While I’m reading, a sentence will grab me and force me to stop. I pay tribute to other authors by sharing their Damn Fine Sentences with you. Then I recount a memory the words bring up for me. It’s about how books connect with your life.
*****
“… Horses had a nose for things that stray out from other worlds and stumble into ours.”
——Ta-Nehisi Coates
—--The Water Dancer
I stood at the top of the stairs, alone in the house, except for my two cats. On my way to the kitchen for a snack, I paused to relish the midnight silence, dark of my familiar surroundings. A railing overlooked the first floor entry, where my tabby lay, committed to licking every square millimeter of his body. He was sprawled on his side, front paw raised to meet his tongue. My black cat was winding an infinity loop around my ankles. My brain said, okay, take a step now, but before the signal reached my leg, both cats jerked their heads to point at the same invisible spot in the direction of the back door. They froze. I froze. The house was quiet as a graveyard, I lost my appetite and crawled back into bed, covers over my head.
*****
“… Horses had a nose for things that stray out from other worlds and stumble into ours.”
——Ta-Nehisi Coates
—--The Water Dancer
I stood at the top of the stairs, alone in the house, except for my two cats. On my way to the kitchen for a snack, I paused to relish the midnight silence, dark of my familiar surroundings. A railing overlooked the first floor entry, where my tabby lay, committed to licking every square millimeter of his body. He was sprawled on his side, front paw raised to meet his tongue. My black cat was winding an infinity loop around my ankles. My brain said, okay, take a step now, but before the signal reached my leg, both cats jerked their heads to point at the same invisible spot in the direction of the back door. They froze. I froze. The house was quiet as a graveyard, I lost my appetite and crawled back into bed, covers over my head.
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