Page 104 - November 2020

104
Litterateur
November 2020

An Army of Frogs

“Yeah, well the only cutting I’d like to do is to cut class today. Dissection’s
disgusting. I mean, there’s already enough violence in schools.”

“I suppose you have a point, Greg. I remember reading an article about that serial

killer who cut up his victims and ate them. What was his name?”

“Jeffrey Dahmer?”

Yeah, that’s him. Right before the prison inmates killed him Dahmer gave an
interview where he said that he became fascinated with blood and guts when his
school gave him a knife and a dead animal to cut apart in biology class.”

“Gee thanks, Dad.”

His father made a silly face, scooped him off the ground and tossed him into the air.
The squeals of delight coming from the boy temporarily made Greg forget about the
brutal day he was about to endure until his sister Carol, hearing her brother’s
screams of pleasure, trotted into the living room and demanded that her father also

give her the chance to go airborne.

Greg’s four and a half block walk to school took on the pace and enthusiasm of a
killer being led down death row for a private sitting with an electrician. As he turned
the corner he saw Kostas, Selim, and Pascal climbing the steep steps leading to the
school’s entrance. When he shouted at them to wait up he thought that they, too,
had a sickly look about them. The four of them silently scuffed their way to the
classroom.

Everyone except Regina Boloff was inside and in their seat. Greg didn’t think Regina
would show up. Every time Mrs. Worton would give a math or spelling test, Regina
would wet her pants and cry. When this happened, Mrs. Worton would send for the
school nurse and Regina’s mother would come to pick her up and take her home.
The day afterwards Regina was always absent.