Cat Search

Marcello Sachs '10, English 65, The Cyborg Self, Brown University (Fall 2006)

You first search around your friend's house, but to no avail. You begin walking down the neighborhood sidewalk, thinking about the thousands of places the cat could've gone to. All of a sudden you hear TJ shout your name. Turning around, you see that he has spotted the cat. He motions for you to come over; it seems that he plans a tandem sneak-up on the cat. After slowly, inconspicuously walking over, you both hunch, creeping towards the cat. Approaching the cat from both sides, you and TJ ever so gently lower your hands onto the cat. However, at the last second, the cat jumps out of your grasp, running into the street.

You both moan; TJ mutters "damn cat" under his breath.

And then, as if out of nowhere, a gold Saturn appears on the road, heading right towards the cat! You stumble back, because you were leaning forward about to run on the road to fetch the cat. Things aren't going too well at this point.

The car continues forward, now just ten feet from the frozen cat and getting closer.

And then the car stops. Thinking about it afterwards, you realize that it was never really going that fast; its positioning in relation to you, along with its immediate appearance, merely made it seem so. Once the car has stopped, its driver-door opens. You expect to see someone come out, but no one does. Then the cat, who was previously standing stiff in the middle of the street, strolls over to the door and hops inside the car. As you watch the car pull into TJ's driveway, you hear him sigh "Grandma."

You both walk back to the porch, where you greet his grandma.

TJ : "Whoa, Grandma, you came pretty close there."

Grandma : "Very close, yes. That Victor, he is an exciting cat!" (she exits into the house)

You : "Ya . . . exciting."

TJ : "Exciting cat. So what are you up to today?"

You : "Well, I just need to stop at the mall and CVS. I came by to pick up the phone, but if you're not up to anything, wanna come with?"

TJ : "Actually, I was just about to go to the mall myself! Great minds."

You : "Great minds."

To the road.


Course Website cyborg Body & Self Literature

Last modified 31 December 2006