mouse and cat

yesterday morning, the first thing that happened at work was my discovery of a little mouse that was trapped in the wastebasket. it was cute, alternately jumping around and hiding under a piece of paper. the only pieces of trash in there were the paper and some bread that had been in there overnight, and had obviously attracted the nose of the mouse. madeleine pulled out the black plastic bag, but the mouse had chewed a hole in it, so he was left at the bottom of the bin. she took it outside and set him free on the sidewalk. the sidewalk on 18th street at 11am is probably not the best place for a mouse, but i wish him luck. an american tail.

later, i was eating a slice of pizza and noticed a white box, maybe 3'x1'x1', on a table next to me, rocking slightly up and down. there was an employee of the pizza joint decorating a christmas tree nearby and he noticed the movement of the box as well. he opened it up and there was a kitten inside, that had been walking back and forth w/ just a crack on one end to peer out of. another employee laughed very loud in a "we tricked you" kind of way. the cat was let out on the floor and darted around curiously, stopping and starting like only cats can do. i remembered the mouse and thought to myself, "now nature can run its course."