BLACK CAT.

Men: My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without
comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have
terrified—have tortured—have destroyed me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them.
From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My
tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions. I
was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of
pets. With these I spent most of my time, and never was so happy as when feeding and
caressing them. This peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and, in my manhood, I
derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure.
Woman: My husband and I got married Young and he to find in my a disposition similar to
him. I observin his partiality for domestic pets, I lost no opportunity of procuring those of
the most agreeable kind. We had birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and a
cat.
This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an
astonishing degree. I was a little superstitious, I had the belief that the cat for being black
was really a witch.
Men: Pluto—this was the cat’s name—was my favorite pet and playmate. my general
temperament and character— through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance—had
(I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse.
*Conversation between men and women*
Woman: What happened to you? You are so different lately, you don’t look the same.
Men: Stop bothering me woman or I don't take reaponsability.
Woman: I am exhausted of this situation, you don’t want speak with me and our marriage
is really a disaster.
Men: I told you to shut up. I remember that was the first time that I hit my wife.
*Final of conversation*
Woman: I began to fear my husband, he was being aggressive with everyone. Only the cat
had not hurt him in this House.
Men: One night, returning home, much intoxicated, I fancied that the cat avoided my
presence.
*Conversation with the cat*
Men: Are you bored with me? Remember that we are friends.
Cat: Come Down, I don't consider you my friend anymore. Actually you are a bad person.
You hurt all those who love you, you are selfish and evil, you deserve to suffer and be hurt.
Men: He inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with his teeth. The fury of a demon
instantly possessed me.
Men: I became a worse man, and then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow,
the spirit of perverseness. One morning, in cold blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and
hung it to the limb of a tree; —hung it with the tears streaming from my eyes, and with the
bitterest remorse at my heart; —hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and because I
felt it had given me no reason of offence.
Woman: One night, I was sleeping with my husband and we woke up the cry of fire. The
curtains of my bed were in flames. The whole house was blazing. It was with great
difficulty that my husband, a servant, and myself, made our escape from the conflagration.
Men: I visited the ruins. The walls, with one exception, had fallen in. About this wall a dense
crowd were collected, and many persons seemed to be examining a particular portion of it with
very minute and eager attention. The words “strange!” “singular!” and other similar expressions,
excited my curiosity. I approached and saw, as if graven in bas-relief upon the white surface, the
figure of a gigantic cat.

Woman: My husband brought a new cat to the house.

*Conversation between the wife an husband*

Woman: Where did you get this beautiful cat?

Men: He was on the street and he followed me here.

Woman: It's very similarity to Pluto, only this one has a white spot.

Men: Don't talk nonsense, they're completely different.

Woman: I'm sorry, I'm sure you still have trouble accepting that Pluto's not with you anymore.

Men: Enough, don't mention that cat anymore. If you want to stay with this is all yours.

*Final of conversation*

Omniscient Narrator: The men began to hate the cat, and he had wishes to kill him. One day his
wife accompanied him, upon some household errand, into the cellar of the old building which
their poverty compelled them to inhabit. The cat followed him down the steep stairs, and, nearly
throwing him headlong, exasperated him to madness. Uplifting an axe, and forgetting, in his
wrath, the childish dread which had hitherto stayed his hand, he aimed a blow at the animal,
which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal had it descended as he wished. But this blow
was arrested by the hand of his wife. Goaded by the interference into a rage more than
demoniacal, he withdrew his arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain. She fell dead
upon the spot without a groan.