Re-telling of Poe's short story "The Black Cat" from the perspective of Pluto. |
As I hang from this noose, I see my life pass before my eye and quickly reflect back. My name is Pluto I am a simple cat, large in size with black fur. I used to have two green eyes that resembled marbles. I am now left with one. For some time I suffered under the ownership of a lovely couple. The couple had an extreme love for animals of all kinds, and I was one of a small menagerie of domestic pets. At first, the man was my best friend; however, he later turned to alcohol, becoming deranged and possessed by it. The man’s wife made frequent allusion to the superstitious belief that all black cats are witches in disguise. This at first troubled me, but she soon saw me as a normal housecat. In the end, I met my doom at the hands of my owner. Being introduced into this household, I quickly adapted to a new way of life. The man gave me the name Pluto, which I soon grew accustomed to, and we became inseparable. I became his favorite pet and playmate. He alone fed me, and I followed him wherever he went about the house. I even frequently attempted to follow him through the streets, though only succeeding a few times. Other animals that made their home in the house were birds, gold fish, a dog, rabbits, and a small monkey. This made the house noisy at times, and also added a base layer of fur to most of the furniture. At one point I started to suspect the other animals of being jealous of the attention that he gave me, but this didn’t bother me much. I was happy. Through the years, however, his temperament and character became to change. He became displeased with his wife. They had frequent altercations. Because of this, he started drinking. He grew more moody, more irritable, and more regardless of the feelings of others. He was constantly arguing and fighting with his wife. He began to mistreat the other animals, which, in turn, began to develop a hate for the man. He withheld food and physically abused them. I, however, escaped his mistreatment for some time. However, I soon began to feel the effects of his drinking as well. One night, upon his return home, heavily intoxicated, he noticed me. I attempted to avoid him, for I feared what he might do. Seeing this, he seized me. Doing so instilled so much fear in me that I bit him on the hand in hopes that he would let go. He became furious. I turned and started to run, but he had the upper hand and grabbed me around the neck. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I saw the penknife in his hand and knew there was no escape from the situation. I couldn’t believe this was happening. He was crazy. He thrust the knife into my eye and cut it from it’s socket! The pain I felt was indescribable. During the weeks that followed, I slowly recovered.. Some of the other animals avoided me because of my gruesome appearance. Without one eye, I couldn’t see as well as I used to. I also lost some depth perception, so I frequently bumped into things. After the incident I avoided my owner as much as I possibly could. I went about the house as usual, but I fled in the other direction whenever I saw him coming In the days following the incident, my owner further plunged into excess. One morning, I was awakened by my owner grabbing me and wrapping a noose around my neck. It was at this instant that I realized my fate was sealed. He had finally gone over the edge. He took me out to the oak tree in the front yard and proceeded to tie the noose to a branch. He let go. I was struggling to breathe, gasping for air. There was no escape from the wretched noose. The rope burned into my neck. I see my life pass before my eye and quickly reflect back. I realize that this is the end. I stop struggling and succumb. |