Curiosity Exercise
There were 15 cats–yellow ones, white and black ones, a brown kitten with short hair, even a Siamese–all kinds of cats. They were all named after ex-presidents, even the female ones. Every other day at precisely 8am, Mary entered her neighbor’s home to feed the cats. When Mary had said yes, out of guilt of course, because she gossiped about the neighbor to everyone with ears, she didn’t realize what an undertaking it would be to watch the cats. She had said, sure, what else are neighbors for?
Each cat had a separate bowl with his or her name on it in alphabetical order lined up against the kitchen wall. Mary began the feeding with Adams and ended with Roosevelt. The cats came silently and in single file to their respective bowls. Mary couldn’t believe how well trained they were. There was no pushing, no fighting like dogs. The bowls were licked clean. Mary didn’t even have to wash them.
Over the past four days Mary had stuck to this routine, but today curiosity got the better of her and she decided that she wanted to take a look around the place. For having so many animals, the place was spotless, not a hairball in sight. The décor was plain, with neutral tones shading the walls and furniture. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the very large padlock she found attached to the third door down the hall.
Mary tried to open the lock. It wouldn’t budge. She removed a bobby pin from her hair and manipulated the lock until she heard the familiar click. Smiling to herself, Mary slowly opened the door and entered the room.
She found herself standing in the middle of a normal guest room, except it was empty. There was nothing in the room – no bed, no lamp, no pictures on the wall, nothing except something small that Mary noticed on the floor.
Bending down, she picked it up. Her gasp was heard right as the door closed and the sound of the lock clicked shut, followed by the purr of a cat.
Mary held a small tip of a human finger in her hand whose nail was painted pink and it was then she noticed all the little tips scattered by the corners. She was surprised because the cats were usually so clean.