Oh god no

    Congaree National Park is one of the few places where fireflies give a synchronized lighting show. This happens only a few nights a year. Last night, the park announced on Facebook that it's happening now, so I decided to go. Unfortunately, to get there, you have to take unlit, narrow, somewhat windy Old Bluff Road. And there are houses there. And pets. And I hit and killed a cat.
    There was nothing I could have done. It ran in front of me at the last second. I can't help but think that I should have been going slower, or I should have straddled the road, or I should have done something to prevent this. I'm horror struck and devastated. The house nearby showed no one home, so there was no one to tell. The best I could do was move the cat out of the road so it wouldn't be damaged further. Apologizing to a dead cat obviously doesn't help but I was and am so sorry and said so.
    I wish I could kid myself that the lack of collar meant that this was a stray, but as I've noted, there aren't that many brown cats out there and this was one. I pretty much have to accept that this was somebody's pet and it tears me up. Not that strays are in any way lesser animals, but it hurts more that somebody probably cared about this cat. My cats are going to be extra spoiled and I will intensify efforts to persuade Harry to become an inside cat. At least I don't live next to a highway.
    This sucked the fun out of the visit, but the fireflies were ultra-cool. They absolutely declined to be photographed, at least with my equipment. But they were neat to see. I may go back someday, even some day soon. But I won't use the same route.