Sandman # 18: Dream of a Thousand Cats
Sandman # 18: Dream of a Thousand Cats (Also collected in the Sandman trade volume III: Dream Country )
Creators: Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Malcolm Jones III
This story is told from the point of view of a few cats.
It has the feel of a fairy tale (as do many Sandman stories) although it is peppered with darkness and ends with hope.
The protagonist is an unnamed Siamese (only humans are crude enough to require names for identification-this latter from Murakami in Kafka on the Shore and not Gaiman) and she is a preacher. Her gospel starts with how personal misfortune led her to Morpheus, the Cat of Dreams.
The feline Morpheus is, of course, jet black and imposing. His eyes flash red unlike his anthropomorphic form. He is Sandman, though. There is no mistaking the characterisation.
The Siamese wanted to understand how it could be that humans were allowed to drown her children.
Morpheus tells her a story which may be historical or perhaps a dream, but it is enough to stir her into action. She dedicates her life to preaching a message derived from this story.
There is a strong message in the story for the downtrodden in any situation. Can a dream change the world? You are not hit on the head with it, but it works with a strong subtlety.
One of the better standalone Sandman stories.