It was a big house and it had a
wide open floor and it seemed like the hole in the wall was thousands
of miles away. The mouse scampered toward the hole as fast as its
little legs could carry it.
It didn't look back for fear of
the sight that would paralyze it, but it knew the cat was close
behind. It could hear the cat's big, deadly paws booming away, hard
on the floor, on either side. The cat's hot, fish-stinking breath was
the only thing there was to breathe.
The mouse screamed as it felt the
big paw smack into its back but as its legs went out of control it
managed to scramble into the hole.
It struggled to its feet, feeling
all wobbly and exhausted and moved away from the entrance and the
groping paw. The mouse ran down a passage that opened up into a
cavern.
There was something living there.
They were rats. The mouse saw that they were similar in shape but the
rats were bigger, uglier, dirtier, mean-looking. Hateful. The rats
glared at the mouse. They bared their sharp, malformed, yellow teeth.
**********
jack
the rats, the rats
jack
hm?
what happened to your face?
huh oh my face oh i had trouble in
school yesterday i fell and then a bunch of kids who hated me bashed
my face into a zigzag
a zigzag
yeah you know
jack your father and i are worried
about you
laughing, why?
look at you look at your face jack
what's wrong you go off and disappear all the time without a word to
us and
and NOW we get this letter from the
school that says you're failing and you don't have enough credits to
graduate
jack you know you can talk to us
listen up chief you've come too far to
blow it now so get your ass in gear or
what's happening to you
we're not going to let you do this to
yourself, hear me boy
it isn't normal
you're gonna wreck your future if you
keep going the way you're going
can't go through life this way always
going off without telling anyone what kind of a chance do you think
you stand being so irresponsible
goddammit jack you'd better listen up
you'd better
please jack your face
GODDAMMIT ENID
can tell you've been upset i know a
doctor who is very good and he
ENID
HELP you if
ENID
god jack i know it's been hard with zoe
and now carol and we can help you i know you can't concentrate if you
can just work WITH us
ENID SHUT THE HELL UP
what
GODDAMMIT IT'S SHIT LIKE THIS
THAT GOT HIM SO FUCKED UP TO BEGIN WITH ALL THIS KID NEEDS IS SOMEONE
TO TELL IT TO HIM STRAIGHT NOW IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE PART OF THE
SOLUTION THEN ALL YOU ARE IS PART OF THE PROBLEM SO SHUT UP IF ALL
YOU'RE GONNA DO IS MOAN AND WHINE AND BE ALL TOUCHY FEELY
cliff jesus
I'M THE GODDAMN MAN AROUND HERE AND
SOMEONE'S GOT TO TEACH HIM TO BE A MAN ANY OBJECTIONS ENID?
you sonofabitch he isn't normal
HE'S JUST CRYIN' FOR ATTENTION IS ALL
AND NOW HE'S GOT IT AND I'M THROUGH PLAYIN' PUSSY
oh god cliff
DON'T OH GOD ME
goddammit i'm going out for a walk
you do that you go for a walk enid i'll
take care of everything here
i know jack
ENID
jack the things you're doing i
know they're not normal and i know you need to talk to someone
ENID GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE
AND STOP SCREWING THIS KID'S HEAD UP GOD DAMMIT
oh you son of a bitch
SORRY JACK YOU KNOW YOUR MOTHER SHE
MEANS WELL BUT SOMETIMES SHE JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND US GUYS YOU KNOW
WHAT I MEAN?
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
the rats, the
rats
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
LISTEN CHIEF IT'S A BIG HARD WORLD AND
ALL BUT YOU'RE NOT MAKIN' IT ANY BETTER ON YOURSELF NOW WE GOT A BIG
PROBLEM DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PULL THINGS TOGETHER
WITH YOUR GRADES SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GRADUATE?
sure dad
SURE? Y'KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT THAT A
YOUNG MAN GET TO GRADUATE WITH ALL HIS FRIENDS AND FEEL LIKE HE'S AS
GOOD AS HIS PEERS IT'LL LOOK BETTER ON YOUR PERMANENT RECORD AND YOU
SHOULDN'T BLOW THAT
i won't
ARE YOU SURE FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD IT
SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALREADY HAVE, SON
no i
I MEAN LOOK IT'S FUN TO BE FREE
AND IRRESPONSIBLE WHEN YOU'RE A KID BUT THAT TIME IS OVER JACK AND NOW
YOU'VE GOTTA FACE THE FUTURE AND THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT LIFE ISN'T ALL
GOOFING OFF
i
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO GET
OUTTA FAILING I MEAN LOOK IF YOU WANT I'LL GO DOWN THERE AND TALK TO
YOUR TEACHERS AND SEE WHAT
no dad
WHAT?
no it's okay i've already met with my
teachers and we're working together to straighten it out
SO YOU'LL PASS?
yeah dad i'll pass
SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GRADUATE WITH
EVERYONE ELSE?
uh-huh
GOOD. THAT'S GREAT JACK YOU'RE STARTING
TO SHOW SIGNS OF BEING A RESPONSIBLE YOUNG MAN ALREADY WANNA GO OUT
WITH YOUR OLD MAN FOR AN ICE CREAM OR ANYTHING?
no dad I can't i'll be real busy these
next few days hitting those books and everything
WELL ALRIGHT YOU GO DO THAT I'M
PROUD OF YOU SON
thanks dad
the rats, the rats their teeth
Copyright 1990 C.F. Roberts/2015 Molotov Editions
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