Haruki Murakami | The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle | 1997

Dear Toru-san,

Please forgive me contacting you unannounced. If my overture is undesirable, do not hesitate to erase this letter and my name from your memory.

I continue to feel sad and confused about your missing cat, Noboru Wataya. I can almost hear his distinctive meow in my imagination (if only I could see a photo). What happened to him, and to your wife? How you are feeling now?

I know you have been meeting a lot of strange people, and you always seem so open to new experiences, so I thought I¹d take a chance and invite you to my home for a simple spaghetti dinner. There, I hope you might reveal the truth behind this mystery. I also have my own theories, so perhaps we will have a true meeting of minds.

If not, we¹ll at least have some pasta to enjoy (it¹s a recipe from a restaurant in Italy I went to last summer), and I¹ll play the latest recording of the London Symphony so we have the option of listening instead of talking.

I so look forward to your reply.

Best,
Christine Thomas

P.S.: I will also turn off my phone so mysterious callers don¹t interrupt us.