The terror, which would not end for another year- if it ever did end- began, so far as I can tell, with a boat made from a diverse report card floating down a gutter swollen with rain.
The boat bobbed, listed, righted itself again, dived bravely through treacherous whirlpools, and continued down the gutter that ran down Bouchard Steet. There been steady rain the past two days in Wagstaff and the power was out all over the town. The rain had reached the point where it had flooded most of the elementary school. School was out and little Louise Belcher was enjoying herself in the rain. She made the boat out of the report card that was proudly displayed on the kitchen fridge in her parent's apartment. The report card was from 2nd grade and was the last time she had all As. She would watch the little boat skim down the street and would ran after it when it seemed it would teeter into the oblivion of the sewer drain. A subconscious part of her hoped
(wanted)
that it would, just so her father wouldn't keep looking at it whenever her new one came in.
But some other, deeper, part of her didn't want it to really go away. The report card's grades were honestly earned. Louise took pride on that.
To her horror, Louise noticed that when the boat reached the next drain it didn't pull back as hard as the other times.
It's going in! She didn't understand why, but Louise started panicking.
"No, no, no, no, NOOOOOOO," she yelled, running towards the boat.
It fell into the drain.
Louise fell to her knees in front of the black pit of the drain desperately searching for the boat, silently cursing herself for even making the boat out of the report card when she saw two bright red eyes. The initial shock sent her back a few inches.
There's a man in the sewer, she thought.
The eyes came closer and Louise saw that they were not red at all but a light, dancing blue. Her hysteria must've made her see things. As the rain fell on her yellow slicker, she inched closer to the drain.
"What are you doing down there?"
The man lifted up his shirt. Louise saw that he wore a bright, orange, neon vest.
"I'm fixing the sewer main down here. It's broke, you see."
Louise looked up and saw the store in question. Hold Me Closer Tony Danza: Celebrity Dance Studio.
Louise turned her attention back to the pale man.
"Who are you."
The man came into the bleak light of the rainy day. Louise saw that his skin was pale as if the sun had never seen it. His blue eyes shining jovially.
"Me," he asked as if her not knowing him offended him," I thought your brother would have told you."
Louise was taken aback.
"You know Gene?"
The man face became a warm smile.
"Why of course Louise," said the man," My name is Ken. You may know me as Ken the Albino."