Lisa was in a hurry as she was going for an interview. Her face was full of expressions and the sign of victory won the first place among those expressions.
“Oh my god! No…”
She screamed suddenly as a big black cat crossed her way. The cat stopped and looked at her with his large green eyes.
“Excuse me Miss, why did you scream like that? Any problem?”
The cat asked with much respect and still, Lisa was standing there with her widely opened mouth.
“Hello…Miss, can you hear me? I am talking to you.”
“Wh…What! A cat speaks… oh noo! What is going on here?”
“Why not Miss, we, black cats speak the right things at the correct time. Let me introduce myself.
I am Mr. Meow. I live in the Better Food Restaurant and sometimes at some houses… hahahaa. By the way, why did you scream like that? My heart is beating like meow meow meow.”
“Okay…umm… I am Lisa and I live there… that red house in front of the post office over there… you can see it right Mr. Meow, right? And… ummm… I am on my way to my first interview and then… suddenly you, the big black cat crossed my way. So, why would not I scream? You know… You must know that… you guys are signs of bad luck… right?” Mr. Meow had a long face and he looked at Lisa with sorrowful eyes.
“Miss Lisa, listen carefully. Being a cat is not a normal thing. It is a divine thing. Let me explain you the legendary stories of my ancestors.”
“We are one of man’s most common and ancient pets. We have been worshipped as gods in the Egyptian society. Well, this is not surprising as we are one of the coolest beings on the planet. We are independent, inquisitive, adventurous and have an amazing physiognomy.
And Miss Lisa, we were living with among people thousands of years before we existed in Egypt. Middle East was the first place where people first domesticated us. In ancient Egypt, people believed that we were magical, divine and godlike. Throughout the artifacts from ancient Egypt, we are a symbolic fixture illustrating our value, popularity and companionship with humans. Even in death, people immortalized us of ancient Egypt as mummies.
Now, Miss Lisa I am going to describe about the Chinese belief of us. During the Sung Dynasty in China, people cherished us as loyal pets. Artists depicted us in paintings and sculptures. The Chinese culture considered us as a symbol of good luck.
The bloody popes and high-ranking officials condemned and killed my ancestors as they considered us demonic and associated us with darkness and witchcraft. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries, our negative reputation began to shed and we regained popularity as loyal pets. Today we are the most popular household pets in the US with nearly 74 million buddies living in homes.”
“Wow, Mr. Meow… it is so interesting. Tell me more about your legendary history.”
“Sure Miss Lisa. Now, let me explain you about the world beliefs about us.”
“Societies around the world can regard us as either good or bad omens. In most Muslim societies, we are revered animals. The prophet Muhammad prohibited the killing of my ancestors after one of my ancestors saved him from a snake attack. Besides, Muhammad declared that a woman went to hell for starving a kitten.
In rural Thailand, we are symbolically viewed in a completely different manner. We are used in rural rain-making ceremonies. Tossing water on us is viewed as a powerful symbolic gesture.
For Persians, our behavior can be associated with very dangerous omens. For instance, if we rub our face on a person, it is a sign of impending danger. We, black cats are entities called Djinn, more commonly known as “genies” in English. Mistreating us is a risky thing as we are powerful and dangerous spiritual creatures.”
“Astonishing, Mr. Meow! I am so sorry if I hurt your mind by saying anything wrong. Your history is vivid and fascinating. I love to listen to it. But, I have to go now…”
“Ah yeah yeah, Miss Lisa, your interview! Take my best wishes with you. Let us meet another day.”
“Bye, for now, Mr. Meow.”
