 
Babbit the Rabbit

Written by: A. Foster

"This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental."

Table of Contents

1 The Book

2 The Boss

3 It's not my fault

4 Big, beautiful and yes a super hero too!

5 Of Dawgs and Cats

6 Go left

7 Checking the Plan and a Patent

8. Rabbit learns to hop

9 Meow

10 Advice to the Love Sick

11 Monday, Monday

12 Bigger on the inside.

13 What you see is not what you get.

14 See it my way.

15 Babbit wins the Lottery!

16 Spending the Money

17 Acknowledgements

18 More Books by A. Foster

Chapter One: The Book

As always I want to relate this story as it happened, but things get out of hand rather quickly. One minute you are trying to make clear a single point, without ever realizing that there are ripples that span out from that point. Sometimes those same ripples even bounce back at the source with a greater force then they went out. That being said, I was there the whole time. Well, most of it. Some of what is written here now is conjecture, but you can be assured that the final outcome would have been, is and will be the same.

It was a cold day outside. The weatherman on channel 12.2 had gone on and on about the possibilities of rain, but all anyone really had to do was look up. Dark gray clouds in every direction. It had been cold enough the night before to freeze the top of the giant fountain just at the entrance to the Metro Library. The stone statues of dancing dolphins showed signs of frost, with small ice formations here and there. The fountain itself was about eighty feet across, built by patrons of the library as a gift to the children of their fair city, one year after the Metro itself was finished. Many people came to the library because of the fountain in front. Just below the surface, small coins sparkled brightly even in the dull overcast sky. Regardless of the weather, it was beautiful.

The stone steps that led to the library entrance were just as grand. No one could pass by this landmark and not be in awe of the artwork and forethought that went into this incredible building. 1912 was a good year. People took pride in things, easily noted and reflected in the architecture. Over the past 99 years since, there were a few modernizations and improvements, such as book return boxes and glass doors that electronically opened from motion detection. Yet the feel of the place remained the same. Beautiful, classic, and awe-inspiring, the Library reflected the city's roots.

The library was a bit fuller than usual. Perhaps that was due to the weather, maybe not? I observed the normal patrons come in at the normal times. Most all of them do their own thing. The ages and walks of life changed slightly, but they all had an air of belonging to the place. Anyone watching carefully would quickly notice a pattern. It is evident everywhere in life, but few bother to look for it. The pattern I mean. I guess I am part of that pattern too? What is important here is to note that there is one. Variations from that, often create, disruption and even on a larger scale, havoc.

For now, I am just a patron like the rest. That is all that you need to know. Again, for now. Let me pick this story back up at the door. It was a wide two door, commercial opening that one would normally expect for the day. There had been efforts to preserve the original feeling of the entrance, but updates were necessary to match the times. However, the funny man that was trying to get through the glass opening had somehow got his arm caught in the push bar style handle. Instead of asking for help, he just sort, of opened and shut with the door, wrestling and grumbling under his breath. Every time the motion detector would catch up with the door closing, it would abruptly swish back open again. That action would result from nearly freeing the individual, back to starting all over again.

The pretty, young woman at the front desk noticed the problem. She rushed from behind the giant, vintage, mahogany check out desk, around the far end of the long gray counter and down the long aisle. Speeding quickly across the main threshold, she went to rescue or at least offer assistance to the stranger. Just as she arrived, magically the man's arm came free and he twirled around to face her directly. Only a few inches away from her pretty face. Breathless and still swearing a little under his breath, he flushed red. Where did she come from? The day was going from bad to worse. Recognition was immediate. The beautiful girl from the race track. She had been the ticket taker. The memory came back clear as if it happened yesterday. In fact, it had been over three years ago.

John Babbit was a long story reflected in the abridged version that just occurred at the library front door. Nothing ordinary or every day ever happened to John. In fact, Mr. Babbit tried very hard to fade into the background all the time, but it was rougher than one might think. At least for Babbit. The gang always teased him about how unlucky he was, for a Rabbit. The Big Boss accidentally called him Rabbit the first time he was introduced. It stuck immediately. No matter how often he corrected the gang, not the boss, however, that his name was Babbit, it just never stuck. Perhaps it was because no one wanted to correct The Boss, even indirectly. In a way, John thought it did fit a little. He was always running everywhere all the time for The Boss. Today was no different. Only this time she was there. I mean here. I mean, right in his path. His thoughts got all confused, his tongue felt thick and his legs were rubbery. The pretty lady that had been working the track window for betting was right in front of him. He had the same reaction that terrible day at the track and forgot completely to make a bet for the boss. Ouch, when the horse won, and no bet had been placed, Babbit insured he would be working for The Boss for a long time to come.

"Hello." Babbit chocked out. He wanted to say a couple of dozen things, but that was all the sound he could muster.

"Hello. Are you okay? I saw you, from the front desk and thought you might need help. I came as quickly as I could. The desk is very big you see. It is old and I love it. That is not what we were talking about, however. So, I ran past the counter, and down the long aisle and here I am. You are okay, right? Do I know you? I know a lot of people. Well, they know me more often then I know them, but it comes out close to the same. You look very familiar." She continued without a single intake of breath. Her smile was ear to ear, and her eyes danced brightly. Their color was that of a sparkling blue lake in the Himalayas. That is what John was thinking like he had just seen in his World Geo magazine. He longed to be a real adventurer and see that place, but if that could not happen, looking into her eyes for the rest of his life would do.

Another fellow came quickly through the double doors along with a kid about eight years old. "Hey uncle, we saw what happened from Joe's car. It was great! Could you do that again? Joe told me I could use his phone and record it. I laughed so hard, juice from my drink box came out of my nose. " The little boy smiled. "It was really neat! I will be in the kid section Unc." Without skipping a beat, the kid turned and was gone. Babbit watched him retreat past the huge park. John noted he was still laughing the whole way.

The fellow that had entered with the kid, extended his hand to shake the nice woman's in greeting. "Hi, I am Joseph Maloney. Thanks for helping Babbit here. I would have been on hand to help a bit sooner myself, but I could not get my seat belt loose from laughing so hard." Joseph smiled at Babbit. "I am going to check out some things. See ya, in a bit." Joseph released his grip. The librarian smiled at Joe. The knowing look on Joe's face told Babbit that he knew exactly who the young lady was. He had been there that day at the tracks when the Big Boss's ticket came in. It had been a hard thing to tell his Dad they had not placed the bet. He grew up with Babbit. They were best friends. If his father had found out that it had been Babbit alone at the window that day, Babbit would have been at the bottom of the river that same night. As it was, Babbit was liable for only half of the 10K The Boss was out. The Big Boss, collecting from Joseph was probably not going to happen, as Joseph was due to take over the business shortly. The Boss had been grooming him for a long time but talked about it way more often of late. Joseph, however, did not want the job. In fact, he did not want anything to do with his father's line of work. That, however, was a different matter entirely.

Joe asked the librarian. "Can you point me in the right direction. I am interested in patents and inventing. I sent one of my ideas in and want to make sure the offer I received is real. I love to make things." He smiled.

"Yes. Yes of course. It is just up the main stair, level two, isles seven through nine. Near the south wall, level one has some nice magazines too on the subject. They would be located just before you get to the kids' section." The young lady smiled back and waved her hand to point first toward the stair leading to the second level and then back behind her, the direction where all the kids were heading. Joseph said thank you again, then walked on. At the stair, he decided to go up, where it was a bit quieter to do his research.

Babbit was still just inside the door but in the main walkway. Two elderly ladies stepped through the entrance together. "In or out? Make up your mind." The shorter of the two women briskly passed by Babbit. "We are late, and don't have time for this nonsense." The shorter of the two was a little upset. The second lady looked flushed. Both were dressed extremely well. Hats, gloves, stockings, and fur-lined coats. Actually, a bit too nice really. Anyone would think they were heading for a night out on the town, not a Saturday afternoon at the Library. They did not doddle but headed straight on, across the main lobby, around the central garden in the middle and up the giant stone stair to the second floor. That was the normal meeting area for book clubs now. It had been changed recently from the basement to the 2nd level, upstairs. Renovations and such often caused disruptions to the patrons. Lord knows the Library could use more renovations and up-dating then it could afford. It was, however, a work in progress. The ladies were gone in moments.

As they passed the young woman, she offered apologies and a warm greeting. "Sorry ladies. We had a small event a moment ago. Enjoy the Historical Founders meeting." The librarian waved. Then she turned her attention back to Babbit. "I am glad you are okay. Is there anything I can help you with? Do you need medical assistance? Should I call anyone? You are okay, right?" The young woman's smile continued to affect Babbit.

