| x | Puffy and the rats |
| x |
I'm part of a circus that mixes old-fashioned animal tricks and newfangled technological illusions. We're crossing the United States, traipsing from city to city with horse-style animal trailers and big refrigerated trucks that hold our sensitive high-tech equipment. One evening, we've pulled into a new town and have circled our trucks. As dusk falls, I'm lounging with a few fellow circus workers. Suddenly someone rushes over, holding a box containing trained rats that perform with us. Some are wearing little pink tutus and little blue sequined jackets, perhaps not in relation to their genders. Tragically, the rats have been transported in a chilly refrigerated truck. They're still alive, but they're frozen! What to do? "I've got a hair dryer," another circus worker offers, and she plugs it in and begins to warm the rats. I decide I should go ask the rat trainer himself, so I run to his trailer. It's pretty ornate for a circus dressing room, but he's one of our biggest stars. Oh, and he's Puff Daddy. I tell Puff Daddy about the frozen rats and the hair dryer, and he chuckles. "They'll be okay once they're unfrozen," he says. He makes a list of things we should give the rats once they're awake: B-12 vitamins, millet and other small grains, and much more. But as I return to the people warming the rats, I realize the list is illegible. Handwriting isn't Puffy's strong point. But we give the rats some cheddar popcorn, and they're fine. The show can go on! |
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