Pearls Before Swine | Search

WE NEED MONEY. GO INVENT SOMETHING.
CHEESE SNEAKERS... FOR THE ATHLETE WHO NEEDS A LITTLE SNACK.
OHH, IF MY HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELOR COULD SEE ME NOW.

OHHHHHH MAN... I'M SO DOWN TODAY.
AWW... DON'T WORRY, LI'L BUDDY... THINGS WILL GET BETTER.
REALLY?
REALLY.
THEN THEY'LL GET WORSE AGAIN.
OHHHHHHH.
REALISTS NEVER DO MAKE GOOD COMFORTERS.

HEY, RAT...
I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET MY FRIEND, LEON THE CHAMELEON.
SOME CHAMELEON... I CAN SEE HIM RIGHT THERE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
THOSE THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO BLEND IN WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS.
OKAY, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.

Dad, will you please
read me one of my
Sesame Street books?
They're my favorite.
Sure ting,
sweetie...
"Oscar was grouchy. Ernie
and Bert had borrowed his
basketball and had not
returned eet."
"Geeve me back my basketball,"
said Oscar.
"We can't find eet," said Ernie.
"But dat's my favorite basket-
ball," said Oscar.
"I guess dis ees a
lesson," said Ernie, "If you borrow
someone's tings, you need to
take good care of dem."
Unseatisfied, Oscar tear off
Ernie's head.
Please don't make
up your own
endings, Dad.
Ernie have to
pay price, sam.

WHY MUST LIFE BE FILLED WITH PAIN? WHY MUST IT FOLLOW YOU ALL YOUR DAYS AND OVERTAKE YOU WITH SUCH REGULARITY?
YEAH, WHY CAN'T WE BE FOLLOWED BY A BIG BUCKET OF "FIG NEWTONS" INSTEAD? THEY'RE SO TASTY AND THEY BRING YOU SUCH JOY.
THERE'S THAT PAIN AGAIN.
AND SPEAKING OF REGULARITY...

SEE YA, RAT.
YOU GOING SWIMMING?
NO. WHY?
BECAUSE PEOPLE ONLY WEAR INFLATABLE RAFTS WHEN THEY'RE GOING SWIMMING.
I HAVE SO MUCH TROUBLE ACCESSORIZING.

RAT AND PIG GET NEW NEIGHBORS, THE DEATHS.
GOSH, MR. DEATH, I SURE AP-PRECIATE YOUR SHOWING ME YOUR NEW HOUSE...
OH, NO PROBLEM, PIG...BUT CALL ME 'DEATH.'
OH, OKAY, I WILL. HEY, EXCUSE ME FOR A MINUTE.
HELLO?
PIG! IT'S ME, RAT. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MOWING THE LAWN! WHERE ARE YOU?
I'M AT DEATH'S DOOR.
NICE TRY.

CAN I HELP YOU?
HI. WE'RE THE DEATHS. WE JUST MOVED IN NEXT DOOR... JUST WANTED TO SAY HIYA.
ARF ARF
HEEEEY, WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME... Y'KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, FEEL FREE TO ASK.
WELL, WE DO HAVE ONE.
WHAT'S THAT?
HOW SAFE IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

Hulooooo, leetle rat... How is you?
Why do you have a pair of baggy jeans pulled up to your neck?
Baggy jeans cool. Me a rebel. Girls love.
Dude, you look ridiculous. Guys wear their jeans real low now.
OH LAAAAADIES!
I don't want to know... I don't want to know...

HELLO, GOD.
YOU DON'T KNOW ME...
I'M RAT.
YOU SAY ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN...
SO GIVE ME ONE BILLION DOLLARS AND THE LOOKS TO ATTRACT RACHEL MCADAMS.
SHAKE
SHAKE
SHAKE
MY FAITH IS WANING.

ANGRY BOB WAS ANGRY.
AGAIN.
"I AM ANGRY BECAUSE I AM LONELY," SAID ANGRY BOB. "I MUST FIND A WOMAN."
HE WENT TO A BAR. HE SAT ON A BARSTOOL.
HE SAW A CROWD GATHERED AROUND A MAN. "WHAT IS GOING ON?" BOB ASKED THE WOMAN NEXT TO HIM.
"THAT'S DANGEROUS DAN," SHE SAID "HE DOES JOBS THAT DANGEROUS FIGHTER" DON'T DARE TO TRY."
"WHAT IS THE U.F.S." ASKED BOB.
"THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING SERIES," SHE SAID. "IT'S ON TV."
"I DO NOT LIKE FIGHTING," SAID BOB.
THE WOMAN STARED AT BOB. "IT IS REFRESHING TO MEET A MAN WHO ADMITS PHYSICAL WEAKNESS. I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER."
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, BOB WASN'T ANGRY. HAPPY KISSING. LISTENING TO HER RHYMIC KNOCK.
ON THE WINDOW. MADE BY DAN, WHO WAS TRYING TO GET HIS CAR TO SEE WHY THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ON.
BOB DIED. MANY TIMES.
THE END.
THERE ARE WORSE THINGS THAN BEING LONELY.

