Frankie lay curled up in his excelsior box in Western Biological, keeping his thoughts for company. What had he done wrong now? He could not think of an answer. Doc was unable to be wakened. Doc had been good to him. Now somehow, Frankie had caused some unfixable problem, without knowing how. When the men had come in to try to get some quest-the boy had seen them at all the parties-he had ran back to his box. He'd never faced them without Doc. He could hear them becoming panicky. Then they were gone; but he didn't bother to try to wake his friend again. In the darkness he stayed in his box, along with his thoughts, as his child mind drifted into blessed sleep.
Two boys crept on the rocky beach below Doc's place. They seemed to go along cautiously, not wanting to be seen-not that it would've helped in that open space. Both were armed with small rocks from the road, mainly held in their pockets. The tide was low, the day still early. They paused, while continually moving, as they approached the building. Finally, one of them started out directly towards it. The other hesitantly followed behind.
"Coward. Just like your father. No better than a rat, squirming in the dirt."
The leading boy stopped to make a demonstration.
"Stop, Willard."
"What'cha gonna do, huh? Don't you wanna prove the Sprague liar wrong, huh? Jump 'im rightfully, then."
"What if there is babies in there-unborned ones?"
"Jump 'im anyways; he's too much of a coward to go in here. Like you."
"That ain't true; I'm coming!"
"Besides, babies don't come unborned."
"Then what're we goin' round here for?"
"We're just gonna see what he did have cooped up here."
They came to the back of the building. There were neither people nor doors in sight. Willard took his largest rock and smashed in a window. Joey, the other, did the same to widen the opening. A few tom cats jumped out, forcing the boys to delay their entrance. The smell hit them after some moments; the snakes and rats uncared for in the cages reacted in their own ways upon sensing human invaders. Joey regretted having not thought to bring a light when they journeyed farther from the light of the windows. "Willard…" he began. There was no reply, although he must have been heard; Joey poked his companion, just within a foot away, to make certain he was still there. "What if we come 'cross his body?" There was still no reply. This was something that had not occurred to Joey, and it put him into uneasiness, though he would never have admitted it. Unbeknownst to them, Doc's body was as Frankie and Mack's boys had left it: on the next floor up, on the bed, wrapped nicely in a silk quilt of the garments and handiwork of the gals at the Bear Flag; a birthday present to the beloved man. He'd never really gone to the Bear Flag, but all of its employees had come to him for help at one (rather, many more) time(s) or another. Now back on track of the boys…
"Joey, you rat," Willard called, "why don't you find where the lightin' is?"
Both of them ended up scrabbling to find it, with no luck. The room they were in seemed to be some sort of storage. Nothing interesting-particularly unborned babies in jars, seemed to reside there. "C'mon, Willard. Let's get outta here."
"What? Try an' make me. I oughtta tie you to rat cage. Better yet, he musta kept rat poison round here somewheres. Then you could put yourself out of your cowardice misery. Your daddy thought he was a rat, an' I bet you do, too."
"Stop talkin' of him. It ain't funny no more."
"Ain't my fault he done kill't himself. I've never thought I was a rat. I never at rat poison."
"If'n you don't quit, I'm gonna…gonna…"
"You gonna try to fight with me?" Willard laughed.
"He weren't a rat! You're more rat than he was, or anybody I know!"
"I ain't no damn rat! You're just skeered in the dark. I ain't. I ain't skeered of nothing. Go eat rat poison, an' deal with it."
The argument went on. Neither of them noticed a stirring from the excelsior box.
"He…were'nt…a rat!" Joey fell back.
"You're cornered now, like a rat, all right, all right." Willard kicked out at his companion and victom. Joey thought he could catch a glimpse of a blurry figure behind his tormentor. First he was frightened. Willard felt himself being socked. He called out to his "rat" and tried to grasp what had introduced its fist to his face, then ran out of the room, out of the building, taking no notice of anyone shuffling glumly back to the excelsior box.
