Hiding Under the Desk

Posted on June 16, 2005 in Cats Disasters

This jolt felt less like gelatin and more like someone hitting the floorboards from beneath. It started mildly enough. I drew my eyes away from moderating comments. Virginia Mew trotted into the room. The bumping increased. She broke into a gallop, her claws gripping the carpet as she pulled herself over the floor as if she were climbing a wall. In less than a second, the black blur disappeared into the closet. I jumped under the desk.

The crack broke near Yucaipa. Only a 5.3 and instead of the San Jacinto, along the more famous San Andreas — that old rattlesnake which winds from north of San Francisco, through the sea, down the backside of the Coast Ranges, and, ultimately, into the Sea of Cortez which Americans call the Gulf of California.

I have not seen any of the cats who were awakened from their sleep by the shuddering.