Sometimes as you go through life every thing is running along smoothly and then suddenly you realize that the most absurd things are happening around you. Last week I was mowing grass with our new riding mower and enjoying the solitude that is afforded by the fact that it’s so loud I can’t hear anything going on around me.
Unfortunately, I am accustomed to pushing the pedal down when I want to stop, but on the new mower pushing the pedal down makes you go faster. I was trying to come to a stop but instead I floored it and crashed right into a tree.
A branch whacked me hard across the throat and I couldn’t breathe or swallow. I managed to disentangle myself from the tree and rode toward the house thinking, “I am in shock and as soon as I stand up my head is going to fall off my body.”
It was then that I noticed my seven year old daughter running towards me with tears streaming down her face and her mouth wide open. It was obvious she was screaming at the top of her lungs, but since I couldn’t actually hear her it had the eerie effect of a movie I saw where this woman was locked behind soundproof glass and was desperately trying to get someone’s attention, but all you could see was the look of terror on her face. No sound.
I grabbed hold of my head and jumped off the mower, running quickly toward my daughter. It was obvious no limbs were broken and I couldn’t see any blood. Before she could contain herself enough to tell me what was wrong I had imagined every scenario from her brother getting hit by a truck to her sister being bitten by a deadly snake.
Finally, she was able to sob out the words, “The… kitten… is… stuck… in… the… computer… and… I… think… he’s… DEAD!”
I stood for a moment, mystified as to how a cat could get inside a computer, and unsure of what words I could use to calm her down. I finally settled on, “Are you sure?”
“Yes!” she sobbed. “We took the kitties out of the garage so they could get some fresh air and one of them crawled into the old computer. And it was my favorite one!”
Ignoring the fact that it didn’t matter which of the five kittens had ended up in the computer, it would have been her “favorite one,” I dashed for the trash.
We had recently acquired several old computers and after stripping them of any usable parts, my hubby had set the towers next to the trash to be carted to the curb. Living on 2 1/2 acres, you would think the kids could find a better spot than garbage cans to take the kittens for fresh air.
Apparently, kitty had crawled into a small, rectangular opening left after hubby removed the CD rom. Once inside, he fell into the blackness and could not be seen or heard. I started to tip the tower to one side, but the weight of it stopped me. I didn’t want him getting smashed by a loose motherboard or wayward hard drive.
I shook it just a bit, listening carefully for even the faintest mew. Much to my little girl’s chagrin, there was nothing but silence. My son got a screwdriver and we carefully removed the cover. Sitting on a ledge, tangled in green wires, sat the kitten, wide-eyed and scared, but otherwise unscathed. I’ve never been so happy to see a live cat in my life.
I cautioned the children to play with the kittens in a less dangerous location and headed back to the mower. Putting my hand to my head I felt a sticky, matted lump. Have I ever mentioned it’s nigh impossible to remove tree sap from one’s hair? For once I am glad that winter is just around the corner.
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