I saw the cat lying by the side of the road while I was riding my bicycle one day, many years ago. It was dead, of course. Its abdomen was flattened, whether by decay or by traffic I do not know. Flies hovered around it, now and again landing, on some obscure fly mission.

Its head was more or less intact, and it was at a curious angle, as if facing oncoming traffic with a defiant curiosity. When I saw it, it was getting dark, and the oncoming headlights were reflected in its eyes.

I still remember it.

Why do I still remember it?

I want to stop remembering it.

Please help me stop remembering it.

Must I remember it forever?