Of Trees, Trolls, and Cat's Eyes

Upon the request of Mr. Ed Abbey of Recycled Thoughts, I took closer shots of the tree that made it look like autumn in our neighborhood last week. I don't think the tree will be easy to identify, though. I asked around and even they don't know what sort of tree it is.

It's shown a lot of healthy growth of leaves though. And for that, I'm glad. Here's a photo of the slender branches. The trunk itself is quite slender, too.
And here's a shot of the leaves. Not close enough I guess, but this is really way up.

***

I couldn't sleep last night. And when I'm stricken with a bit of insomnia, I do a combination of three things: read a magazine, watch TV, or surf the net. Last night I did the first two.

Unfortunately, I can't comprehend what I was trying to read (this month's issue of National Geographic - a Christmas subscription gift of my wife to me - is about Celts and DNA so it's not exactly light reading), so I tuned in to Star Movies instead.

Lo and behold! A story by Stephen King! Cat's Eye! One of this master storyteller's ... ummm, stories ... is one of my favorites. Silver Bullet. And then there's Christine which I want to watch but haven't seen a copy anywhere so far. This may just as well be a good story to keep me company for the night.

Unfortunately, I was also fixing my dirty clothes to bring to the laundromat the next day so I got the first few minutes, and then when I got back, there was this new set of characters and storyline, and then later on it was still another story, this time with child star Drew Barrymore in it.

It then dawned to me that this must be a film composed of short stories. Much like the local horror flick Shake, Rattle, and Roll (by the way, if any reader here knows where I can get a copy of the very first Shake, Rattle and Roll movie, do let me know please! Been searching for this for the longest time too).

The second story was rather compelling but I only got the ending part. I was able to watch the third story though. It was said that you should not let cats in your room at night because while you are asleep, they will sit on your chest and steal your breath away. At least that's what the parents think. But Drew has told them that General (her name for the stray cat that she decided to adopt) had actually stopped a recurring nightmare of hers about a monster living in her room the night the cat stoled into her room one night.

At any rate, the stray cat knew of the presence of something else too. It was a troll. And I was able to get a photo of this hideous thing! Reminded me of Gremlins, actually (another nice movie! The first one, anyway). The troll knew how to get rid of the cat. He killed the girl's pet parakeet in time for the cat to come in through the window. The bird cage crashed and the cat was last seen on the crime scene (I feel like doing a rap today...)

With the cat in the animal shelter due for termination, the troll went up Drew's bed (above photo) and pinched her nose, at which she opened her mouth to gasp for air. And then the troll started to take her breath!

The cat made a daring escape and ran off to Drew's room in time to fight the troll before he finishes his nasty business! The chase and fight scenes unfolded to the tune of "Every Breath You Take". It was so 80s I loved it!

Of course, the troll got busted in the end.

Oops, was anybody reading this planning to rent or buy a copy for the weekend home movie? Sorry about the spoilers. But I did not relate the other two stories (which I was not able to catch anyways) so it's still worth a look!