. In the final part, there was a scene where the main characters were suffering from hunger and eating dandelion roots.”

“I often ate chickweed that grew around the house, too. You can eat that.”

“Is chickweed the one that goes into the seven-herb porridge?”

“Yes, it’s a bit slimy. Toward the end of the war, I didn’t have the energy to do anything, so I didn’t even go to school and just sat in the sun. I had no vitality. I must have been malnourished.”

“I see. In the drama, there was also a scene where they were fed (or rather, snatched) a boiled egg from an elderly Chinese woman, and I was surprised to see them eating it shell and all.”

“That was probably because they were so hungry they didn’t even have the energy to peel the shell.”

“I see... that’s harrowing...”

“You know, during the war, I once asked if I could keep a cat I had found, but my whole family opposed it. But when I said I would give it my own share of food, they allowed me to keep it.”

“Wow, you even reduced your own food for it!”

“It became very attached to me. It was a bit of a problem because it would even follow me to the public bath. When I went out, it would follow me to the gate, and when I came home, it would come to the gate to meet me.”

“It really understood who was taking care of it and giving it food. How long did you have it?”

“About two years, I think.”

“Two years! You were reducing your own meals to feed a cat for such a long time.”

“But, while I was out, a neighbor told me it had been eaten by a dog.”

！！！！！

“Hunger had spread even into the animal world. Because of the war.”

The story of Takashi Yanase from 'Anpan' and the story of my father-in-law. Both were harrowing accounts told by people who survived the war. I am sharing this as one of many precious war stories.