Beyond
the gate lay a large cliff with a sort of pier leading off the edge,
though what purpose it served Fishback the (former) Cat could not
guess. He peered over the edge and decided, upon seeing clouds below
him, the drop would have been too great to survive even when he was
still a cat. So he waited.
After some time, a great silvery bubble of a ship rose from the clouds, a zeppelin it was called, and docked with his wooden pier. Out stepped a woman and her companions, all of whom wore clothing that Fishback found strange even by human standards. They looked as though Victorians had raided a home repair shop and insisted on attacking every gear and gasket in the building, their clothes a mess of clockwork gore.
“Welcome, Fishback,” spoke the woman.
After some time, a great silvery bubble of a ship rose from the clouds, a zeppelin it was called, and docked with his wooden pier. Out stepped a woman and her companions, all of whom wore clothing that Fishback found strange even by human standards. They looked as though Victorians had raided a home repair shop and insisted on attacking every gear and gasket in the building, their clothes a mess of clockwork gore.
“Welcome, Fishback,” spoke the woman.
“Do
I know you, lady?” asked Fishback.
“You do not recognize me, but you know me,” she said, “just as I know you and all your feline brethren.”
“Bastet?” asked Fishback. “I thought you had a cat's head.”
“I can be cat or woman or anywhere inbetween I choose,” said she. “This is how I learned to hold dominion over man. But come close, you seem frightened and unsure.”
“I am, my goddess,” said the once cat. “Since the god of boxes made me human, I find I am constantly filled with doubts and fears, second guessing myself at every turn. I have no confidence anymore.”
“Then your quest to understand what it means to be human has done you credit, but this insecurity comes with its advantages. After all, he who has no worries cannot truly be comforted.”
She held her arms wide, and he accepted her embrace, her warm arms firm against his back as she petted him along the spine. For that moment, there in his goddess's arms, he had never felt more loved or safe.
“You do not recognize me, but you know me,” she said, “just as I know you and all your feline brethren.”
“Bastet?” asked Fishback. “I thought you had a cat's head.”
“I can be cat or woman or anywhere inbetween I choose,” said she. “This is how I learned to hold dominion over man. But come close, you seem frightened and unsure.”
“I am, my goddess,” said the once cat. “Since the god of boxes made me human, I find I am constantly filled with doubts and fears, second guessing myself at every turn. I have no confidence anymore.”
“Then your quest to understand what it means to be human has done you credit, but this insecurity comes with its advantages. After all, he who has no worries cannot truly be comforted.”
She held her arms wide, and he accepted her embrace, her warm arms firm against his back as she petted him along the spine. For that moment, there in his goddess's arms, he had never felt more loved or safe.
Originally
mailed to J. Cox of New Orleans, Louisiana
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