CatsCast 25: The Invention of a Cat
The Invention of a Cat
by Carolina Valentine
The haunting had started at 2 a.m., and my local Joann didn’t open until nine. I was in the parking lot at 8:30, and while several Joann employees passed by my car on the way to the doors, I kept scrolling on my phone, feigning disinterest, instead of begging to be let in early. Even after the night I’d had, I wasn’t going to be That Customer.
I focused my bloodshot eyes on the featured article in the Journal of Theoretical Witchcraft—something about the potency of blood moon spells—and checked once or twice on the spectral wound I’d slathered in dubious Taint-Be-Gone and expired Neosporin. Despite the mustiness of the gauze wrapping I’d found for it, the four claw-like marks probably wouldn’t fester.
In theory. Which is what I did. Theory.
Read the rest on Patreon.
About the Author
Carolina Valentine
Carolina Valentine has spent many hours in her local Joann and believes she may even have met The Joann, although since it is rude to ask about a witch’s true name, she didn’t ask to confirm. She frequently goes with her younger sister, whose phenomenal skill in the textile arts inspired the skinning of Principle of Immateriality No. 8. Carolina writes speculative fiction, usually when she’s supposed to be doing something else. Her work has also appeared in Strange Horizons and Diabolical Plots.
Carolina’s woefully neglected Instagram is @valentine.deplume
About the Narrator
Laura Pearlman
Laura Pearlman is the editor of CatsCast. Her short fiction has appeared in Nature, Shimmer, Flash Fiction Online, and a handful of other places. Her LOLcat captions have appeared in McSweeney’s. She’s a former associate editor at Escape Pod and has guest-edited episodes of Escape Pod and Cast of Wonders. She has a tragically neglected blog called Unlikely Explanations and can be found on twitter at @laurasbadideas.
