[Taso]

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As for the cat itself, I would like to hear from a few more people before revealing my interpretation, as the cat is meant to be an important symbol and I was worried I did not convey it properly (or that the cat was a flawed premise to begin with). However, food for thought: is this cat normal and how does Jerold react to the cat? What does he do afterward and where does he eventually end up? Assume I didn't [censored] up the ending and the reader is left with the impression that the cat serves the priest.

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I need to go back and reread your story. I read it late last night and don't remember the entire sequence. However, I remember walking away from it feeling very creeped out. It gave me the shudders. I was thinking what's going on here? Did I misread something? (exhausted you know) I was like...is Zutroy saying that the devil is in cahoots with God? Is he saying that religion and God are in fact real, but God has been tricked by the devil? Tell me he is not saying that! Maybe it's just my imagination that placed the devil in this story and Zutroy meant nothing of the sort. GAH. lol, I think I need to read these stories when I am fresh and can focus.

I will read it today at lunch and report back with my 2nd interpretation. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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I have no idea if it was intended to be interpreted the way I do, but I think the story can be taken different ways, depending on your views on religion.

I took the priest to be evil, the Devil possibly, and he had just succeeded in convincing another person from believing in the truth; that science is more important than God, to believing that God is the most important. It may seem like a backwards thing for the devil to do, but if you consider one of the worst evils is to keep "man" ignorant, it's very fitting for the Devil.

I don't know if that is how the author intended it, but as an agnostic, that is how I took it. My favorite of the stories submitted so far, in any case.