"I am fine." Babbit tried to pull himself together. He had dreamed about her often. More often then he cared to think about at the moment. At one point he had even gone back after he saw her the first time. A few days later, of course, to make a bet. At the track for himself, not The Boss, something he never did. However, when he got there, she had vanished. He had no idea as to where? There was just a new guy at her ticket booth. It was a big hairy guy to boot. Definitely nothing like her. Then, wha-la! Here she was. Smelling like heaven and making Babbit believe in Angels.

"Well, you don't look well. Come on in and sit down a moment. I will get you a water from the back." Babbit was helpless as she reached out and grasped his elbow. "My name is Miss Chikin. However, you can call me Angie." She smiled. "I do know you. You were, at the tracks. I have not seen you in a long time. I got this great job here at the library. I love it. I get to work with the kids. I enjoy doing that the most. I get to tell stories and help people find books. There is so much to do here. There are even clubs about books, clubs about special interests, DIY clubs and all kinds of things." Her voice was like music to his ears. Whatever she was going on about sounded just great. She maneuvered him into the main lobby area. "Wait here", she left him standing on the giant map of the world, perfected in the small stones used to make it. Peru maybe? Yes, Babbit thought he was standing on Peru. It was of no importance other than to point out Babbit could not think real straight having been so close to her, again. Only a moment ago she was right in front of him, now she had just disappeared. In the gray haze of his brain, he remembered she did say she would be back.

A few moments passed and Babbit got a hold of himself. Wow, he really did have a problem, around women. All or just this one did not matter as the outcome was the same. Boy, she was pretty! What was her name again? Angie. Angie Chikin. She had told Babbit her name. He was on cloud nine, looking for a long ladder to get back down to the ground. Part of him was just fine, however, waiting there, that she may yet return as promised.

"Joseph Babbit? What are you doing here, at the library?" The rough, professional voice rudely brought Babbit down from his personal heaven.

Looking back over his shoulder, standing about four feet away was Officer Maren. He was generally a good guy, but a stickler for the rules. All of the rules. The real rules and ones that Babbit thought Maren might have made up. Things about dress codes and being a good citizen. Officer Maren was heavy on the "do the right thing" and "stay out of trouble". That was good because he was after all, a cop. "I am here with my nephew. No trouble Officer. No trouble at all." Babbit tried to act nonchalant. Somewhere in the back of his slow-witted, female dulled brain, he remembered he had The Boss's book on his person. The collection book for the "Protection Accounts". It burned like a beating heart in a story he had read as a kid, right there in his pocket. Slowly at first, gaining speed and strength. Babbit thought surely Officer Maren could see the book too. Right through the material of his suit, like having X-ray vision. How could he not see it, ask Babbit about it, find out what it was, arrest Babbit and, and, and? Babbit's pulse was beating faster and faster.

"You look guilty Babbit. Why don't you come with me." Officer Maren appeared to be very serious. He took a couple of steps toward the younger man.

Babbit fought the urge to run. This had not been a good day from the start and it was just going straight downhill from there. The one bright spot, Angie had disappeared at the right time. He felt a little embarrassed for some reason. The book in his pocket felt terribly uncomfortable. Babbit fought the insane, desire to adjust its placement. It was now like a thorn just under the skin. The kind that makes you slowly go crazy trying to get it out. No one in the library had really paid much notice so far to Babbit or the Officer. In fact, a volunteer had pushed two carts close to the front lobby near them. They were both full of books to be placed back on the shelves.

"Officer Maren. I am so glad you came today." Angie's voice was cheerful. She had just walked back carrying the promised water bottle for Mr. Babbit. "The kids will love that you were able to put us on your schedule.

Angie's timing had been perfect. Maren's eyes shifted to the young lady. Babbit moved, quick like a bunny. He whipped the book out of his jacket pocket and placed it among the books on the closest cart. Then to the best of his ability, he calmed the only one nerve he had left and stood, quiet. The Officer turned back to Babbit. "I think you are hiding something. I don't know what. Get out, I'm busy. Don't let me catch you back in here." Then Officer Maren turned back to Angie. "I am ready. Let's go help the kids learn all about bad guys." Starring back for a moment over his shoulder as he walked away with Angie, toward the kids wing. Angie had not passed him the water. Maybe she forgot, but he had not wished to catch up and ask for it. Instead, he watched her leave with the Officer.

Babbit's heart sank just a little that Angie had not really been able to talk to him again. That was the downside. Not that he could have done much of it, the talking I mean. His words just got all caught up and his mouth refused to make sounds. Oh well, at least he had missed being arrested and or worse. That was more help to him then a bottle of water for sure. Babbit then turned to the cart. The cart? The cart?? Gone. Gone where? Well, duh, it was a cart full of books in a library full of books. Babbit hit his own forehead with the palm of his hand. That is when it really hit him. No, not just his hand, mentally too. "The Library".

The Library, formally named, the Metro Library had been originally built in 1912. It was huge for the times. It was kind of based on the premise of the unsinkable Titanic. The founders wanted to make a statement even back then that would last. The Metro Library. That said everything. Metro. It sounded so futuristic. Guaranteed that the Library would be a major asset to the people. Since that time, it had been added on to every 25 years. They went up, they went out they went down. There were two and a half new floors up stairs and one full basement below this main lobby. Built on the design of an ancient Roman summer house, there was a huge garden in the center, walkways all around the outer rim and a giant staircase splitting half way up and leading in two directions to the floors above. The whole main room was lit not just with the normal commercial lights, but also a giant skylight above. It had even hit the tourist maps as a hot spot not to be missed. Nice.

One cart. Just one. Babbit could feel panic rising in his guts. If he did not do something fast, he may have to see his guts all too closely, if you know what I mean? Not a pretty picture. Babbit caught sight of Joe, walking to the checkout. He nearly ran to his side. He slowed himself down immediately as the librarian at the main desk, gave him the evil eye. She was an older lady dressed in a full, wool suit. It was dark gray in color like the clouds outside. Old style like you would expect from a schoolmarm in a history book. Her hair was high on her head in a tight bun. It was white as snow. Her features were stern. Obviously, by her appearance, she did not take any guff from anyone. Oh and the voiceless command to "walk not run" was very clear indeed, directed right at him. Babbit rushed as he could to Joseph's side regardless. "We have to talk." He grabbed his friends arm. "I have a problem."

Joseph, jumping to conclusions "Okay, I will talk to her for you. But I can not believe how crazy you get around her. What is it? Her perfume? She is just a nice girl." Joseph grabbed his book from the checkout and placed it in a brown paper bag. He folded the top of the bag over carefully and stuck the package up under his arm, close to his body.

They took three, possibly four steps away from the counter. "I lost The Book. Your Dad is going to kill me this time. I lost it!"

"What are you talking about? How did you lose it?" Joseph was very still, listening quietly as to be sure not to miss even one detail.

Babbit went over everything. The reality is that if Angie had not come up when she did, allowing Babbit to place The Book on the rack, things could have been worse. There was enough information in "The Book" to connect and put away The Boss directly for the next twenty years. There had already been complaints, missing witnesses and people disappearing that ever stepped forward before, but with proof? The Book. That would be exactly what Officer Maren needed to bring down the "Family" business.

"Okay. The plan is, we find it!" Joseph said it out loud. Maybe a little too out loud. Like the rippling effects of patterns. One thing often leads to another. The only true fact, we can never tell for sure is, in what direction.

The next seven hours of searching led to nothing. Closing time came and they quietly left. The kid was tired, Babbit was tired and Joseph was exhausted. Sadly, Joseph was pretty sure if they did not find the book fast, it very well could be the end, of his friend. It was going to take a major miracle to save him.

Chapter Two: The Boss

Babit had gone home. Told his sister some lame excuse about how things took longer at the library then expected. Oh, and that he had to go back out. Babbit lingered in the doorway as he was leaving the old house on 6th. Funny, he was thinking he may not be back. Missing a bet at the races and having to pay The Boss his losses, personally was one thing. This was a whole different matter. The Boss was at risk. He was not going to take that lightly. Babbit mentally said goodbye to his family and closed the door. Joseph was already in the drive, in his beat up 68 Chevy. Yes, perhaps it was a little odd that The Boss's son was driving a beater? That fit Joseph's personality. He was his own man, worked and paid for the car himself. Like other similar matters concerning the family, Joseph annoyed his father as he could. Well, that is what kids do to their parents right? Annoy them? Babbit opened the car door and jumped in.

"I am going to back you up. I can take it." Joe spoke real low as if someone else could hear them in the empty car. "I got a plan. We can get the book and things will be just fine." Babbit had no answer, he just starred resigned that he was in big trouble, again!

