moai yokiko

A percentage of the proceeds from this book will go to the SPCA and the Animal Welfare Institute, in their (and your!) fight against the protection of all animals, and their safety. Changing heart's, one at a time.

This is a true story--and an honest one.

The wondrous and worrisome events that took place in these epic pages actually happened.

Some are STILL happening, as you read and we write. This is a story of joy, care, friendship, love, and compassion. Yet, one that is tempered with pity, tears of sympathy, dangers of many kinds, and the vulnerable, "frangible" life of a stray animal.

Kuro-chan is not a “pet”, for anyone. He never stepped foot inside a home. He belonges to all…..to all of US.

Kuro-chan is a cat, a black cat, a magical cat--and a VERY special one.

He has only three legs and one eye, but he is very powerful and very handsome-and VERY respected among all humans he has enchanted, and fellow strays. He is an animal that can help us learn about life. He is a stray animal that we must all know. He is a fighter, he is a wonder, he makes us grin with delight, he brings us so much happiness, he makes us want to live our lives with rich fulfillment and joy, and to give him the same kind of life, as well!

“Kuro” is another word for “black”, in another of the human languages. He is alive and well today, and survives, still, on the streets of one of our biggest cities of our adventure-filled, blue and green planet. Kuro-chan is an expert, a wise man, a sage, a professor of life, for: he has much to teach us.

Kuro-chan is indeed a real cat! He is a living, breathing, feeling, being. Yet, paradoxically, he is also in our imagination: yes....he IS “us”. He represents humanity's greatest charms, but far from its worst ailments. On the contrary--he is our hope.

Kuro-chan is also a cat that can speak in any human language he wishes, without even saying a word. We must care for such glorious treasures in our complex world, because all creatures represent us in many ways, and we are also part of them. The United Nations would be praised if they not only had human places of "reverance" (like world heritage sites and landscapes), but precious animals and even necessary emotional states--our world lacks these, and it is getting worse. Liquid Fear is a part of our future ills.

Imagine, if you will, roaming your own neighbourhood on three legs (or only one, if you are human....or ostrich), with only one good eye (of your grand total of two...or or only seven out of eight, if you are a spider, or ninety-nine out of one-hundred, if you are a scallop), but melting every heart that you come into contact with, and earning your living from human pity and compassion-BECAUSE of human irresponsibility, through the epiphany in which YOU have engineered, through your hard work and desire to live.

After all, every one of us must eat, find shelter, and live life--and hopefully be given a helping hand when it is needed. And, those moments of need sometimes come VERY unexpectedly for us, and that is why they are all the more necessary and so very precious.

Our lives--Your lives--are intrinsically linked to Kuro-chan. He opened a door for us, that was not only locked tightly, but for which we were not even aware. He made the sky bright, even in the darkest nights. He saved us, and many others.

Kuro-chan is the very definition of honesty and goodness. But, while the events you will see and read here did actually happen, and the characters are truly real, this honesty goes beyond mere "truth"--and extends to a story that is of such immense value to us all, both in its message of compassion and empathy (in a world where those virtues are muddled, and bubble to the surface in only a few of the enlightened among us--from time to time), but also in its simple lesson of what it means to feel a desire to truly care for someone, or something, and to love ~ “simply” love (and there IS such a thing), pure, clear, unconditional, no-strings-attached....love.

The following tale is what happened in one small corner of the city, in a passive, closely-packed, yet slumberous neighbourhood, with many hidden pockets and opportunities for any stray friend to carve their niche and form their human bonds.

Presented here is the story, the saga, the chronicle, the tale for all time, the epic of treasured moments, that unfolded just outside the, frayed, distant fringes of a town called Katyo; but, it could be your town, ANY town...and, indeed it IS your town, and it’s happening outside your own doors, on your own streets. right. now.  Are you ready to be awakened to the hidden truths of your own mind and future, of life, humanity, and the brilliantly rich charms that await you? 

THIS......is the legend of.........KURO-chan.