In Noccolo Name

Once upon a time there was a Star, small, joyful, full of light, who decided to descend onto a tiny planet. Of the many, infinite possibilities it had available in Cosmos, the Star really wanted to enter our tiny spherical crust made of dirt and water, fully determined to descend here. It is thus that the Star spots a solitary, very young, tiger cat with a white tail tip that keeps its tail always straight, an antenna of flesh and bone and fur towards infinity, right there where the Star is looking from. The cat is called Piccola by some Humans. It means the little one in Italian. She trusts neither these Humans nor anyone else. She has big jade eyes and a tail so long and so straight that it ends in a milky white tip. For the Star, that white tip seems to be an unmistakable signal, just the signal she is waiting for, so she dives in... It is around the turn of July and August, the period of Shooting Stars. Out of this cosmic plunge comes a chocolate-coloured fluffy kitten, apparently the weakest of a three-pup litter. Its eyes immediately give away the presence of the Star. Bright eyes of the greatest light, that of innocence. A few Humans perceive the Miracle and find themselves united with the other few, who senses it in the same way. Without needing to say anything to each other. Faced with a living Star, what, after all, could you possibly say? The kitten is named Noccolo. It is protected and looked after, with no prejudice to its Sacred Freedom. Its weakness is its strength, and its strength is its weakness. Noccolo lives for joy. His life is joy. Its eyes contain the entire Cosmos. His paws trot lightly and cheerfully far and wide, while his puny, gaunt little body slowly acquired dignity and elegance. Carrying a star inside has great consequences and makes him predestined, small and big misfortunes happen to him, but he faces them with joy and courage, a paw here, a paw there, as if always smiling. Despite being so small, he also manages to communicate with Humans. His voice tinkles like pure silver. His life is everything, everything is in his life. Where he has his home and family, there also live other Humans, who have not noticed anything, and who are very busy believing they are rich and therefore happy. There is a sinister concierge, who works for them. A small Human who harbours slavish hatred towards others and seems to grow worse every day, his cloudy eyes cannot see the Star inside Noccolo.

But the Star inside Noccolo sees everything and manages to contain the Darkness. The Star keeps it at bay somehow, until one day a Human in a steel-and-plastic thing (called a car) speeds along, where one should go at a walking pace and, while concentrating only on a glowing object (the Humans call it a smartphone) runs over Noccolo's body. The Human doesn't stop, and the Star, dazed and very frightened, vanishes.

The Star's absence is soon felt, and the Humans become more and more trapped in their efforts to be happy through wealth and completely forget how to simply be Human, while the ugly concierge, who has become even uglier, sadistically happy throws away the body of the little Noccolo.

Don't come back down here, Star. Lead us from up there. In Noccolo Name.