They went across town in silence after that. Joseph was lost in his own thoughts. Babbit was fixed on thinking up ways to apologize, again. Then the Chevy arrived. The forty-five-minute ride had passed like ten. Joseph continued right around the circle drive, down the tree-lined lane to the Big House. There were a dozen cars already lined up along the raised, brick, rose garden next to the double door entry. Joseph recognized many of the vehicles. Picker's purple jeep, Lefty's hippy van, Muscle's electric motorcycle and The Boss's Rolls Royce. Dawg's truck was not in sight, but he was probably still inside the mansion. Dawg liked to park his truck away from everyone else, even at the Boss's place.

Something really big was going on. Marta, the housemaid flew past them in the hall carrying two champagne bottles and a corkscrew. Joe stopped her, "What is happening?"

"The Boss won the lottery! We are just waiting for, oh my. You, Babbit! You have the ticket." Her smile was ear to ear. "They are all waiting for you now!" Then she turned and sped down the main hall to the grand parlor.

"Rabbit? O'Lord! Where is the ticket?" Joseph knew before he asked. Every week his father bought a lottery ticket. He sent Babbit specifically because The Boss said Babbit had two feet. That made him a lucky rabbit. The fact he still had two feet after the race track incident was a good thing. Joseph was not entirely sure if there was more to that statement by his father about Babbit and his feet, or a veiled threat toward his friend's future? His father was old school, and tough. Anyway, the lottery number pick was always the same. The lottery ticket was also a whole new level of problem.

"I think I put it in The Book," Babbit whispered hoarsely.

They walked into the grand parlor together and were met by friendly stares and an extremely warm, overly friendly, welcome greeting from The Boss. "Where is my ticket?" The grin on his face said that he had been counting the dough he was going to get, for hours waiting for Babbit to arrive.

Joseph stepped forward without hesitation. "It is not his fault!"

The Boss's expression shifted. It changed like a man turning from human to a giant insect. Everyone in the room watched mesmerized. No one could look away. "What are you saying? No, I don't want to hear it! Well, what happened?" contradicting himself in nearly the same space of time.

Joseph spilled the whole mess right there and then. He tried to keep his father's eyes focused on himself because he knew that otherwise, Babbit was a dead man. Joe went on and on about the police officer. There was also a bit of pleading that Babbit had no choice and did all that he could have done to protect the family. Then at the very end, "We can just go look for it. All of us." And Joseph motioned around the room. "I know the place is big, the Library I mean." Not to diminish his father's house in any way, which was just about as large. That was a funny point to Joseph, that his father's house was so huge. Everything about his life was huge. The problem was that it had been built upon the backs of smaller people. Joseph really did not want any part of any of it. However, he was going to do his best at the moment, to keep his good friend alive.

"The Book" was obviously important. The Lottery ticket, maybe only ever so slightly less so. Find one, find both was Joseph's plan. Funny thing was, Joseph had a plan? That was outstanding! His son was taking an active interest in the business. The Boss stood up slowly from his black, leather chair. No one dared to breathe in the room. "I am telling all of you. You will go to the library and look for "The Book" and my ticket. Don't come back without them!" The gang all looked at each other, exhaled at the same time, then quietly filed out. The party was off that was for sure.

Chapter Three: "It's not my fault!"

The gang all headed toward the library. Not including Babbit, the Boss's son Joseph, and Lefty the tax man, none of the rest of them had ever set foot in one before. Well, there was one other exception. Honk. Honk only went there as a kid with his mom. That stopped the day she had died. Picker, that was Honk's best friend and co-partner in crime, had been there the day of the accident. There had been a hit and run and Honk's mom had been the victim. Right there in the Library parking lot. Honk never talked about it. Then or now. He just stopped talking at all. Just honked from that day on.

The Boss had set a job in front of them all and they were determined to follow his instructions. Honk and Picker arrived first. This was not going to be easy. Picker could tell that Honk was already acting a little funny ever since they got into his little GEO tracker, back at the mansion. The little car was Picker's pride and joy. It was part of their image. Honk and Picker were a team. Their little car could get them in nearly anywhere, let them steal anything they needed, and got them fast. That made the car super neat and made them great at what they did for a living. They had a lifestyle that fit their personalities. You see, Picker was a dwarf. He was only 3'2" high. He drove his fun car with a few modifications to reach the pedals. In Picker's mind, the GEO was a full Jeep sized vehicle, made just for him.

Picker got his name from picking things out of trash cans, candy machines, toy vendor machines and everything else that needed a small, wiry professional. Honk would hold his legs tight and help him get into position. Then Picker would do his magic. This new job at hand was not going to be any different. Picker knew the boss wanted the Library all searched. Picker could see no reason to go inside, they could start right out front. All they had to do was riffle the giant boxes of books placed at all the exits. Picker was not the brightest tool in the box, or maybe that was sharpest in the shed, but he could read the clear "Books" word on the side of the container. He parked his tiny jeep and looked at his friend. "Ready?" Picker half smiled. This was going to be easy.

Honk thought to himself that the outside return box was not really searching the library. The boss was not going to be happy. But, Honk could not express his reservations out loud, and Picker was the one in charge of their team. So, Honk resigned himself to helping his friend. In answer to Picker's question, Honk simply honked softly. "Honk". He was going to be the lookout as usual. They climbed out of the little car and headed inconspicuously toward the first giant container.

The box itself was solid metal, approximately eight feet square. The slot for books was four feet off the ground. It would have been hard for Picker to even reach the metal door that swung back and forth, near the top of the front, without help. It was only about 18" wide and 6" high. Picker glanced up and laughed to himself. He had squeezed into even smaller places or so he thought. Honk picked Picker up effortlessly and hoisted him toward the opening. All too easily Picker slipped his head and shoulders in. He could barely see anything. It had not occurred to him how dark it might be inside the box. Hard as he could, Picker could not even reach the first book. "Ease me in a little more, Honk!" Picker's voiced echoed back and forth against the metal walls. Honk must have heard him because he could feel himself move further inside. "Just a little more," Picker yelled again. "Just a bit more. I can not reach anything yet."

Thud. It was not a nice noise. In fact, it was kind of scary really. Picker could feel something was wrong. Freefall, nothing to catch hold of on the way down and no time to scream. Hopeless to stop himself from the plunge. Head first, thud! That was going to cause a very big lump, on his forehead. In the distance, Picker heard honk making his usual sounds, while retreating further away. Someone must have come up and Honk had let go of his feet in the process. Dazed and a little confused, Picker felt around in his pocket. "No, not that one. No, not that one." Picker kept looking. Finally, "There you are." Picker pulled a matchbook from his back pocket and opened it up. In one swift if not smart motion, he struck the match across the folded paper book. It lit up so bright and so fast, that Picker dropped the folded book itself. Without warning the large mound of books Picker found himself sitting on went, "Poof!" Flames shot up as if the whole pile had been dowsed in gas.

Picker let out a terrible scream. Honk could be heard even louder outside the metal box as he too was screaming for help. A swift thinking young woman came running out of the main doors. She carried a large red fire extinguisher. In one fluid motion, she pulled the nozzle free, the clip clear of the handle and let go full bore into the opening. Picker inside was covered in funny white powder. He was coughing hard and his breathing was worse, but he was not burning up. Honk was still going on like a crazy person outside the box. A fire truck could be heard approaching. Only minutes passed and Picker could hear the sudden loud noise of a giant motor. Sparks started flying just over his head. The books beneath him, started to catch fire again all around, then the sky above was clear. A big, fireman reached down and grabbed Picker from the container. He had been freed with the help of the Jaws of Life. Somewhere in Picker's fogged brain, he was thinking this whole episode was embarrassing. How was he going to explain this to The Boss?

The young woman with the blonde hair, still holding the bright, red extinguisher in her hands was trying to talk to Honk. In her best calm voice, she was telling him that Picker was going to be fine and he could ride in the ambulance to make sure. Picker was poked, prodded and tied to a gurney for transport. Then a ride followed that was nothing less than a warm-up race for the grand Prix. In record time he was at the hospital and again poked and prodded. They mostly believed him about it being an accident, as who would be stupid enough to want to fall into a book bin? Right? Well, if the people at the hospital believed it, maybe he still had a chance to explain it to The Boss? Maybe?

Chapter Four: Big, beautiful and yes a superhero too!

