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Bobby was running late for his first day at his new school. He pedaled his bike as fast as he could, kicking up the gravels on the dirt road shortcut he had found on the weekend. Passing the grocery store put him on the last long stretch before he passed the neighborhood where the school was located. It also sent him past the town dump.

It bothered him when he first saw it and it bothered him even more now. He headed down that last stretch just thinking to himself, "Keep your eyes straight ahead and just don't look at it". The smell was awful and the sight of mounds of garbage made it that much worse. He pedaled even faster. As he came to where the best view of the dump was through the trees, he began to slow down. His pedaling slowed and he coasted to a stop. He wasn't sure why he stopped but he stood there with his bike between his legs and stared at the pile of garbage and filth through the trees.

The heap of trash almost seemed alive, the cool morning air causing the internal heat to rise and fog the air like breath. Bobby kept staring, thinking he saw it heave with each expulsion of steam. At the edge of one pile he spotted a huge rat looking around for food. That fits, he thought to himself. He watched the rate continue digging in the trash and slowly walking through the mess. Then Bobby couldn't believe what happened next. The rat stopped like it had found breakfast, dug a little into the trash and then, poof, disappeared! It must have found something it really liked, he thought. But he knew deep down the rat had not dug itself into the pile. It had been absorbed.

He snapped out of the trance and glanced at his watch. Now he definitely had to get going. He did not want to be late on his first day.

Bobby was used to moving to new schools a lot. His dad was a high level marketing director with a national company and that meant the family was moving every couple of years. He usually had no trouble adjusting and making new friends. Bobby always thought of himself as fairly likeable and generally got along with everyone.

He arrived on time, reported to the office he and his mom had been to the previous Friday and waited for his class assignment. "Well, Bobby," said principal Jeffries. "We're putting you in Miss Ward's class. She's got the smallest class and could use one more fine student." He smiled at Bobby but then wrinkled his brow a little. Bobby thought he might have a touch of indigestion but was about to find out what caused that look of uncertainty to

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