PODCAST · arts

SHAT

by S. Lawrence Parrish

In a post-plague world where humans, animals, and plants have suffered, a colony of survivors has gathered in a fortified former-luxury condominium complex they call "The Park". These remnants of humanity are inextricably bound to their domestic cats from which Dose (a temporary plague vaccine) is derived.A forager army is heading toward The Park. The Park people must prepare to defend themselves and all they have worked for. They have made a discovery: not all cats are created equal. While regular Dose staves off plague symptoms, the dose derived from Simon (The Park's only Siamese cat) can be refined into SHAT, a super-dose that rejuvenates the growth of plant life. . . and which also may hold the secret to a permanent plague-cure.Problem: Simon is a neuter. If he should die, so, too, dies humanity's hope for survival.Enter Sasha, a purebred female Balinese of breeding age that also produces SHAT. With the increasing militarization in The Park (and sky-rocketing tension), Sasha