Muscle was just one of the gang. He could have passed as at least two or three of them, because he was just that big. He had been a member since he could remember, of the gang that is. Not the Library. Everyone always called him muscle, so obviously that was his name. Oh and his profession too. That was convenient. However, going to the library for Muscle was one very difficult job. He could not read. Joseph, the boss's son, had been very kind and gave him a little scrap of paper that read, "The Book". That is exactly what was on the outside of the small journal that held all of the important information on "Protection". Which really meant a list of all the people that The Boss felt owed him money for one reason or another. Muscle might have been a little slow in areas, but even he understood that the people in that book, were not happy people. Oh, and that word, "book". It also happened to be the same word Muscle found on the metal container Picker was just rescued from, the front door in small print and just about everywhere else in the place. Which one was the right "Book"? Muscle was not happy.

Muscle was 6'6" high and over three hundred pounds. He had no fat anywhere and could move a small car out of a parking space without putting it into gear. IE he would just pick it up. He did not talk very much, but really did not have much need to do so. That is not to say he could not talk. Gathering his courage he walked right into the main lobby. Muscle was a lot of things, but coward was not one of them.

It was Saturday morning and there were a lot of people about. Funny, many of them were dressed in capes and masks. There were bunches of kids along with their parents. It was like Halloween and a birthday party all at the same time. Muscle liked both of those events. People never looked at him that funny way, when it was Halloween. And he always had a good time at his own birthday party. His mom made sure there was plenty of cake for the guests and one just for him alone. Muscle loved his mom. She was the best mom ever for all kinds of cool reasons. Then he sniffled. His mom was gone. She had been gone a long time now. Why had he been thinking about her?

The library was huge. Even by Muscles' standards. The big man opened his hand and stared down at the small paper. "The Book". Muscle had seen it before lots of times on The Boss's desk. That would help him figure it out. Muscle thought to himself, "I can do my best. I can find The Book." Not only do I know what the title is, I know what it looks like. That is what he told himself silently, again and again.

"Are you here for hero day?" a small voice asked him. Muscle glanced toward the floor. A young boy of about five was standing there. He was dressed in a long blue cape, fancy glitter boots and wore a bright blue headband. "You could be anyone you wanted to be, as big as you are. I bet you are a real hero. What is it that you do?" The smile on the boy's face was friendly and disarming.

Muscle was silent a bit. What could he say he did? I am, Muscle? He felt a little sad suddenly. His mom always told him to do his best. Funny, up until then it never occurred to him that being a muscle might not be a cool job, like being a hero? Instead of answering Muscle kind of shrugged his shoulders at the boy.

"You must be new here. Want to come to story hour? It is going to start in a few minutes. The new librarian is really good at it too." Again the boy smiled. It was a secret smile because he knew a secret. The new librarian was his Aunt.

Muscle thought hard for a moment. He was here to find "The Book". It seemed sensible that there were books in the kids' section, same as everywhere else, right? Story hour sure sounded fun too. His mom used to read to him. That was a very nice memory. Muscle liked dwelling on that thought. Obviously, it did not take much to have him accept the boy's hand.

Five minutes later they found a nice place to sit on the big rug. The two of them and a dozen other kids. All of which wore different hero outfits of one kind or another. Miss Chikin, the new librarian, walked out from the far office, carrying a couple of children's books. She approached the group and smiled brightly. "Are we ready?" She questioned like a coach riling up the players before a big game. "Are we ready?" Angie questioned again just a little louder.

All the kids and Muscle too chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes".

An hour later Muscle had been introduced to Angie directly. Turned out, the superhero kid was her nephew. Muscle thought she looked just like the angel his mom use to read about in a book. Muscle did not say too much but liked to listen to Miss Chikin a lot. Angie more than made up for his lost words. "How did you meet Jason? Do you come to the Library often? What was the last book you read?" Pow! That was the right question. Muscle sniffed twice and started to ball. He missed his mother more than he ever realized. Somewhere in between the giant sobs, Miss Chikin found out that Muscle could not read.

"We can fix that! I will teach you to read myself. How often can you come to the Library?" Angie was so excited. This is what she had wanted to do in the first place. Teach! Being a teacher and a Librarian even a Junior one, was like finding out you're going to both the County and State Fairs in the same weekend. Jason, her nephew even offered to help. Both were very sure that Muscle, being the big guy that he is, could do it. He do anything he set his mind too.

Muscle was really tired after looking at books with Jason the rest of the day. Muscle liked looking through the books. He tried to remember that he was there to be looking for "The Book", but all of them were so much fun. Muscle loved the Library. He felt closer to his mom then he had in a long time.

Finally, he said good night and goodbye to his new friends, with promises of being back on Monday. Muscle was going to have a hard time waiting for Monday. He was on fire. Under one arm, he had a bag with his first book, checked out that very day. "ABC's, I can read!" Muscle hummed a little as he walked to the bus stop. He had left his electric cycle at the mansion, because of the weather. It was cold, and it still looked like rain to come. Muscle made sure his book was safe under his jacket. Muscle was Happy.

Chapter Five: Of Dawgs' and Cats

Terrance Dawg, was nearly 66 years old. He had been in the cat burglar business with ties to The Boss, most of his life. Oh, and yes, his name is pronounced, "dog". Perhaps the irony is that early on he discovered that he was allergic to cats. Their fur would make his eyes water, his nose itch and then the sneezing fits would consume him. So Dawg stayed far away from the critters. It was a little funny, like a quiet joke that his name obviously did not fit his profession.

Dawg did not like working days. Again, obviously, he was a night man. How many cat burglars do you know work in the daytime hours? However, The Boss was clear, everyone was going to the library immediately to look for The Book. Dawg arrived in his vintage restored, 1959 Power Wagon. Everything about Dawg said "cool"! Dawg was Hungarian and prided himself on his circus background. He had dark hair, dark features and generally wore dark clothes. He was tough, nimble, agile and got the job done. Like his grandfather, he could walk a line, climb a near-featureless wall and generally could handle any high tower work. This "Book" was not going to be an exception. Dawg drove into the main parking lot and headed to the far end. It was one thing to be out in the daytime, another to let anyone near his truck.

Typically Dawg did not like people. More specifically, he did not like anyone or anything, particularly people. The only thing he hated more then people was cats. The scale of the Library was enormous. Its grandeur and architectural design were not wasted on Dawg. He had a certain appreciation for how things were built. It was best to know, that kind of stuff if you needed the layout of things or access points.

Dawg climbed the great steps. He walked around the yellow tape the police and fire department had marked off, where a return box had burned up. Dawg could not figure out what had happened, but it had to have been vandals. "No respect," Dawg spoke low just to himself. "No respect for property." Dawg shook his head again back and forth. Then he entered. The Library inside was no less opulent than the outside. This finding The Book thing was going to be a daunting task. Perhaps he should ask someone for a map? No, that was not his style. Besides, there were too many people at the huge mahogany desk. The lady behind the desk was too stern looking to be friendly. He knew her type or thought he did. Everyone had a type. Stern was a type. What if she noticed him? What if she did not like the way he looked? What if she got mad? What if she asked him to leave? The whole room began to spin a little. Anxieties! Doc had warned him about public places.

Dawg turned to run, not walk to the exit. However, a young woman stood right in his way. She was holding a tiny kitten in her arms. "Can I help you?" Miss Chikin asked hopefully. "You look a little sick. This is Tiny our cat. Isn't he cute? Everyone loves Tiny. He is so soft and cuddles everyone that comes in. Cats are very important to libraries. We actually have two. Oliver is probably in the garden." She motioned behind Dawg where the huge, miniature park commanded the hall. "Between you and me, he is the biggest cat I have ever seen. I grew up on a farm so we had a lot of cats to help out with rodents. I bet Oliver could have done the job of, ten cats on the farm back home." Angie mused. "Not this little guy, however. He is just tiny. That is why we named him Tiny, the cat. We love cats. That is why they are here at the Library too. Not to say we have a lot of rodents mind you, but it is tradition to keep cats for that reason. You look sick?" Angie kept talking and talking. Petting the kitten all the while. Then she noticed the man had a piece of meat hanging out of his mouth. "Is that food? We don't allow food in here."

Dawg felt his eyes water, his nose itch and a giant sneeze begin to grow way down in his nasal passages. Although his throat had begun to constrict he spoke haltingly, "Just fine lady." A piece of jerky barely staying between his lips. Jerky was Dawg's way of not smoking. He had not had a piece in a long time. So subconsciously he knew finding "The Book" was going to be a bigger task, then he had given credit. Jerky usually helped to calm his nerves, but not in this case. Too many people. Dawg pushed past Angie, through the big glass doors and out again into the fresh air. Wow, that was a waste of time. How was he going to do his part and search the place if he could not stand being in there? The people? The cat? Oh yeah, cats! Wait. He had seen the tremendous skylight over the park area. It was huge and lit the entire lobby with outdoor light. Even with the clouds overhead, it had been nice inside. The garden was large enough for benches in the middle and even had a few small trees. It was similar to a miniature re-creation of a real city park in every detail. That was it. That was exactly how he would get in. He would get in, in style and have all the time he needed.

