it seemed like a good idea at the time

it was science

and

they were to be

our class pets

i ordered the eggs from smithsonian

sea monkeys

aka

triops

aka

prehistoric sea monsters

i heeded the warnings

and got the kinders

very excited

and

followed the directions

exactly

then we waited

for them to hatch

their birthday

was to be

in three days

and

then

nothing happened

and

still

nothing happened

the eggs

had failed to hatch

and we

said goodbye to them

and i

ceremoniously

flushed their water

down the toilet

then

today

there was an ‘incident’

when one of my colleagues

was using the restroom in the hallway

first

strange noises were heard

then

a volcanic eruption

of color

and

water

and

who knows what

happened

and

she ran away

shrieking

and then

the experts

were called in

an out of order sign went up

and

there were men

and tools

and water

and i guess

prehistoric sea monster fighting weapons

of some sort

and now

i picture them

somehow

having

come to life

 mutating

giants

and

taking over

the entire sewer system

but

it could

just be a coincidence

i hope.

——–

there are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them.
-andre gide