Teacher’s Pet

by Justin Hollis

“Teacher’s pet, teacher’s pet,” they squealed, pinching me up by the tail and passing me before their greasy faces.  She kept me in a shoebox on her desk and on the last day before summer set me loose among the other wild things.  I would have made a fine meal for an anaconda, but it was the suburbs– and the spoiled cats were content to bat me around with their paws, then moving on to the filet mignon diced on white china … The library closed at noon and then about the only adventure left me, was scuttering across the lotioned backs of the girls sunbathing on the lawns.  How they’d shriek and take off down the block, forgetting their bikini tops!!!  It was a wholesome enough sort of mischief, but by fall, I’d return to an entirely other animal.