Dawg left the steps, headed to his truck and finalized his plan. He would go home, get his gear, and come back at night. Then he would be able to search without people. That would work. "Good thinking!" He smiled to himself.

Chapter Six: Go left.

Lefty was an easy going gang member as most things go. Understand it was more about prestige for Lefty than the money. He was a "books" man. You know the kind you fix more than one set at a time. Well, Lefty had been doing the Taxes for The Boss since he got out of Accounting School. It was a pretty good paying job. Actually, it paid double what most accounting jobs like it, paid. Mostly that was because there were, in fact, two sets of books. This, by the way, is not to be confused with the "Protection" book. That one is more like a list of assets that just never go away. People pay and pay, then the Boss finds new reasons they still owe more money. No one ever got written out of the book. That is unless they were X-ed out.

Lefty was five foot seven inches, pot-bellied and 71 years old. He had heavy-rimmed glasses and white stubble for a beard. By all rights, he should have long since retired by now. He could just never put enough money together to do so. Lefty was excellent with other peoples paperwork and accounting, but never his own. Besides, he was not sure that The Boss would let him retire anyway. It was not so much a high-pressure job, as a secure job. Again, the only way out was similar to The Book option. To be X-ed.

This was not Lefty's first time in the library. In fact, he used to come here often to look up facts on presidents. It was his hobby. He could tell you every name of every president, vice president, congressman, senator and pretty much all the rest by heart. He also knew if they were democratic, republican or even third party. This was a very serious point for Lefty. He was a staunch democrat. Oh, and a serious advocate for animals, plants, children, old people and every underdog on the endangered list. More than once this had been a problem. You see the one serious drawback about Lefty is that he was too far left. At the drop of a hat, he would fly off the handle about rights. His rights. My rights. Your rights. Everyone's rights. Rights of the people. That sort of thing. More then once in his youth, he had been arrested for public disturbances. That was not going to ever stop him, however. It was his way of life, his mantra, and his passion.

Once inside the Library, Lefty headed straight back, past the miniature park, up the huge sweeping staircase and out onto the second level. There were rows and rows of books. This is where all the most important books were kept in Lefty's point of view. Books on the constitution, history, freedom, government, Tax Law, bookkeeping, and Freedom of the Press. There were magazines, periodicals, newspapers, paperbacks, hardbacks and a single row of aged computers. Sadly, there were also the tables and setting areas on the northern side, to hold book clubs and civic meetings. The Metro was big on civic meetings. The founders of this library based it on making sure that everyone had a chance to be part of a greater whole. Gathering together and planning for a better future, was a theme for them. Just past that area, was a huge outdoor patio that overlooked the fountain at the entrance. It was quite a view normally, but today it was too cold. No one was out there.

Lefty liked this level too because few children were around. There was some kind of dress-up event going on downstairs, he noticed when he came in. That was the kids' area. An event would keep any lose "short interruptions", extra busy which was fine with Lefty. He just did not want to have anything to do with kids. Kids were not Lefty's thing. That being said, who was it that thought they had a right to sit at his favorite table? It was a young man of about twenty. Lefty was 71. The young man at the table was a "short interruption" or kid for short. Anyone younger than fifty was a kid in Lefty's book.

"This table is reserved," Lefty stated just a little louder than he had intended. The young man looked up from the book he had been reading. His face was basically blank, except for the little smirk around his mouth. Disrespect. The information desk lady just three rows over also looked up. The look on her face said, "Sit down or else!" The stranger went back to reading his book, now ignoring Lefty completely.

Lefty remembered suddenly why he had not been back to the Library. He had been banned. Funny how that had slipped his mind. He, had a right to be here right? Everyone had a right! Right? Besides he was not going to cause any problems or at least none he intended to start. It was all the kid's fault. Disrespect? Wow. Kids today were hard to handle. Lefty gave the young guy a long stern look and pulled out the chair across from him. Well, as long as the kid was quiet, I guess there was not going to be an issue. Lefty half smiled. "I can do this."

The pretty new librarian, Angie Chikin appeared at the top of the stone stair. She glanced around, mentally taking note of the time. There was a huge grandfather clock standing at the center of the second-floor landing. It did not, however, face the stair so you could see it coming up, but rather faced the second floor. From the stair, it was more like a great wood pillar you had to walk around. As Angie glanced at it in passing, it provided her with the information she needed. The clock, like everything in the Library had a history. It had been donated by one of the founders when the Library was first built. The head librarian had made a point to tell Angie on her first day at work, that the clock had been moved several times. Then she instructed Angie, "Whatever happens, do not sign anything when any movers come about Grandfather. Tell them you have no authority in that area." Why anyone would send movers that were not instructed correctly, especially more than one time, baffled Angie. That was, however, all the information and instruction Ms. Green gave that day. Further questions were not answered, so Miss Chikin let it go.

Now was a different matter. Angie had been told today, by Ms. Green to give Ms. White her break. Angie liked filling in this way, as it let her see the other parts of the grand Library on a more personal level. Angie loved working with the kids on the first floor past the park, so she was happy enough, but all parts of the library offered whole worlds of information, stories, and adventure. "Hello, Ms. White. Ms. Green sent me to let you have a break. Is there anything special I need to do while you are gone? Are there any meetings today? I saw the ladies from the History Society earlier. I just love their pretty clothes. They, seemed a little upset? Did you notice? I don't think they liked being moved to the second floor. The kids are having a wonderful time in my area. The Super Hero day has really been a great success." Angie, talked a mile a minute. Being new had not worn off after a month. Ms. White figured it was not going to wear off ever. She shook her head at the young woman a little to acknowledge the changing of the guard, in this case, taking over the desk for the second floor. Then Ms. White just gathered up her coffee cup and paperback, then headed for the basement. That is where the Library had the Tea Room.

The Lady Alexander Als'right, was one of the original eighteen men and women that broke ground for the Library. They saw their vision take shape in the midst of hard times. They were a group of aristocrats, businessmen, women and even a famous thief. They had all pulled together to start a dream. Gossip was that one of the largest donors' to the foundation was suspected of being a real jewel thief. It was never proven. The Library was to bring enlightenment. Information. Even, dare I say, freedom to imagine! It was also to appeal to the record keepers, business entrepreneurs, future zookeepers and all the rest. In the original sketches for the building, Lady Als'right insisted on a large ballroom area to be dubbed the Tea Room and a small kitchen off the main basement. This was to allow for the Historical Society an assured, place to socialize in safety. The kitchen boasted everything needed to feed at least one hundred guests at a moments notice. Now only a small portion was used as a break room. The whole place was still referred to as the Tea Room.

Ms. White went into the kitchen, filled her cup from the giant coffee maker and walked back out into the Tea Room. She glanced about, found she had the place to herself and sat down in her favorite chair. A moment later her ten cent adventure novel was in her hands and break was on!

Angie went to the big information desk and sat down. Shortly the noise level began to rise. Two men, one old guy and another very young guy were debating something. The subject was growing hotter by the moment. Angie got up and headed their direction. Just before she got to the table, the old guy stood up, pulled his right arm back, clenched his fist tight and let go, in a rather roundhouse manner. The younger man ducked out of the way easily.

"Old man!" He smirked.

Lefty huffed out, "The Okapi is on the endangered list. We need to protest and do something!" Amped up by the moment, he launched himself over the table and right at the younger man. Shock and surprise reflected on the victim's features. A tuck, a roll, and the two were across the main space. Fists flying, kicks connecting, legs entangled and bad words filled the air. A punch a pinch and over they went. Before Angie could do more than pull a bystander out of the way, the two assailants rolled right past the grandfather clock and down the grand stair. Head over heels, like a spring going down a stair, Angie watched in horror. At the second landing, they seemed to turn together as one to the left, gain speed and continue to the bottom floor. There, however, Ms. Green stood, waiting. Beside her was Officer Maren.

"Okay, boys. Let's break this up now!" Officer Maren commanded in a very loud voice. If Ms. Green had not been there beside him, everyone knew it would have been worse. Ms. Green appalled loud noises, horseplay and any other manner of ruckus. What could she do, since she was now part of the event? Nothing. But she could say a thing or two to Miss Chikin standing at the rail of the landing looking down, shortly. This started on Angie's floor. That did not reflect well on Miss Chikin as a librarian. Officer Maren was still on hand for the day, as he was due to talk to more kids at the hero party. That was great because he simply sprang into action like all heroes do. The Officer had both Lefty and the kid in cuffs in no time. He quickly called for back up and left with the instigators well subdued.