Dearest Pig,
The decision to leave you and your lamp was not easy. All I can say is that I had to get out of your bedroom and finally see what the World had to offer, which is not easy when you have no hands.
Which is why I'm still standing by the front door.
STUPID DOORKNOB.

Dear Pig,
I have left to find out if there is more to life than supporting a lamp.
The
Nightstand
...I DESERVED BETTER.

SCIENCE FAIR
THE DOUBLE HELIX
SUPERSTRING THEORY
DED ZEBRA
COULD I JUST DO THIS ALONE NEXT YEAR, DAD?
No, son...
Me huge help.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RAT?
I'M ENTERING STUFF ON MY BLOG.
HA! YOU ALWAYS RIP ME FOR KEEPING A BLOG AND HERE YOU ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING!
OH, PLEASE... AT LEAST MINE'S NOT FILLED WITH USELESS DETAILS ABOUT MY DAY-TO-DAY LIFE.
"Today I scratched my rear."
HEY! HEY! THE DRAMA BUILDS!

HEY THERE, PIG...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
I'VE TAKEN UP PHOTOGRAPHY.
OH, GREAT...SO YOU'RE LEARNING ALL ABOUT FOCAL LENGTH, APERTURE, ISO RATINGS, THAT SORTA STUFF?
I JUST PRESS THE LITTLE DOOHICKEY,

WOULD YOU BETRAY A FRIEND FOR PERSONAL GAIN OR PROFIT?
PROFIT.
SORRY. I THOUGHT IT WAS MULTIPLE CHOICE.

Oh woooonmun.
Me get you biiiiiiig treat todayyyy.
What is it, Larry?
Ees a Zeeb-O'-Matic...It chop, slice and dice deeed zeeba...HAHA.
Now we make beeg yummy zeeba smoodie...Even zeeba mahgarreta.
Just tink, woonmun! Now we have zeeba coming out ears!!
You do know, Larry, that you still have to go out and kill a zebra first, right? ...See, it says, "zebra not included"?
HAHAHAHAHA...Oh, peese, woonmun. No treat have lieek zistoo. You tink Larry spend all dat money and not know dat? BAHAHAHA HA HUHHA HOHOGG HHEHEE...
RETURNS

WOW...LOOK AT THIS... THE COMIC STRIP FACTORY RAN OUT OF OUR NORMAL DOT EYES TODAY... I GUESS YOU AND ME WERE THE LAST TO GET THEM.
WHAT'S EVERYONE ELSE DOING?
WELL, THEY HAVE ONE BIG BOX OF STEREOTYPICAL COMIC EYES STILL LEFT... YOU KNOW, SHOCKED EYES, EVIL EYES... THAT SORT OF THING... AND I GUESS THEY'RE JUST RANDOMLY HANDING THEM OUT.
BUT WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU GET STUCK WITH EYES THAT DON'T MATCH YOUR PERSONALITY?
GOOD QUESTION, YOU $$$%@#&%.
I'M SCARED. HOLD ME.

I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS NOW-A-DAYS IS THAT WE HAVE NO SENSE OF COMMUNITY. NOBODY CARES ABOUT ANYBODY ELSE.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WHEN PEOPLE BORE ME, I CLOSE MY EYES AND TRY TO REMEMBER THE ORDER THE SEVEN DWARFS MARCHED IN.
WHY DO I TRY?
DOC... GRUMPY... HAPPY... DOPEY... NO NO NO DOC...

DON'T TELL ME THAT WAS YOUR LAST DOMINO.
IT WAS! IT WAS! I FINALLY WON A GAME! I WON! I WON! I'M THE CHAMP!
IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE.

HEY, RAT. SORRY TO BUG YOU ON YOUR CELL, BUT REMEMBER, TODAY'S THE DAY WE HAVE TO CLEAN OUT THE GARAGE.
YEAH. I KNOW...I JUST HAVE TO--WHOA, HANG ON A SEC--I'M GOING THROUGH A TUNNEL...I MIGHT LOSE THE--
*CLICK*
WHAT DID LIARS DO BEFORE CELL PHONES?

DOES LIVING NEXT DOOR TO A FRATERNITY OF PREDATORS EVER GET TO YOU?
CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!
SOMETIMES...

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU, NEIGHBOR BOB?
MY GIRLFRIEND LEFT ME. SHE SAID I'M NOT TALL ENOUGH OR STRONG ENOUGH OR SMART ENOUGH.
HEY, TO HECK WITH HER, BOB. IT'S WHAT'S IN HERE THAT COUNTS.
AWW, THANK YOU, RAT...I GUESS I DO HAVE A PRETTY DECENT HEART.
HEART?...I THOUGHT THAT'S WHERE YOU KEPT YOUR WALLET.
NEVER MIND.

Danny Donkey stood on the edge of the cliff and pondered the end.
The end of the headaches and the stomach aches.
The end of the bills and the calls.
The end of the half-truths, the lies and the outright frauds.
The end of all that is bad.
And threw his lawyer over the cliff.
THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE CHILDREN'S BOOK.
BUT I WROTE SUCH AN UPLIFTING ENDING.
YAY FOR DANNY! YAY!