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Every now and then, life presents an identity crisis. Lapsik the cat had a firm belief in his human identity - until the arrival of another cat shattered his worldview.
About Вячеслав Харченко
Vyacheslav Kharchenko (born July 18, 1971) is a contemporary Russian prose writer known for his concise, sharply observed short stories. His work has been translated into several languages, including German, English, Chinese, and Turkish, bringing his distinctive voice to an international audience. Beyond his writing, Kharchenko has worked as an editor for literary journals such as Modern Poetry, Homo Legens, and Formaslov.
Critics note that Kharchenko has a rare sensitivity to the seemingly simple art of storytelling - of recounting everyday incidents. His narratives often create an immediate sense of recognition, drawing readers into situations that feel strikingly familiar. Yet there is always a subtle gap, a reflective perspective just outside the scene, that prevents the story from becoming merely anecdotal. This quiet, almost imperceptible distance adds an extra dimension to his work, transforming what might appear to be simple, ironic, or even moral vignettes into layered and thought-provoking pieces.
Мой пе́рвый кот Ла́псик My first cat, Lapsik (лапа = paw)попа́л в дом совсе́м ма́леньким. came into /our/ home /when he was/ very smallМа́му он не по́мнил, He didn’t remember /his/ motherна у́лицу мы его́ не пуска́ли, and we didn’t let him outside живём на восьмо́м этаже́ we live on the eighth floor— ничего́ не ви́дно. /so/ there was nothing to see /anyway/Наве́рное, поэ́тому он реши́л, что он челове́к. Probably because of that, he decided he was a human. Ни кот, ни котёнок, а настоя́щий челове́к, Not a cat or a kitten, but a real person что, впро́чем, поня́тно. which, in a way, makes senseОкружа́ли его́ то́лько лю́ди: я, жена́ и де́ти. The only ones around him were people: me, /my/ wife, and /our/ children.
Он сади́лся со все́ми за стол, He would sit at the table with everyoneходи́л на унита́з would use (= “go to”) the toilet и да́же дёргал за верёвочку, and would even pull the flush cordспал с на́ми в крова́ти, slept in the bed with usиме́л отде́льную ми́ску для консе́рвов и ча́шку с водо́й, had his own bowl for canned food and a cup for waterпыта́лся чита́ть Хэмингуэя. /and even/ tried to read HemingwayИногда́ мне каза́лось, Sometimes it seemed to me что Ла́псик поку́ривает таба́к и не прочь вы́пить во́дки. hat Lapsik might smoke tobacco and wouldn’t mind having /a drink of/ vodkaВсё э́то отража́лось и на хара́ктере. All of this affected /his/ personality.Раз он челове́к, то хоте́л име́ть и по́лные челове́ческие пра́ва: If he was a human, then he wanted to have full human rightsчто́бы его́ не гоня́ли полоте́нцем, not to be chased away with a towel (= "that they wouldn't chase him away with a towel")не би́ли та́пком not to be hit with a slipperи разреша́ли ходи́ть на вы́боры. and to be allowed to vote (= "go to the election")
Но одна́жды мы привезли́ брита́нца Тюфика. But one day we brought /home/ a British /cat/ named TyufikИ э́то была́ катастро́фа. And that was a catastrophe.Снача́ла Лапсик про́сто не понима́л, кто́ это. At first, Lapsik simply didn’t understand who it was. Пото́м он не понима́л кто он, Then he didn’t understand who he /himself/ wasа когда́ мы ему́ объясни́ли, что он кот, and when we explained to him that he was a catто впал в дли́тельную депре́ссию, he fell into a long depressionи ему́ да́же коло́ли феназипам. and was even given phenazepam injections.(колоть - to prick, to inject; phenozepam - drug used in the treatment of various mental disorders)
Вообще́, наве́рное, любо́й психологи́ческий перехо́д о́чень травмати́чен, In general, probably any psychological transition is very traumatic как для челове́ческого созна́ния, так и для коша́чьего. for both human and feline consciousness