44 Comments

“It glanced my way, glassy eyes silent but with a nonchalance that seemed almost human.”

Ain’t that the truth!

I am convinced that either all cats were human in their past lives or they study our every move when we aren’t watching so they can perfect them….

Love the intrigue Nathan…

Expand full comment
author

Heh, I very much agree with you, Susie.

Pretty sure I was a cat in a former life. The human>cat>human cycle is endless.

Thanks for reading!

Expand full comment

There are so many cool details in here, Nathan. Like the é and the moth and the nuts at the bar. It makes everything into mystery — like is this all connected or is it a game in the mind? Murakami vibes but very Slake. It’s nice to see some elements of your style transgress projects.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Kate. I let that midnight oil take this where it wanted to be taken ;)

When I read it back, I thought: "Oh, hello Murakami" hehe.

Expand full comment
Mar 16Liked by Nathan Slake

I loved this and was gutted when it ended. Super wanted to follow the cat. I also realised something lovely at the beginning, how much I trust you as a writer. No preamble or anything so I didn't know what I was getting in to, but I had absolutely no hesitation in reading as it's just given in my mind that it's going to be brilliant.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Chloe. That means a lot. 🙏 I was just ruminating the other day on preamble vs postamble vs no-amble!

Expand full comment
Mar 16Liked by Nathan Slake

I wouldn’t have known it, but I quite like post-amble, and I’d probably be open to no-amble, why not?! Hey by the way, I wanted to tell you that I saw Dune 2 and Dune 1! In that order 😂 but I LOVED them and now want to rewatch them again in the correct order. That wouldn’t have happened without you, so thank you 🙏

Expand full comment
author

Hah, wow! Reverse order! I love that. I imagine it brought a unique perspective to the story.

I'm glad to have nudged you into some sci-fi ;)

Expand full comment

This is really great Nathan. I love the atmosphere you create for the setting. I can almost hear the jazz music coming through your words when I read this.

What is always so impressive is how your authors voice changes from story to story. Comparing this to something like The Sernox you can immediately tell it’s a different world and a different type of character we’re following just by the way it’s written. Something that is very difficult to do. Not sure I’m being entirely clear with what I’m saying, but it is early in the morning here 😁

Anyway, brilliantly done 👍🏼

Expand full comment
author

Thanks so much, Dan.

Totally clear 😁

This was written in a fair bit of a hurry, but I do think that having disconnected from The Sernox (and having finished Solenoid and reading other stuff since) has allowed a different voice through. I think that was part of the reason I wanted to conclude The Sernox, so I wasn't having to flit between several voices at once.

What I do want to do though is try some more third person. My default is absolutely first person 😆

Expand full comment

Follow the cat. What an intriguing vignette! Love the ambiance you’re conjuring here, all not very police, no sting intended. I’ll have that Hibiki, please.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Alexander!

I, too, will have that Hibiki. Delicious.

Expand full comment
Mar 21Liked by Nathan Slake

Brilliant lines:

"It didn’t seem very police to me."

"... pawing its way down the pavement and soon lost to shadow." pure poetry. ( I'll bet you tried ten different words before you came up with "pawing")

I thought Terry was very clever to change the venue to a police station so he did not have to match your story-telling style. I love this collaboration. I'd like to try it myself.

Expand full comment
author

I also thought he was clever in doing that.

A future collab, Sharron. I'm sure Terry would be game, as would Alexander no doubt :)

Expand full comment
Mar 21Liked by Nathan Slake

Oh Boy! I am in, any time.

Expand full comment
Mar 21Liked by Nathan Slake

PS

1.) Thank you for trusting your readers to understand "felis" and "vulpes", and not explaining.

2.) I notice that in addition to the telephone phone cable that seemed to point to an earlier era, you have now added the computer paper with the holes on each side.

Expand full comment
author

If there's one thing I love, it's when things aren't explained explicitly to the reader ;)

Yes, a Dot Matrix. I wanted to place this within an era. My father had one in his office at work and I always enjoyed watching it gobble up the reams of paper when I was a child. Amazes me that a lot of airports still seem to use these for their flight manifests.

Expand full comment

Amazing, especially within what sounds like a very busy time; your descriptions and characters are a consistent joy to discover. Also can never resist instructions to follow the cat; I know that look too, the "I've had a whisky, those eyes said."😊

Expand full comment
author

😆😉

Thanks, Mya. Always a pleasure to have you here.

Expand full comment
Mar 19Liked by Nathan Slake

Brilliant, Nathan. The mood, the atmosphere, the setting, the jazz, the attitude, all so compelling. Too many great lines to single out but my favorite image from this story is the character's entrance into the jazz club. I could picture it and hear it as he opened the door.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Jim. That's very kind. I tried to really sink into that feeling within my head when writing this, so I'm glad it came across on the page.

Expand full comment

Loved this one, Nathan! So well written, can't wait to follow the cat with Terry! 💚

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Claudia! I also can't wait ;)

Expand full comment
Mar 18Liked by Nathan Slake

"I've had a whisky" - some cat! Love this - more!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Troy. I'm sure there will be more ;)

Expand full comment

Follow the Cat. Love it!

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Jolene! :)

Expand full comment

Follow the cat! This was enchanting.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks, Jenny. Glad to have enchanted ;)

Expand full comment

You have such a vivid imagination and a facility for description it makes me jealous every time I read your work. Where did this little vignette come from? Where is it going? Reading your stories is like finding a roll of film on the street and discovering a series of exquisite photographs - the middle of a story. It's lovely and... irritating! We must have more, Nathan. :-)

Expand full comment
Mar 17Liked by Nathan Slake

I love the creative ‘birth’

of this story.

Your words set the scene from the very moment the door opened to the bar.

“…jazz felt the purest. Like a language, communicated with nothing but feel.”

“FOLLOW THE CAT.”

I always felt it’s not necessarily a wise decision to follow a cat…

Expand full comment
author

Hehe, perhaps you are right, perhaps it will lead to nothing but trouble. This is for Terry to now decide.

Thanks for reading as always, Lor :)

Expand full comment
Mar 17Liked by Nathan Slake

God I love this. Already invested in this character, his observations, the way they lay themselves atop his memory. Will there be more? And also, my cat Nova’s eyes always say, “I’ve had a whiskey.” 😂

Expand full comment
author

Teehee 😆

Thanks, Kimberly. There's the "Vulpes" opening part and Terry's follow-up, and then it's up to Terry where this goes next.

I'm glad you enjoyed, though. I scrambled this out in a hurry and, as ever, was wracked by uncertainty when I hit Publish!

Expand full comment
Mar 16Liked by Nathan Slake

Lovely. I can see and sense the scenes, skilful Nathan. I've also had a whiskey

Expand full comment
author

*chinks glass*

Expand full comment