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HEY, IT LOOKS LIKE THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION GAVE OUT ITS ANNUAL GENIUS GRANTS, THOSE 23 AWARDS THEY GIVE TO PEOPLE WHO—
SHHHH. WE SHOULDN'T DISCUSS IT.
WHY NOT? WHO DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GUYS WHO GOT GENIUS GRANTS?
ONE OF THEM WHO DIDN'T.
OH, LORD.
IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE IS WHAT IT IS.

HEY, RAT,
IT'S ME,
ZEBRA.
YOU SEEN
PIG?
NOPE. HE WENT TO THE
PARK LAST WEEK TO PLAY
'HIDE AND SEEK,' BUT I
HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING
WITH HIM SINCE.
FOUND YOU.

TOUGHER TOUGHER TOUGHER TOUGHER
TONIGHT ON "PLANET EARTH"...
THE DART FROG.
A NATIVE OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, THE FROG LIVES IN TREES AND FEEDS ON INSECTS.
SMALL IN SIZE, THE FROG HAS NO NATURAL DEFENSES.
THUS, IT MUST RELY SOLELY ON ITS BRIGHTLY COLORED SKIN, A SIGNAL TO PREDATORS THAT IT IS POISONOUS AND THAT TO EAT IT IS TO SUFFER A SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH...
Dat guy fashion-challenged.

HEY, GOAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MY FRIEND, TIMBO THE TORTOISE.
HOW DO YOU DO?
I HAVE NO COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
HE'S IN PUBLIC RELATIONS.
I SEE.
IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I'M NOW LEAVING TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY FAMILY.

I AM SO TIRED OF BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES... I TELL YOU, IN THE NEXT ELECTION I’M GONNA...
YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
OBSCURING YOUR VOICE.
WHY?!
YOU BORE ME SO MUCH I FEAR I’LL FALL ASLEEP AND DROWN IN MY SOUP.
OH, SO MY CONCERN FOR THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF—
YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP YIP

DUDE, YOU'VE BEEN SITTING THERE FOR TEN HOURS JUST WATCHING T.V.
I KNOW. MY GIRLFRIEND PIGITA LEFT ME. NOW I JUST FEEL STRANDED AND LOST, LIKE I CAN'T GET UP AND DO ANYTHING EVEN IF I WANTED TO.
MUST YOU HIRE A TUGBOAT?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RAT?
I HAVE STUMBLED UPON A FORM OF COMMUNICATION THAT IS SO CAREFULLY ENCODED I CAN ONLY ASSUME IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED HERE BY ALIENS.
Dw i ddim yn gwybod.
Ydw.
Mae'n ddrwg gen i.
THAT'S WELSH.
DO YOU SUPPOSE THEY COME IN PEACE?

HEY, PIG... WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I THOUGHT YOU WERE HANGING OUT WITH YOUR COUSIN IVO TODAY.
I DID. I TOOK HIM TO THE DINER. HE WAS A BIG HIT. ONE WOMAN SAID HE HAS SO CUTE SHE COULD JUST EAT HIM UP.
THEN WHAT?
SHE ATE HIM UP.
SOME COMPLIMENTS AREN'T THAT COMPLIMENTARY.

WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO SAY, "I MEANT WELL"?
I GUESS WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING WITH GOOD INTENTIONS THAT ENDS UP HAVING A BAD RESULT. WHY?
I CUT DOWN A HUGE TREE TO SEE IF IT WOULD CRUSH YOUR HOUSE AND IT DID. I MEANT WELL.
PERHAPS YOU DIDN'T HEAR THE "I MEANT WELL."

To: RatGreatness@gmail.com
From: Zeebs4life@gmail.com
Re: Funny joke
Hey, Rat...Got that joke you forwarded me. LOL.
To: Zeebs4life@gmail.com
From: RatGreatness@gmail.com
Did you just put that ridiculously overused acronym for "Laughing Out Loud" in an email to me?
Yeah. Why?
IHTOASMI
TIATCOTY
YHABYW
ABOL
Hey, Pig, do you have any idea what that means?
I HATE THAT OVERUSED ACRONYM SO MUCH THAT I'M ABOUT TO COME OVER TO YOUR HOUSE AND BEAT YOU WITH A BAT OUT LOUD.
KATHUNK
I'd appreciate your not warning them in advance.

