The Jade
Stare

"The Night of the Little Box"

It was the middle of the night when she heard the noise.

Not a common sound. It was the dull thud of a boot kicking cardboard — and then, meowing. Weak, fading meows coming from a dark alley in the periphery of the Zona Leste of São Paulo.

She went to the window and saw the police officers pushing a small cardboard box into the darkness of the street. She waited for them to leave. Then she put on her coat, went downstairs, and entered the alley.

She had no space. She had a dog. She had a husband who might not understand. She had a simple home in the periphery that barely fit what was already inside. Even so, she brought them both in — put them in the bathroom, the only safe place away from the dog. She gave them what she had: dog food and all the improvised care she could offer.

Days later, she posted on social media: "Two kittens for adoption. They need a home."

That's how we met Tangerina. When we saw the post, we didn't think twice. We went as a family — my wife, my daughter, my sister-in-law and I. Each family would take one of the little brothers.

We arrived at a dark, cold bathroom. Two tiny kittens — with diarrhea, fungus in their ears, and eyes wider than their whole bodies seemed able to carry.

We chose Tangerina. His brother, quieter and more debilitated, went with the other family.

The months that followed were intense care. My wife, with years of experience with animals, treated the fungus, corrected the diet, and gave him the time and love he needed.

From that gaze was born The Jade Stare — #001. The first soul of the INK SOULS series.