gatos en fuego
Jun. 20th, 2009 05:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zenithblueIn Carlos Fuentes' Aura there's a scene in the middle of the book in which the second person narrator--so, "you,"--looks out the window and sees that "five, six, seven cats...are all twined together, all writhing in flames and giving off a dense smoke that reeks of burnt fur." And then you go back into the house and head down the hallway to fuck your boss's niece and the scene is never explained or referenced again. Well, that's magical realism for you.
This week, I think I edged closer to comprehending the complexities of gatos en fuego. I turned on my oven to roast some pecans. Suddenly, one of my foster kittens, Azuki, came bolting from behind the stove like the proverbial Chiroptera out of hell. I didn't even know there was a hidey-hole back there for him to get into. He was covered all over with a fine dusting of black stuff. "What did you get into?" I scolded. "Meow," he said.
When I brushed him off, I realized he hadn't gotten into something; the black stuff was the outer layer of fur burned to a crisp down his back. He had a slightly...sizzled odor.
So we all learned a valuable lesson. I now do headcounts when I turn on the oven, and Azuki, I suspect, will never venture near a stove again.
This week, I think I edged closer to comprehending the complexities of gatos en fuego. I turned on my oven to roast some pecans. Suddenly, one of my foster kittens, Azuki, came bolting from behind the stove like the proverbial Chiroptera out of hell. I didn't even know there was a hidey-hole back there for him to get into. He was covered all over with a fine dusting of black stuff. "What did you get into?" I scolded. "Meow," he said.
When I brushed him off, I realized he hadn't gotten into something; the black stuff was the outer layer of fur burned to a crisp down his back. He had a slightly...sizzled odor.
So we all learned a valuable lesson. I now do headcounts when I turn on the oven, and Azuki, I suspect, will never venture near a stove again.
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on 2009-06-21 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-06-21 06:31 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-06-21 08:39 am (UTC)This already awesome post would still be worth it for just that line, alone.
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on 2009-06-21 01:50 pm (UTC)I used to have this gas heater in my bedroom when Bad Betty was a kitten and she singed off one of her eyebrow whiskers checking it out. She's lopsided now.
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on 2009-06-21 08:48 pm (UTC)If you're looking for another literary cat craft project you might consider Donald Barthelme's Shower of Gold's cat piano.
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on 2009-06-24 05:08 pm (UTC)...but what a great lead. I think that explains Murakami's cat flute in Kafka on the Shore as an homage to Barthelme. That makes much more sense now.
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on 2009-06-22 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
on 2009-06-23 02:56 am (UTC)On the upside, that's one seriously cute cat. (And a well told story, btw.)
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on 2009-06-24 05:04 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2009-06-23 04:28 pm (UTC)also, that story you read is effed! magic realism indeed.
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on 2009-06-24 05:06 pm (UTC)I haven't figured out where he wriggled into but I'm definitely more aware of where kitties are before I, you know, use fire.