In the cat’s dream, the gnawed fishbone regrew flesh and scales and its gills gaped as they swelled with life. The creature pricked up its fins and quickly swam upriver. By the time it reached the foot of the hill, the fish was tired and bloated, and it drifted languidly to the bank. There on the pebbles, the sunrays beat down and penetrated the shut eyelids. The cat’s whiskers twitched in his sleep under the unbearably harsh light. Little by little, the fish rotted away.