An electronic cat ran after an electronic mouse. The mouse stopped and turned around: “Hey, why are you chasing me?” The cat stopped a few paces away: “Because I have been programmed to do precisely that.” After a short pause the mouse continued: “Yet, we are both electronic animals—that does not make any sense!” And it added: “As a matter of fact, I have been programmed to run away from cats.” They continued their chase. The mouse could not run away, nor could the cat catch it. And so they continued until their batteries ran out. Their master found them plugged into the wall just a few paces away from each other.

He took off his coat, he washed his hands, he combed his hair… He unplugged his wife, and let her gain some distance. Then he chased her until their batteries ran out. When the animals sprang back to life, they found the masters plugged into the wall. Just a few paces away.

Addendum (April 25, 1995)

By the time this was written I think I was back with Elise, or at least that we were seeing each other on occasion. If I am not mistaken, I wrote it on a scrap of paper or a napkin while we were dining at the Pen Club in Ljubljana, one of my favorite haunts during our separation. Although Elise and I must have been eager at the time to rebuild our marriage after a long time apart, this story smacks of resignation to an uncontrollable fate and to the possibility of our troubles’ recurrence.