The Queen of Troy
By Emma Straub
Until my sister died, her cat Snowball behaved normally, spending her days pawing at nothing and casually destroying pieces of upholstered furniture. As soon as Helen was dead, though, and Snowball moved in with me, the cat started spending all of her free time in the sink, winding her body into the sink basin’s oval shape. She would turn around and around, switching her tail back and forth behind her, never taking her eyes off the drain. Snowball left the bathroom only for mealtimes and a brief respite at night, when she would curl her body into a little cat donut on the bed, placing herself in reach of my left hand. She was excellent with sympathy.
©2007 Emma Straub. All rights reserved.
