"All those in favor, say 'aye'."
All four boys respond.
"OK, I guess that means that we give Frankie a shot. You all know the rules but we will go over them again. First, he has to pay his dues in advance. Second, he must present his name for review - if we don't approve, he must accept the name we give him. And, third, he must pass the initiation."
"We're not going to ask him to eat a worm are we? This place smelled like puke for a month after Rat-a-tat's initiation."
They all laugh except for Rat-a-tat, "Awww, man, that was gross! I still get sick just talking about it."
They all had some ideas but they knew that it would be A-rat that came up with the best idea. A-rat was the artist and the thinker in the group.
The group was the Ratz. Four boys, soon to become five if Frankie passed his initiation and came up with one dollar for dues.
Like the others, Frankie would have to choose his rat-name or have one assigned to him.
Ratchet chose his name. He was the mechanic in the group. He could fix anything and was responsible for most of the construction tasks in the clubhouse called the Rat-Hole.
After several attempts to choose his own name, Brat was assigned his name. The group felt it matched his surly nature.
Rat-a-tat was the drummer and the name just fit.
A-rat was not really a name, it was more like a logo. When asked to choose his name, A-rat wrote "rAt" - just like that: little "r", big "A", little "t" - then he sketched a mirror image of the "A" below it. But in the mirror image the legs of the A were ears, the crossbar was eyes and the peak of A was the nose and mouth of a rat.
He showed the drawing to the group and said, "A rat." The name stuck and the picture became the Ratz logo.
Now Frankie wanted to join the club and they needed a suitable initiation for him. Something difficult but not too dangerous - and no worms!
"The cemetary," said A-rat after listening for a while to other suggestions. "He has to lay on top of Old Lady Mackey's grave ..."
Everyone agreed and a floodgate of ideas opened up, each of the boys adding something new.
"... at midnight!"
"... full moon, No! new moon, it will be darker!"
"... candle ..."
"... no crosses ..."
An hour later Frankie's initiation ritual had been decided.
To Be Continued...
You're losing me, buddy. Give me some more poetry. These protracted narratives aren't doing it for me, and the pictures don't really help. I don't know where you're going with this. Just being honest with you.
ReplyDeleteGreat opening (with conversation first) Got me hanging...waiting for more..
ReplyDelete