The roommates

Two roommates... And a cat

The cat jumps on the window sill and curls up in the sunlight, filling the room with the sound of its purring. The attic flat, barely large enough for the two beds and the little sink in the corner, is in a meticulously planned mess. On his side, the floor is covered with pieces of charcoal, pencils, paintbrushes. Surrounding a poster of the Rolling Stones, a few sketches are hung on the wall, but most of them are piled up under the bed base. He is silently working on a new  one, throwing pieces of rubber to make the cat skedaddle. The Eiffel Tower appears in the window frame, swarming with tourists on this summer day. She is playing a cheerful piece of music to accompany his work, sat on her baseless mattress. Her side is neater than his; apart from a vintage poster of the Moulin rouge, she doesn’t have many belongings. A guide entitled ‘Playing the guitar for dummies’ is open at her feet, and she keeps playing.

After there has been a fight

The cat slowly crawls out from under the bed, looking left and right in the empty room, before taking its place on the window sill, silently. The Eiffel Tower is barely visible through the storm coming to an end outside. Rain still pounds on the glass, and wind howls in the beams. The mess in the room has gotten worse; several sketches are scattered on the carpet, some of them have been stomped on. A tin of paint is on the floor, surrounded by a large, Duck Egg Blue-coloured stain. The vintage poster has been torn in its middle and only claims ‘Rouge’ anymore. The guitar is in the corner, near the sink, facing the wall. The music guide is nowhere to be seen.

After he has moved out

The cat slowly wakes up from its nap, stretches, and looks outside the window. The street is silent, the Eiffel Tower quiet, the weather dull. A lazy leaf comes flying around, carried by the wind. The cat jumps off its perch onto the dry stain left by the paint, and begins a sinuous walk around the room. The nearest bed is empty, deprived of bedsheets. The wall above it appears clearer on the spots once covered by sketches. The cat rubs its head against the naked mattress and turns around to go and curl up on the other bed. She is lying there, feet against the poster covered in duct tape, head upside down. She is softly playing the guitar, not paying any attention to the music guide open next to her. The cat falls asleep again.