A Repost: Year Of The Rat



2008: According to the Chinese lunar calendar, this is the year of the rat. How perplexing it is for this species of rodents to head the Chinese zodiac. They have always been considered pests and the natural prey of our cute feline friends.

            To me, rats are a symbol of filth and terror. The sudden, careless thought of their grey coat of dirt-soaked fur can cast a pall over my jolliest dream. The scratching sounds of their savage claws digging inside the ceiling never fail to make my heart race with fear.
I woke up at 6.00 this morning, feeling good and victorious. It had never been easy for me to get out of bed that early, and I found it an achievement. I opened the window and let the cool early-morning air stream into my room. The sky was awakening in a shimmering iridescence. In high spirits, I hummed snatches of Cat Stevens’ ‘Morning Has Broken’ all the way down to the sitting room. Eager to bask in the morning splendour, I opened the door and took my first stride on the porch. To my surprise, my foot landed on something soft and wet. I retracted my step immediately and looked at the ‘thing.’ My goodness, it was a dead rat! A half-eaten one in a pool of blood! All my pleasant morning sentiments disappeared in that very instant. Which darn cat had left such a mess at my doorstep?

               If a medium-rare sirloin steak has always looked good from a gourmet’s point of view, what about a rat which has been reduced to its head and the rear half of its body? Yuck! It made me stop thinking about breakfast right away. From the look of the unlucky rodent’s fat hind legs, I could tell that it had once been huge. The sight of its severed testicles disgusted me even more, and I felt like vomiting. I had no choice; I had to get rid of the body before it began to attract flies and ants.

              As soon as I could, I swept the rat into a dustpan and threw it into the garbage bin in front of my house. I then washed my slippers several times to get rid of the bloodstain.
              Wasn’t it ironic for the new year to begin with the grisly death of a rat? At first, I had no sympathy for the rodent, but when I thought about how lively it must have been before it had been caught, tortured, killed and mutilated, I felt sad. Some humans are like the dead rat; they have always been underprivileged, misunderstood and abused.
              In your state of comfort, have you ever repelled anything that is seen as unworthy and loathsome? How many of our friends live like rats and suffer to no end? Have you ever stood up for them?

              


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