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Nine Lives Esmeralda Garcia had 16 cats, 12 parrots, 5 dogs, 3 rabbits, 2 goats, and a pet mongoose. She wanted to be a zoologist but never made the grades. Recently when a beloved pet rabbit was gobbled to death she hid behind a sour lemon tree - incidentally, the death gobble was by the pet mongoose. A parrot died of old age and Esmeralda fled to the hills, letting an ocean of tall grass obscure her sadness. She found most humans draining and wished only for the company of animals, except lizards where she drew the line because they are terrible.