SHOEBOX
cat, step one
The Shoebox Manual. Read by the first cat, answered by the second. Do not read this page aloud to a cat. The cat knows which half is its own.
Place the shoebox at the far end of the hall. Insert one (1) cat. Close the lid. Do not look inside until the lid has forgotten you. Time is a ribbon, and it moves most beautifully when nobody is holding it.
the poll
Cat facts, which are true and which the cats were not consulted about:
A typical cat sleeps about twelve to sixteen hours a day.
Cats cannot taste sweetness; they lack the gene for the sweet receptor.
Each cat's nose print is unique, much as a human fingerprint is.
Cat one: I was not here when the box was opened. I was here. I am still here. The second cat is the one who moved.
Cat two: I will not answer the first cat in this paragraph. The first cat may keep the box. I will keep the ribbon, which is not held by anyone and is therefore mine.
