The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe (1843)
Tuesday’s Tale of Terror January 16, 2018
Did you know that Sigmund Freud said “time spent with cats is never wasted”? I find that just gazing at my cat makes me happy. It is well known that cats were once worshipped as gods in ancient times and maybe that’s why they so often pose themselves like beauties of wisdom.
They are masterpieces that might walk on the very clouds with utmost grace and silence. Charles Dickens believed that there was no greater gift than the love of a cat. Aldous Huxley told us that if you want to write, keep cats. Lots of mystery writers are cat owners: Stephen King, Neil Gaiman to name a few. And of course Edgar Allan Poe “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.” His cat was Catterina.
January 19 is the anniversary of Poe’s birth date. Let’s honor him by reading one of his best works. This week’s short story is Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat. First published in the Saturday Evening Post, the story has themes of alcoholism and just a little bit of insanity but told from a perfectly sane perspective. Pluto is the black cat, thought to be bad luck or a witch in disguise. Well, maybe. I think cats are a blessing.
Our narrator is in prison and begins his story telling us that “tomorrow I die.” We meet his cat Pluto a “remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree.” Once you read this story, you will see just how shrewd Pluto can be. Karma at its macabre best!
Read The Black Cat here at PoeStories.com.
Listen to the audio by Tom O’Bedlam here on YouTube.com
Watch The Black Cat, A Short Film (18 minutes) Exciting scenes and storytelling by an actor who looks much like Poe himself. Rob Green (The Bunker, House, The Trick), a special director for the genre of horror and thriller, made this short movie to Poe’s story. Excellent!
Our Miss Kitty
This week we had to put down our beloved “Baby” cat who we love to address as “Miss Kitty.” Although she’s my daughter’s cat, Miss Kitty has been my constant companion for 17 years. Because I work as an editor out of my home office, Miss Kitty would sit at my feet while I worked at my desk, joined me for morning coffee in my kitchen, and remained my carpet buddy while I watched television. Oh that sweet gaze of her eyes! No matter how bad a day went, Miss Kitty made it better with her sweet purring and furry rubs of her face on my hand. I adore how cats communicate without saying a single word. I swear Baby is still here with her little paw-poohms on the wood floors and her muted half-meows at the cellar door. I miss her dreadfully. Maybe, just maybe because I believe in ghosts, Miss Kitty will give me the the pleasure of haunting us.
Do you believe in ghost cats? Watch this.
“Until one has love an animal, a part of one’s soul has remained unawakened.”
Anatole France.
Don’t forget to view the INDEX above of more free reading. This is a compendium of over 200 short stories by more than 100 famous storytellers of mystery, supernatural, ghost stories, suspense, crime, sci-fi, and ‘quiet horror.’ Follow or sign up to join me in reading two short stories every month. “LIKES” and comments are welcome.
Other Reading Web Sites to Visit
Kirkus Mystery & Thrillers Reviews
Books & Such Bibliophilica NewYorkerFictionOnline
Lovecraft Ezine Parlor of Horror
Slattery’s Art of Horror Magazine Chuck Windig’s Terrible Minds
HorrorAddicts.net Horror Novel Reviews HorrorSociety.com
Monster Librarian HorrorTalk.com
Rob Around Books The Story Reading Ape Blog
For Authors/Writers: The Writer Unboxed
