Cat People (1982) Prologue



The Sun began to set low over the horizon. Its last remaining rays made the sand look reddish-brown. Under a leafless tree knelt a magnificent black panther. His lair was a cave that was below the tree. He roared, seeing dusk had arrived, for it was about time for his evening activities which he would still carry on at night. He set off to roam the area around the tree. A few miles away, in a village, some men were drawing water from a well. The village dogs were given fresh meat to eat. When the meat had been eaten, the dogs chewed on the bones. More men came to help the men drawing water from the well and even some women came as well while their children were at play. Suddenly, one of the village’s warriors seized a woman by her arm and dragged her away to his companions. The men who were dotted in paint spots from head to toe took her to the leafless tree and tied her up to it. Then they left her there and went away. Now amongst the warriors was a wise mystic dressed in robes. He stayed behind and watched over the woman from afar. Even though she had been put in a tight situation, her captors did not want her to come to any harm, which was why they told the mystic to watch over her. Soon night fell and the panther returned. Meanwhile, the woman began to wonder what would happen and how long she would remain tied up for. The panther began to walk towards the tree, his steps growing faster and deeper, making large pawprints in the sand. When he reached the tree, he saw the woman but did not attack her. Instead he got up on his hind legs, gently put his body against the woman’s body and licked her left ear. Then he began moving his body in a relaxing, rhythmic motion against the woman. Surprisingly the woman did not feel uncomfortable and seemed to enjoy it. This went on for quite a while and eventually the Panther felt tired and wearily walked into his lair where he went to sleep. The woman dozed off too. The warriors later came back at the break of dawn with the mystic, untied the woman and took her back to their village. In the morning, the mystic took the woman back to the tree. He escorted her into the cave below the tree. There crouched on a rock, was the Panther. He saw her and roared welcomingly.

Both stared into each other’s eyes and continued to do so. And the woman began to feel more and more like a Cat herself.

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