Special Weekend Edition: About Rat Boy

I first met Rat Boy seven years ago while waiting in line for the Tubs O' Fun at the local carnival. Predictable music filled the air alongside smells of popcorn, corndogs and corn on the cob. I chewed candy corn impatiently as I once again checked my watch; it had been twenty-six minutes since I first placed myself in line. A small boy was staring at me uneasily as he held his father's hand. I stared back. The child's gaze suddenly widened while his jaw slowly opened. My eyes followed his stare catching a glimpse of a small creature of brown, blotchy fur. It was a boy, yet at the same time it was a rat. It was some kind of rat boy. Without a moment of hesitation, I began chasing this monstrosity into the darkness, uncontrollably drawn to the mysteriousness of a rodent creature with a human face. He scurried away but soon found himself cornered. "No use resisting Rat Boy", I said. Scooping him up, I gently placed him in my shirt pocket, patting him on his little balding head.