As testament to her skill, the cat leaves us her kill: this time, a spiny lizard.
***
He picks it up off the doormat, carrying it deftly like the live ones he catches, and places it atop the cooler. Chas knows that a lizard likes sun. He does not see me watching him as he talks quietly to the lizard in a soft little language that a lizard can hear. Deliberately he collects rocks and places them around the limp body in totem perimeter, stands back and tips his head sideways.
Then he disappears into the hedge, returning with fallen pine needles.
He places it just so.
The funeral is now complete. He tells nobody. I pass it now, hiding all amazement and pride on my way out to the car, and I look up to see Chas swinging alone under the tree, deep in thought.
and follow the adventure:
What an amazing cat. Seems to really get the importance of ritual.
i know exactly how you feel.
we are blessed with beautiful little men, aren’t we.
lovely story. we once had a funeral for one of our tree frogs. Very tiny grave, as you can imagine.
Oh. How touching. What a gentle heart.
so sweet makes me cry. Seth and I buried a lizard at the old house (a dead one). However, he liked to dig it up an rebury it. Good to see Chas has a sense of decorum.
So sweet. So glad you were able to witness it.