Feel the Burn (Heh)

Right.  Today's Quixote Coyote Strip.  Hopefully the storytelling is sort of clear.  Today's strip is a little bizarre, so who knows?

In the Fairy Tale that inspired this story arc, the protagonist grabs the two Big Creepy Talking Cats, slaps them on a lathe (what the heck is a lathe?), screws down their paws (ouch), and then chops their heads off with a knife.  I decided that was going Waaaaaaay too far for the tone I was trying to create.  I wanted this strip to be creepy, not emotionally scarring and gruesome.  So, I came up with the idea of accidentally knocking the Shadow Cats into a Fireplace where they magically catch fire and turn to smoke.  It's kind of a cop-out, but it's also kind of creepy, so, uh, Mission Accomplished, I guess?