HEY, ZEBRA, HAVE YOU MET MY NEW FRIEND, "MAGIC BUNNY"? IF YOU GIVE HIM A FIVE DOLLAR BILL, HE CAN MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.
OH, YEAH? THIS I GOTTA SEE.
VIVAAA LAS VEGAS!
GAMBLING IS HIS MAGIC TRICK?
WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT MAGIC TRICKS?
HOW DID HE DO THAT?

HEY, RAT... WE GOT ONE OF
THOSE AUTOMATED PHONE
CALLS FROM THE LIBRARY
SAYING YOU HAVE AN
OVERDUE BOOK. YOU
BETTER RETURN IT.
WHO CARES,
DUDE? IT'S ONE
AUTOMATED
MESSAGE. LET'S
AT LEAST WAIT
'TIL WE GET TWO.
I DON'T THINK WE GET TWO.

HEY, GOAT, I GOT YOUR REPLY
TO THAT JOKE I E-MAILED YOU
AND I COULDN'T HELP BUT
NOTICE YOU USED THAT RATHER
HACKNEYED ACRONYM, 'LOL'.
YEAH. 'LAUGHING
OUT
LOUD.'
WHY?
I'M GONNA STOP THAT ACRONYM
ONE INTERNET USER AT A TIME.

DUVAL STREET, KEY WEST, FLORIDA
THIS IS THE GREATEST TOWN EVER! GREAT BARS! HOT WOMEN! IF ONLY I HAD A SMOOTH WING MAN TO HELP ME WITH THE LADIES...
HIYA, PAL!
WHY DOES THE GOD OF LOVE HATE ME SO?
MAGIPANTS SAYS HELLO.

MAGIPANTS! MAGIPANTS! YOU'RE UNHARMED!!!
I WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU AGAIN! I WILL FLY BACK TO MY VACATION WITH YOU! I WILL WEAR YOU ON MY HEAD IF YOU WANT ME TO! AND I WILL NEVER EVER REMOVE YOU AGAIN!
...SIR, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU PROMISED YOUR PANTS... YOU'RE TAKING THEM OFF OR I AM.
PLEASE, SIR. DON'T MAKE ME GET VIOLENT.

DUDE, THIS KEY WEST VACATION HAS MY BEST IDEA EVER.
YEAH, I-- WAIT! I FORGOT MAGIPANTS!
YOU WHAT?
THE PANTS I SLEEP IN... "MAGIC PANTS!" OR AS I CALL THEM, "MAGIPANTS" THEY ARE THE COMFIEST SLEEPING PANTS OF ALL-TIME! AND THEY ARE BACK AT HOME! ABANDONED!
DUDE, SHUT UP! WE JUST FLEW 3,000 MILES TO GET HERE. IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN GO BACK AND GET THEM.
ARE WE THERE YET?
AGAIN, SIR, WE JUST TOOK OFF.

BEHOLD! I, MASTER LINGUIST RAT, SEEK TO TEST THE LINGUISTIC THEORY THAT WHEN PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND A WORD, THEY AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME IT IS INAPPROPRIATE.
THUS, I HAVE INVENTED THE PHRASE 'SCHOOP SCHOOP PING-A-PANG BONG', WHICH MEANS 'TO PLAY A VIGOROUS GAME OF MONOPOLY.'
PIG, PLEASE READ THIS NOTE TO THE KIND PERSON NEXT TO YOU.
HELLO, MA'AM. CARE TO COME HOME WITH ME AND SCHOOP SCHOOP PING-A-PANG BONG?
KAPISHHHH
LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND 'MONOPOLY.'
RESULT INCONCLUSIVE. MUST TEST ON A GOAT.
CHECK, PLEASE. PIGS DON'T TALK.

