Aboard
Bastet's zeppelin, Fishback the (former) Cat followed his goddess
down to the lounge, where she and her entourage sat on comfy pillows,
ate delicious foods, and had their every whim catered to by her
staff. It was heaven.
“Rest, Fishback,” said the goddess of cats. “Your quest to understand humans has been long and you are no doubt tired. You have done more and gone farther than any cat before you. Your curiosity has shown more to you than many could dream to discover. Rest, my dear. Enjoy the fruits of your labors and I will have my servants grant your every wish.”
Fishback lay down on the large pillow before him. It was heavenly, the most comfortable place he had ever sat. Bastet's servants encircled him, lavishing him with fish and fowl, with back scratches and belly rubs. He truly had found paradise. Still at the back of his mind, he could not quiet a nagging voice that told him this was not what he sought. This was fool's gold. He set out to understand man that he might better command them. He had not done so yet. Though Bastet's attendants gave him everything he wanted, they were the fruits of his desires, not the tree. He could command them as he pleased, and they would obey, but for the wrong reasons. They would obey because she commanded it and not for any wisdom or virtue he possessed. It was a hollow mastership and a false end to his journey.
“Rest, Fishback,” said the goddess of cats. “Your quest to understand humans has been long and you are no doubt tired. You have done more and gone farther than any cat before you. Your curiosity has shown more to you than many could dream to discover. Rest, my dear. Enjoy the fruits of your labors and I will have my servants grant your every wish.”
Fishback lay down on the large pillow before him. It was heavenly, the most comfortable place he had ever sat. Bastet's servants encircled him, lavishing him with fish and fowl, with back scratches and belly rubs. He truly had found paradise. Still at the back of his mind, he could not quiet a nagging voice that told him this was not what he sought. This was fool's gold. He set out to understand man that he might better command them. He had not done so yet. Though Bastet's attendants gave him everything he wanted, they were the fruits of his desires, not the tree. He could command them as he pleased, and they would obey, but for the wrong reasons. They would obey because she commanded it and not for any wisdom or virtue he possessed. It was a hollow mastership and a false end to his journey.
“Your
hospitality is beyond measure,” said Fishback, “but I fear I must
leave your goodly company and make my own way to paradise.”
She
nodded to his wisdom and gave her leave. Before his quest, he had
never considered the shallow joys of reward without work. Now that he
had seen what it was to be human, had seen how they worked to achieve
and the joy their success gave them, he knew he could never go back.
He would work for his happiness, for a comfort earned is sweeter.
Originally
mailed to R. Cox of Biloxi, Mississippi
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