Lefty did not think this was going to go really well. Perhaps he could talk with Joseph and explain that he had a mental breakdown. Joseph was a good kid. In fact, up until that point, he was the only kid Lefty liked. Funny he had not thought of that before. Besides, all of this really was not his fault. Joseph could maybe talk to The Boss. Lefty was just getting too old. When Lefty got to the station, he would use his one call, to call Joseph. That was a good plan.

Chapter Seven: Checking the plan and a patent.

Joseph had been in the library most of the morning. Yes, he was looking for "The Book" too. However, it did not hurt to be looking in the patent and law section. Of course, "The Book" could be anywhere so one place to look was as good as another. However, for Joseph this was personal. He had received a telegram yesterday. They had made an offer on his invention. His idea had been solid. The company had checked out and they wanted to run with it. Joseph was going to be rich. Really, really rich. The book he had dared to check out yesterday, when he was here with Babbit had given him all the answers he needed. His invention was going to be a life changer, and that equaled money. Big money and lots of it.

That was important of course, well at least to his father. Becoming rich. That might even be his way out of the family business after all. Joseph did not care as much about the money as bettering people's lives. The money, however, was the part that Joseph's father thought important. Convincing him, now that was another matter. This "Book" thing was important because Joseph knew his father too well. Even if it was not exactly Babbit's fault, if it went down wrong then Babbit would be Rabbit and on the menu for sure. So Joseph tried to think of ways to solve the problem. If he could invent one thing worth a fortune, then he could do it again. He was supposed to be smart. He needed another smart idea, a real plan to help his friend. So Joseph kept looking for The Book.

Joseph was a little surprised, when he heard a growing disagreement near the main area, at the entrance to this level. Two moving guys, in blue uniforms, were arguing with a nice blonde lady. It was about the Grandfather clock standing at the head of the stair entrance. Not the best place for the thing to be sure, but the young lady was not interested in having it moved. It was the same Librarian lady that Babbit was head over heels with. Joseph started to go and help her deal with the men, but to his surprise, she was not budging. Whatever her point was, she had made it. The looks on their faces reflected it well. The voices that were loud before, were more subdued now. The two guys abruptly took their hand truck and retreated downstairs.

The young woman seemed pleased with the outcome, but stayed planted near the big time piece until she was sure. The men had left. They were not going to come back while she was not looking. When the librarian finally left her vigilant, if self-assigned station and went back to the big information desk, Joseph let it pass. She did not need his help after all. That was good. The lady was very pretty and he knew how Babbit felt about her. He would not want to step in and be any kind of hero before Babbit got his chance. That could go all wrong. His friendship mattered. Along with that line of thought, Joseph went back to looking for The Book.

Chapter Eight: Rabbit learns to hop!

Babbit got to the Library early on Saturday. He did not bring his nephew this time because this was supposed to be all business. Finding "The Book" was life or death. The Boss was being pretty cool at the moment because Joseph had stepped in, but that could change in a heartbeat. Oh, and the Lottery Ticket? How could Babbit forget that? If he did not find it too, then Babbit was going to be working for The Boss the rest of his life for free. Even that would not be enough to pay back what would be lost. All The Boss had to do was a bit of math. It would not take much to figure out Babbit was not worth keeping around. Babbit was probably a dead man walking. He tried to adjust his thinking, but it was hard. Focus on the situation one step at a time. That is what Joseph would have told him if he had been there. It would make his friend proud that Babbit had been listening to his advice all along, as much as he could anyway. Sometimes it had helped, sometimes Babbit still got himself in trouble. This was the second part, one of the troubled times.

Babbit arrived in his sister's bright, spring green, 1979 VW Rabbit. She said he could borrow it because his car had died weeks ago. Babbit secretly loved her car. Driving the little go-cart, even in bad weather was simply fun. It never got stuck, or let him down at the wrong time. The real drawback was the gang. Babbit driving a Rabbit was too much joke material to be passed up. Today of all days, the whole gang would be on hand. Thinking this through, Babbit decided to park in the back. When he arrived at the Library there was a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance out front. Going to the back lot was an even better idea now. No one would notice the car for sure.

It was a bit farther to walk, but worth every step if it stopped the ribbing Babbit would get from the boys. He made a mental note to himself to get his own car fixed as soon as possible. The only thing that stopped him in that department was money. Working off the debt from the race track to The Boss was hard. "Spilt milk." He took a deep breath, opened the door and got out of the Rabbit. He glanced up at the very cloudy sky and felt a shiver down his back. Then quite suddenly, the sky opened up and poured. Babbit jumped back in, grumbling under his breath. He, could either move closer to the front and run for the door or? He felt around under the seat. Sis always had some kind of plan B. There it was. Babbit grasped the handle and pulled a short polka dot umbrella free. It was late February, heading hard into March, and still no sign of nice weather.

Babbit opened the door again and popped up the very colorful, English Nanny styled umbrella. So much for not being noticed he thought. He might as well have hired a band and float for an ad hoc parade. That and a single big guy to carry a sign in front that read, "Don't look, Babbit, the Rabbit is driving his sister's Rabbit car!" Babbit shrugged his shoulders and headed toward the main entrance.

.

Babbit was not terribly surprised by the chaos he walked up, on. Just having the gang come to the Library was a recipe for disaster of some kind. Babbit knew but was unclear as to what kind until now. When he saw the condition of the return box, he suppressed a quirky smile. That, and then the ambulance leaving with Picker on a stretcher and Honk beside him in the truck, filled in all the blanks. In a funny way, he really understood Honk and Picker. They were a team. Good or bad, rain or shine. That was the best part of being real friends with someone. Babbit was real friends with Joseph. They had known each other their whole lives. Which is further back than Babbit could even remember. Lately, however, Joseph had been very closed lipped. Something was brewing and Babbit knew it. His nose twitched. Every time that happened, something happened. Well, maybe not every time, but his gut told him to be watchful.

Babbit walked up to the great, moving glass doors. Carefully this time, he let down the wild colored, umbrella. Tentatively Babbit reached out to push the right handle if needed or alert the motion detector he was ready to enter. It moved with a swish, without grabbing him in any way this time. "Ha, missed me" He stated out loud with confidence. "Can't say I don't learn my lesson. Babbit stepped right through. In mid-movement forward, the brightly colored, nanny umbrella caught a gust of wind. It flew open with a very loud "woosh" and filled with an unseen torrent of power. Babbit's reflex was to hold the umbrella even tighter as to not let it blow out of control and into the main lobby. As if he weighed nearly nothing, the huge gust carried Babbit with force, through the entrance across the world map and did not stop until it deposited him at the foot of the head Librarian's desk. Ms. Green peered over the edge.

"Ahem." Ms. Green cleared her throat.

Babbit pulled himself together and got to his feet. He tried to take down the Nanny umbrella, but the wind had damaged it extensively. It took several tries before Babbit gave up. Ms. Green said nothing but watched the entire time. Finally, "Do you have a trash can?" Babbit asked resigned to a lost cause.

Ms. Green pointed toward the back of the library. "Basement." The only reply.

Babbit did not linger but immediately headed off in the right direction. He did not get even as far as the great stairway when he saw Lefty and some crazy young guy coming down hippy hop. Angie was at the very top of the stair on the second-floor landing. She was like an Angel standing, high up on a distant cloud, unreachable except in his dreams.

Officer Maren came out of nowhere again. Grabbed Lefty by the collar and the other young man by his, in a perfectly orchestrated motion, then separated them. The site of the Officer was more than enough to make Babbit run and hide. He did not want a repeat of the other day. So while Maren was busy, Babbit hoped off out of site. The umbrella would just have to get stuffed somewhere else other than the trash. He hated to litter, but this was not a good place for him to be. Maren was likely to add Babbit to the situation just because he was on hand. So, Babbit was going to make sure he was not on hand.

Walking quickly to the right side of the main stair, Babbit disappeared among the rows and rows of books. He tried again to make the umbrella go down, but it was just not happening. Before long, Babbit found himself in the kids' section. At least the umbrella did not stick out so bad here. Brightly colored wildflowers decorated everything. There were giant plastic bugs high up in the wall niches. The whole room made a person feel like they were transported to a giant imaginary garden. "Perfect." Babbit thought. He carefully opened the umbrella further, the best that he could. That is since it would not go down, it would need now, to go up. Babbit was successful and the nanny style umbrella was a new kind of giant flower. Nonchalantly, Babbit tossed the newly created, if slightly, unusual flower in amongst the rest. Problem solved. Well, one problem anyway.