I THINK I'M COMPOSED OF TWO SELVES THAT ARE CONSTANTLY AT ODDS WITH EACH OTHER FOR CONTROL OF MY SOUL.
I THINK THOSE TWO SELVES FIGHT IN EACH OF US.
EVIL AND EVILER?
EVIL AND GOOD.
GOOD? OH, WE WIPED HIM OUT YEARS AGO.

Meow.
AWWW… LOOK AT THE CUTE LI’L KITTY… IS HE YOURS?
YES, MA’AM.
Meow.
Meow.
DON’T YOU WONDER WHAT SILLY THINGS A LITTLE KITTY MIGHTY IS TRYING TO TELL US WITH HIS “MEOWS”?
Kill. Fat. Lady.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO EAT AND RUN, MA’AM.
OHHH… I THINK HE LIKES ME.
Meow.

DID YOU KNOW THE ANCIENT GREEKS HAD
A TRADITION OF BREAKING POTTERY AND
GIVING EACH CITIZEN A SHARD ON WHICH
THEY COULD WRITE THE NAME OF ONE
GUY THEY WANTED TO KICK OUT OF THE
CITY? WHOEVER GOT THE MOST
VOTES WAS EXILED.
IS
THAT
TRUE?
YEAH. AND THE GREEK WORD FOR
POTTERY IS "OSTRAKON," WHICH
IS WHERE WE GET THE WORD
"OSTRACIZE"...ISN'T THAT
KSSSHHHH!
THE WORDS, "THAT BORING GOAT,"
WON'T FIT ON MY SHARD.

WHAT DO YOU GOT THERE, RAT?
ACOUSTIC TILES. PEOPLE USE THEM ON RESTAURANT CEILINGS AND STUFF TO ABSORB SOUND. THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO HEAR ANY OF THE CHATTER FROM THE IDIOTS SITTING AT THE NEXT TABLE.
BUT I LIKE HEARING THAT CHATTER. IT'S HOW I LEARN THINGS AND MEET A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE.
THIS WILL IMPROVE OUR FRIENDSHIP.

WITH THE READERS' VOTES IN, MELVIN FALLS FROM THE SKY, DESTINED TO DESTROY...
(suspense builds)
KAABOOM
LEMMINGWORTH FEDERAL PRISON
I'M FREE
GUYS! THE STEPH-STER IS BACK!!
I DIDN'T VOTE FOR THAT!
I miss Melvin already...

WITH ONLY SECONDS TO GO BEFORE MELVIN'S VEST BOMB EXPLODES, THE CROCS BUST INTO THE POTTY.
HEY! Me no done wid crossword!
IMPROVISING WITH JUNIOR'S SEE-SAW, THEY LAUNCH MELVIN INTO THE SKY.
Whhheeeeeeeee
LEAVING JUST ONE QUESTION... WHERE SHOULD MELVIN LAND?
Somewhwere soft.
SEARCH FOR "AUTHOR STEPHAN PASTIS" ON FACEBOOK TO VOTE... BECAUSE LIVES HANG IN THE BALANCE.

STORY UPDATE
Okay..Uh.. Let's see.. Three letter word beginning with "E"..Clue is "Garden of Eden noourn.."
BOMB ABOUT START FINAL COUNTDOWN, MELVIN!
Hmmm..."Garden of Eden noourn..."
"Garden of Eden noourn..."
YUP!
YOU RIGHT!
Maybe it's about woomun..?
About bomb start final countdown.
Somehow dat not very satisfying.
MYRTE!
GLADYS!
TALUGA?

I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND, BUT I'M GOING AROUND GIVING EACH OF US CLEVER, WELL-THOUGHT-OUT NICKNAMES THAT SOMEHOW REFLECT WHO EACH OF US ARE. MINE IS 'GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD.'

WHAT'S MINE?
MR. CRAPPO.

I TRIED TO BE FAIR.