NOTEBOOK -- SEAN HILLER

Almost everyone has accidentally hit an animal with their car. There

is that moment when you realize you can’t stop and then thump -- you did

it. You ran over the neighbors’ precious Princess.

To many people, this is disturbing, but to others it is funny. Well,

in my case the story goes in another direction.

A couple weeks ago, I was waiting for my wife to return from the video

store, and when she did she was all shaken up -- on the verge of

hysterically crying. After composing herself, she told me she ran

something over.

“I think I ran over a cat,” she said, in her shaky voice.

I asked if she was sure she hit an animal. She said she saw something

and then heard a crunch as she passed over it.

“What if it was someone’s pet,” she kept asking. “What if it’s still

alive? Sean, you have to come and see -- see if it’s someone’s pet.”

Reluctantly I agreed to go check it out. We got in the car and headed

to the scene of the accident.

As I rounded the corner, I caught a glimpse of something standing in

the street.

The headlights reflected off what appeared to be a catlike figure in

the street.

How could this be, I thought. What was it? Was it alive? As I came

closer I saw the street was covered with liquid and debris.

I pulled over to get a better look. As I began to approach the scene,

another vehicle ran it over again.I took a second to prepare myself for

the worst. Blood, guts and I don’t go well together.

As I reached the middle of the street I was overwhelmed with what I

saw. I began to laugh as I picked up a piece of cardboard, cut out into

the shape of a cat.

We were victims of a practical joke.

The gruesome scene was nothing more than a cardboard kitty, painted

black with marbles in place of eyes, to capture the reflection of

headlights as they glared down upon the paper target in the street.

A plastic bottle of water was used to prop up the catlike figure. When

the car struck the bottle the special crunch and splash effect was

created and a liquid substance that appeared at night to be blood

appeared on the black asphalt.

Written on the back of the paper figure was “Cardboard Cat,” as well

as the names of boys responsible.

My wife found no humor in my discovery.

Was this an inventive juvenile prank or a twisted malicious

representation of our youths values and sense of humor?

Whatever the case, it was a dangerous prank that was a true accident

waiting to happen. *

* SEAN HILLER is a photographer for the Independent.