She swept the Devil’s tongue
Under the floorboards.
Soon, it shaped itself into the form of a rat.
Sneering at its own wretchedness,
Terrified by his own burning will
To live, he did as his stomach told him
And scurried to the surface in search of food.
There, he met a large gray cat.
Before the cat could pounce, the rat
Spoke in a voice of such subordinating self-pity,
That the cat decided to wait and hear him out.
“Wait,” said the rat.
“Please, let me speak.
I am a lowly creature.
The lowest in the world.
And I am alone.
The shadows are all that I know.
My master, who resides in a kingdom of gold,
Cast me out.
He said that I could serve him best
By disappearing from his sight
And now, I am in permanent exile.
The truth is, oh cat,
I desire a new master—
One who can teach me
The ways of the world.
It is you, oh cat, who can be my savior.
In return, I offer you my body
To do with what you will.”
The cat thought long and deep.
Finally, he spoke.
“Come close,” said the cat
And the rat crept up.
“Get into my mouth,” said the cat,
Who opened wide.
The rat did as it was told.
The cat bit down, chewed and swallowed,
Spitting out the bones.
The cat stretched its back
And lay down for a nap.
His dreams were strange, and when he awoke
To the gentle caress of his favorite child
He completely forgot the rat in his belly,
And purred his purr,
That seemed to contain within it
All the contentment in the world.
