Madeline brought me a dead thing. (Madeline is a cat.) When I found it, she moved toward the door and looked back at me expectantly. I threw the dead thing away, and Madeline looked puzzled, and perhaps a bit disappointed. The next time she brought me a dead thing, I petted her and thanked her and scritched under her chin. Once she was distracted, I threw the dead thing away. I later found Madeline where she had left it, looking around and looking at me.

Each time Madeline brought me a dead thing, I got rid of it, and she seemed to regard me differently. I felt something slipping away from me, like bathwater slowly draining away, leaving me chilly.

Eventually, I realized it had been some time since she had left me a dead thing. I went over and petted her, and scritched her, and she looked at me with tired, disappointed eyes.

The next day, I brought Madeline a dead thing. She looked a question at me, and I petted her, and scritched her, and opened the door. I saw excitement in her eyes, and perhaps a hint of pride. She dashed out the door, and I followed.