The Wall

Toward the end of June, the protagonist notices that the cat is changing. She grows a little fatter and oscillates between wanting to be petted and being very standoffish. Toward the end of the month, the protagonist hears some sounds from the cupboard and discovers that the cat gave birth to two kittens. One, with stripes like its mother, is dead, though the other, fluffy and all-white like an Angora cat, is healthy. The cat proves to be a proud and faithful mother, showing off the kitten to the protagonist and only leaving to hunt at night for a short period of time.

The protagonist names the kitten Pearl, and as Pearl grows up, she proves to be a beautiful, yet innocent cat. She loves Lynx and spends time with him. Lynx, at the direction of the protagonist, is very protective of Pearl. The protagonist loves Pearl, but realizes that Pearl is too delicate for the wild and dreads the day she will eventually go outside.

Over the course of this first summer, the protagonist is more concerned with the animals than the wall, but as the season comes to an end, the reality of her isolation becomes apparent.