The Catbird Seat by James Thurber is the story of Mr. Martin, an unassuming man whose professional life is turned upside down by the blowhard and abrasive Mrs. Barrows.  When Martin realizes that Mrs. Barrows has plans to get rid of his entire department, he decides to murder her.  He lays out the perfect plan, but once events are set in motion, his mousiness gets in the way.  This actually leads him to a better plan. 

When I first read Thurber, I was a young mousy kid- predictable and solid.  You could count on me to do the right thing always.  Inside I was screaming because I so wanted to break out and do something unexpected and out of character, just once.  Something that no one would ever believe.  I was Mr. Martin-just the teen-aged, female, black version of him.

This is my favorite short story of all time, in fact, my love of short fiction started with Thurber.  After reading it again last night for the umpteenth time, I knew I had to write about it. It makes me feel the exact same way every time I read it. EVERY TIME.  Question is:  what unexpected thing do I have lurking inside?  When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

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