Babbit saw several book carts just beyond the open reading area. There were kids everywhere. All dressed in hero type costumes, real and imaginary. To Babbit's surprise, he also saw Muscle. Happily sitting on the big colorful carpet with the other kids. Yes, even he thought of Muscle as a big kid. There was something sort of just a little wrong with Muscle. Not as if it made a huge difference. He did his job and got things done. But it was not hard to tell that Muscle was just muscle, no brain.

Babbit turned his attention back to the carts. Slowly he made his way through the flood of parents and kids. "This is going to take a while, but that is okay. Steady Babbit, you got this." He whispered to himself. It was his best you can do it voice. He was going to need it. Confidence, patience and above all luck! Babbit was going to need the luck of a dozen rabbit's feet.

The carts took a while, then he moved to the closest row of books. Babbit took the time to take each one off the shelf and riffle the pages without drawing attention. On the other side of a row of books that went as high as the ceiling, Babbit could hear two people talking.

"There is a real cash shortage for the improvements I heard. They wanted to upgrade and get new computers in, but that is not going to happen. They are still trying to pay for the electric doors. Some guy got trapped yesterday coming in the front. They are like alive with a mind of their own." A snippy high pitched voice stated.

"What do you mean they? The doors? The front ones I heard about." A deep male voice questioned. "You mean the other doors are having problems too?"

"Yes. The ones they put in on level two for the outdoor patio are acting weird. There is some kind of short in the system. They keep coming open without anyone triggering the sensor. Then they close, hard. I have seen it myself. Laslo in maintenance said it was just a power surge problem, and that it was getting fixed. Probably fixed already." The high toned voice replied. Then they both faded. The two probably walked on or parted from each other, Babbit could not tell from his side of the wall of books.

"So, that is what happened. See, not my fault." Babbit was feeling better. Just maybe he was not as klutzy as he thought? That small inner voice we hear and don't want to listen too said it was still his fault. Babbit figured as much anyway.

Babbit spent the rest of the day going through books. Row upon row the situation seemed overwhelming. Then the library was closing. The whole day had slipped away. Tomorrow was Sunday and the library would be closed. He could not come back again until Monday morning. It was going to be a long weekend.

Chapter Nine: "Meow!"

The Library had been closed for several hours. Dawg had made sure that everything was ready. Loaded his truck, prepared his gear and now was going to be a loyal henchman, drive to the Library and break into the place. Once there he would take his time and look through as many books as possible. He could even stay all day tomorrow, Sunday. No one would be there. All the way until Monday morning. That was perfect. Yes, the place was huge, but with no "people" interruptions, he could get a lot done. Oh, there was an alarm, but he could handle that easy. Just part of the usual work day, or in this case, night for a real Cat Burglar. Also, a security man. Well, like the library, Dawg saw that antique as he had left the building earlier. Probably been working the place his whole life. Should probably have retired by now. Fifty pounds overweight and packing a bigger belly than Lefty. Dawg knew that being quiet and unseen was his personal specialty. The security man, would not be a problem.

A stranger passing by would not have discerned the difference between a shadow cast by an owl in the woods, and Dawg. He was very, very good at not being seen. Oh, and heard. Stealthily crossing the parking lot, avoiding the bright lights. Dawg went around the back. There was even a ladder about twelve feet up. All he had to do was get to that and the roof was his, trouble-free. Dawg could pull this job off in his sleep, or at least he thought as much.

Swiftly, Dawg scaled the wall and lifted his leg over the ledge. Moments later he had both legs over and was standing on the roof. The sheer size of the building was inspiring. There toward the center, front, just back of the main lobby area, was the magnificent skylight. Even though no one could see Dawg he remained cautious. He moved catlike to the glass and looked down. It was nearly a three-story drop to the garden park below. No big deal for Dawg. He carefully retrieved the glass cutter and suction cups from his night bag. Dawg went to work. Once the glass was removed, he pulled a set of aluminum poles from his night bag. It was a double tripod contraption. Dawg set up the strange instrument across the opening and released two long wires. The first he attached to the harness he wore. The second he attached a small box, which would handle the toggle control. That meant it would toggle the up and down motion of his homemade wire elevator. Dawg was very proud of his creation. Many times it had served him well, to get in and get out, even carrying large items.

With practiced ease, Dawg was soon dangling mid-air over the peaceful park. Dawg took a moment to appreciate the whole adventure. This was his time to shine. Too bad, no one ever saw him perform.

Back and forth, back and forth. Dawg toggled the switch and lowered himself ever so slowly into the trees below. He was still about twenty feet from the floor, branches all around him when it happened. It was lightning fast. From somewhere out of nowhere, came, the cat! It was like a ball of sharp pins, knife-like it attacked his skin, right through his special spandex attire. His tight clothing provided no protection at all. It was here, it was there, it was not human! Of course not, it was all cat! Dawg hated cats! Somehow it had landed on his back, attached itself with all four armor knife like paws. Effortlessly it had grabbed hold and was methodically climbing upward toward his neck and head. Dawg tried to reach it with his left hand avoiding letting the control drop to the wire. All he got for the effort was more needles in and through his gloved hand.

Dawg could not control the toggle switch and bat the cat off his convulsing body. He stifled a scream. The toggle switch was lost, dangling free for a moment maybe a foot from his jerking body, hanging crazily twenty feet up. The cat climbed to his head, buried his rear claws into Dawg one last time to steady itself and jumped. Dawg gathered himself together and tried to swing back around to the other wire. The cat was waiting.

Tiny was very small. He was sitting on top of the little control box. Do cats smile? Dawg thought this one did from ear to ear. It's little paw pushed the toggle forward that controlled Dawg's wire. He plummeted toward the ground. Then, stopped. Dawg was inches above the little park's grassy lawn. Not able to touch down, not able to get free, not able to run and definitely not able to hide.

Dawg was trying to get loose when he heard it. Perhaps he had imagined it. Then again, that low growl. Fueled by the Geo Magazine he read last week, it sounded like an African lion. He had just read about them. Only this was real life. "Rrr." Like a deep rumble, but in no way friendly. Just at the edge of his ability to make outlines well in the dark, Dawg saw movement. It was huge. His nose was only itchy before from Tiny, but now? His eyes watered, his nose was clogged and his breathing extremely labored. It was coming closer. It was gargantuan! "Meow!" Dawg had a flicker of memory. The young librarian had told him about the big cat. The really big cat. Oliver! The huge cat leaped toward Dawg, Tiny hit the switch somewhere above, and in one wild movement Dawg was pulled up by his harness and yanked to safety.

Now, nearly even with Tiny, hanging once again high above the Library floor, Dawg starred at his tormentor. "Nice kitty. Nice kitty. Come on. Give me the box." Dawg was sure that the Tiny beast was still clearly smiling at him. Oliver was making louder meowing sounds below. That was eventually going to bring the security guard Dawg's way. Even a retired slow-moving security guard could probably handle a trapped Cat Burglar on a little wire. Dawg wished he had a cigarette. He needed to calm his nerves and think of a way out. That was the answer. Jerky. Dawg carefully put his hand in his back pocket. Then even slower as not to make Tiny do anything unnecessary he brought back a piece of all American beef jerky. Tiny's eyes were riveted on the slim dried treat. "Nice kitty right?"

Tiny stayed very still. Dawg moved the little morsel back and forth a couple of times to make sure that Tiny was completely focused. Then with a whispered prayer, Dawg tossed the stick toward the tree branch just lower than the box. Tiny leaped like a ballerina performing for a grand audience. Dawg immediately grabbed the controller hanging there. Without skipping a beat, he toggled up and zoomed toward the glass ceiling. Moments later he could see the sky outside. It was full of dark clouds and rain had just begun to fall. Dawg slipped through, pulled himself clear and put his stuff in his bag. Exhausted, defeated and embarrassed, Dawg crossed the roof, retreated down the back and out to his truck. What was he going to say? Nothing. He was going to say nothing. This never happened! Dawg told himself that it was the worst night of his life. Funny? He was nervous, upset and angry. Normally he would want a cigarette. Dawg did not even want a piece of jerky. The whole event must have done something to him. He had absolutely no desire to smoke from that night on.

Chapter Ten: Advice to the lovesick.

"Unc, you need to loosen up." Babbit's nephew spoke like a kid, five years older than he should be. His name was Tommy but Babbit always called him Tom. He had it pretty hard, just him and Babbit's sis. Growing up comes quickly when your dad isn't around. Babbit filled in as he could, but being a real father was not something he came by naturally. His own had left early on, so the pattern was clear enough for anyone to see. Tommy was a survivor though. "If you like the girl then ask her out."

