Nando the kitten lived near a quiet beach.
He knew many sounds: bowls, footsteps, shutters, gulls. The sea, however, confused him. By day it crashed, splashed, ran, and returned. It was too large for a small cat.
At night the sea changed.
One evening Nando walked down to the sand and heard a strange sound.
Mrrr... mrrr...
He stopped.
âWho is there?â
âMrrr,â answered the waves.
The sea was purring.
Nando approached slowly. A little wave came near his paws and went back without touching him.
âYou sound like a cat,â he said.
âAnd you breathe like a wave,â replied the sea.
Nando sat down. The waves came and went. In and out. Near and far. Their purring was deep, but gentle.
He tried to follow it.
Breathe in when the wave comes. Breathe out when it returns.
At first he forgot and flicked his tail. Then he tried again. The beach became softer. The stars seemed to blink more slowly. Even his whiskers relaxed.
A child sitting nearby was crying quietly. Nando went to her and curled beside her feet. The sea purred. Nando purred too.
The child listened.
Little by little, her breathing matched the waves.
âThank you,â she whispered.
Nando did not know whether she was thanking him or the sea. Perhaps both.
From that night, whenever the day had too many noises, Nando went to the beach. He did not ask the sea to become small. He listened until its great breath helped his little breath remember the way to calm.