Last evening right before dusk I made my first attempt at approaching Mr. Zampanó, who was still pensively pacing around the courtyard, mumbling in hushed tones. I tried to be direct, calling out his name and waving, but I was met with a less than pleasant response. He appeared startled, glaring at me with distrust and quickly scurrying back into his apartment before I made my way over. He slammed the door behind him. Must be a little shy. Today, I watched him from far away, trying to decide the best approach to engaging Mr. Zampanó in a discussion. While watching him this morning, I noticed some neighborhood cats began appearing from every direction, coming towards the mysterious man and rubbing his legs. He softly smiled at the felines, patting them gently in response. My uncle used to say that animals were a better judge of character than people, so there must be more to his story. I think the cats are my clue: my approach needs to be subtle and gentle. I need to show him I mean no harm.           –Clarisse McClellan