Page 30 - The Gluckman Occasional Number Four

It was almost midnight. After heaving a mighty sigh, Arturo set
out to take a long walk off a short pier. His massive legs felt heavy
as stone, but he forced himself to move, step after step, toward his
doom. As he approached the end of the pier he became aware of an
agitated squeaking sound from the groaning planks beneath his feet.
It was a rat.
The elephant stopped
in his tracks, afraid that
he might tread upon the
rodent and squash it.
The rat took the
opportunity to scoot up
Arturo’s trunk and cling
to his leathery ear-flap.
“Don’t do it!” squealed
the rodent. “Don’t
jump!” Arturo realized
that the rat must have been following him all the way from the
warehouse. He started arguing with the tiny creature. He told him
that he had nothing to live for, that nobody understood him, and
that there was nowhere he could go to escape his horrible fate.