Lamb

“Goats are very dull creatures,” says Jane, in a worldly fashion. “I have entirely outgrown my one-time goat infatuation and now concern myself entirely with more sophisticated animals like lambs.”

She outfits a lamb in a three-piece and a monocle on a golden chain.

Then she runs away!

The lamb traipses through their maisonette like it’s skipping through the flowers. It knocks over a lamp. Then a bowl. Then Martin’s box that holds anything. Martin’s pile of white gold coins spills out.

“I can explain that,” says Martin.

The lamb eyes him snootily through the monocle.

“It’s just money,” Martin says. “Please. Jane doesn’t know. I didn’t hurt anybody.”

Pretty soon Martin is babbling confessions to crimes he didn’t even commit!

“I’m a mob boss!” Martin says. “I had sex with an omelette!”

The lamb has him sweating.

“No, wait! I’m a really sharp goat!”

The lamb traipses off on an adventure to the catacombs under Rome. It becomes involved with hard people, cold people, strange people.

It does not show up in our story again.

“I killed Jimmy Hoffa!” Martin says, in full-on desperation; but he doesn’t even know who that was.

<< – 9 –

Chapter 9: Hero >>