Page 29 - The Gluckman Occasional Number Four

through the alleys toward the Bowery. Basil recognized Arturo from
photographs in the newspaper, and decided to follow the obviously
disheartened pachyderm. When he realized Arturo intended to
commit suicide, he had run to the rescue.
But Arturo didn’t want to
be rescued. He ordered Basil
to climb down and stand
aside—unless he wanted to
end up drowning, too. The
rat wouldn’t budge. “They say
we rats will jump from a ship
that’s going to sink,” said
Basil. “And it’s quite true. I
just don’t think you’re going
to kill yourself over a little
identity crisis.” And Arturo did stop moving, for he had no desire to
take the rat with him into the East River.
Then Basil told Arturo the story of his
own life, as quickly as he could before the
elephant realized he could easily pluck the
rodent off with his trunk and continue
walking off the pier. “I was born undersized
and sickly,” the rat began, speaking softly
into the huge elephantine ear canal just
inches from his face. “My family babied me,
and I loved to get attention by showing off
and imitating my aunts and uncles.”
As Basil spoke, Arturo
recognized that the rat had
lived through some
experiences very similar to
his own. Acting had become
a way of life for the young
rodent; he had begun serious
studies in adolescence; and
Basil had created a sensation
when he first appeared in
“The Importance of Being
Earnest” off-Broadway.
Most of the playgoers had come merely to see a rat perform in a role