"Okay kid. Maybe. How did you get so smart?" Babbit chided. Then he pictured in his head how he might do just that? Ask her out? No, that was not going to go well. She was not even here, now in the room and he felt; little, mean, miniaturized Pterosaurs glide about the interior of his stomach. Tom had been a big influence in the Dino knowledge base for his Uncle. Because of the kid, Babbit knew most all their names. Going to the library from time to time the last year or so with Tom had made Babbit want to do more with himself. Owing his life to The Boss, was a dead end future, in more ways than the current one.

"I watch the Doctor every afternoon," Tom replied as if that explained everything.

Babbit did not watch television so it did not. Explain everything I mean. It did not matter, Babbit was just spending the day around the house, being thankful he still had the time to do so. Sunday, the Library was not open. He silently hoped that Dawg had worked his skills and was even now going thru the library, level by level, searching and finally finding, The Book. Well, perhaps it was wishful thinking, but it was far better than the alternative.

"Eat your food." Babbit pointed to the bowl in front of Tom. "Your mom told me before she left for work to make sure you ate." John Babbit almost felt "responsible" with that comment. Better to dodge that bullet so he added, "So we can maybe watch the game today?" After all, he was an Uncle. He had to keep his cool side and not sound to accountable.

"Okay, Unc." Tom hurried. He really did not like football, but he did like hanging out with his Uncle, John.

The doorbell rang. Babbit got up from the little table in the kitchen where they had been sitting and answered the door. "Hey, John. I figured you would be home. Sissy, gone to work?" Joseph was dressed in a brand new, bright red jacket. "I came right over. I got you one too." Showing off his new look. "They are the jackets the company sent me. A little perk I guess? Are you going to invite me in or make me stand out here? It is still cold, a new jacket or not."

"Yes. Come on in. What are you talking about?" Babbit could not help but have his spirits lifted just a little. Joseph's enthusiasm was contagious.

"I have been waiting to tell you. I had to be absolutely sure. They love my invention. I have been offered serious money. I am going to be really rich. That means I am going to be free!" Joseph grabbed both of Babbit's shoulders with his hands. He held him really still to get his direct attention. "This is important Babbit. Really important! But is it enough?" The tone dropped suddenly. "It won't be enough. I don't think it is money that my father wants, but power. Let's face it. He is richer than most small country, kings."

"I think it part money. He sure was mad about the horse bet." Babbit half smiled in thankfulness at Joseph. "You saved me then, I don't think anything is going to save me now. I better just find The Book." Babbit turned and motioned Joseph inside.

"Hey, kid." Joseph waived at Tommy. Then he turned his attention back to Babbit and sat on the soft, old couch with him. Babbit grabbed the controller and searched the channels for the game.

"I know how you get around girls. It really wasn't your fault that day. It is a weakness in some men. Girls just do that. We will find The Book. Tomorrow we will go down there, and succeed." Joseph tried to smile reassuringly, but it looked more like his own stomach hurt and he had bad case of Pterosaurs too. "I thought I would also let you know about the guys. Things have not gone really well. Lefty went to jail yesterday for disturbing the peace. I am not sure if he will be out by Monday or not." That was a little funny to hear as both men knew Lefty's history well. "Picker is still in the hospital and they are going to hold him there for a week. The head nurse lady at the hospital had to talk to me directly because Honk was too upset. Picker will be fine, just mostly observation. Something about; it was disturbing that Picker was in the box, and making sure he was not trying to hurt himself. That's silly. Picker has too much self-worth and a chip the size of mount hood on his shoulder. No way he would hurt himself."

Babbit agreed wholeheartedly. Whatever happened at the return box, was an accident. "What about Dawg." That was the one Babbit was counting on.

"Well, there seems to have been some kind of issue last night. He went in and came out. The same head nurse lady from the hospital called me a different time and said Dawg was getting stitches. It was going to take several hours as there were a lot of them. Wow, he must have somehow got cut by the glass?" Joseph looked shocked. That could not happen? It was just too, wrong! Against all possibilities. "I asked her twice to be clear, but she said yes. It was Dawg she was calling about. I guess they are keeping him too for a few days. I am a little unclear about that part, but she did say, he was making a funny sound off and on."

"What kind of sound?" Babbit looked overly concerned. His last real hope from the other gang members was not looking good at this point.

"She said he was meowing every now and then between his words." Joseph looked oddly disturbed. "I also got a call from Muscle's grandma. Seems he made a friend at the Library yesterday. You might even know the kid. Your Librarian's nephew. His name is Jason." Joe laughed a little to lighten the mood. "Muscle is working hard to do his part."

"No, I did not know she had a nephew. That is a surprise to hear about Muscle, however. Good for him." The commercial on the TV ended and the game came on. "I better enjoy today's game it could be my last." John looked at his friend Joseph and was not surprised when he read the message on Joseph's face. It was soundless, wordless and straight to the point. It was right there. Babbit was not long for this world. They better find The Book tomorrow. Well, at least Muscle was coming back to help. Babbit doubted it would make any difference at all.

Tommy finished his food and sat down with Joseph and his uncle to watch the game in the tiny living room. It was a peaceful Sunday to be sure. Outside it was very cold and still rainy. The weatherman said it was going to stay that way all week. Babbit found himself wishing for spring to come just a little sooner this year.

Chapter Eleven: Monday, Monday.

Babbit did not need to think twice about taking his sister's Rabbit to the Library. If he did not find The Book soon, or someone else found it before him, it would not matter. His name and reputation would only be amplified by the cars name, Rabbit. Cute. But Babbit was not lucky and did not have lucky feet. He really could not think how having your foot lopped off and made into a charm was lucky for a rabbit anyway. That was not comforting. Odd? Trying to escape fate, was hope after all. However, before he got in, a truck pulled up to the drive. "Hey, Babbit. We are taking this one!" Joseph waved at him from the drivers' side, to hurry. It was a bright yellow work truck with "Pest Control" clearly displayed. There were also pictures of rats, roaches, ants, spiders, scorpions, oh and pigeons everywhere around the words "Pest Control", like a frame of pests.

"Where did you get the truck and why are we driving a Pest Control vehicle in the first place?" Babbit started in on Joseph as he tried to put his seatbelt on. Joseph hardly slowed down long enough for Babbit to jump in, before he hit the accelerator.

"I got word from Muscle, that there was a problem at the library over the weekend. Somehow, someone broke in. Nothing was taken, nothing they can tell anyway at this point. Ah, I missed the light." He slowed and then stopped the truck to wait for the light to change again.

"We need to get there fast." Joseph rattled off the earlier conversation he had with Lefty. "I guess when Dawg was doing his thing this past weekend, the hole in the glass skylight became a door. A door to welcome every pigeon within a mile of the place. It is terrible! They are not letting patrons in. They are only letting in pest control and their own maintenance man at this point. The maintenance guy is Waldo Als'right. He supervises all outside workers. As for the truck, you know me, I got a friend who has a friend with a pest company. I have lots of friends with trucks. Things like ice-cream trucks, plumbing trucks, food trucks, telephone trucks with long ladders and a few others. So, here we are, specialists in our field today."

Joseph smiled. "Lefty and his new friend, TFR are chained to the front door last I was updated. They both got out of holding downtown this morning and Lefty knew we still needed help. They were both given a serious warning to stay away from the Library. That Lefty he is a lucky guy. That must be his eighth warning this year about disturbances. Do you think he has an "in" at the courthouse like I have with trucks?" Joseph took a moment to daydream, he was lucky too. His invention was going to be something special and important. But that would come later. Babbit needed him now.

"So," Joseph continued, "Lefty and his buddy headed straight over to help us this morning. We can get in ourselves as we are humane bird specialists." Joseph took one hand from the wheel to point out the little slogan across the brochure on the dash. Oh, and before you ask TFR means: Too Far Right! Lefty met him in the Library. That is how he ended up in lock up in the first place. Meeting the guy." Joseph laughed so hard he snorted. "Seems while they were doing time together, they found one thing they had in common after all. They both like to save things. So they are now handcuffed to the sliders at the front of the Library. They had to turn off the electric because the doors kept moving on their own. So in reality, Lefty and his friend are holding the doors for us, if you will." Joseph grinned. "Saving you, saving The Boss, saving us, oh and saving the Pigeons!"

"I also told Muscle it was Mother's Day. I know that is a terrible thing to do, but we are down to the wire on this. We have to pull out all the plugs. My Dad is not a patient man Babbit. You and I both know it. Muscle will keep thinking about Mom's Day. Then if I have things timed right, he will insure a distraction at the door for us shortly. I will make it up to him later." Both Joseph and Babbit knew that Mother's Day was the day Muscle's mom went to heaven. It was terrible to use that memory as a distraction, but the Policeman at the door was going to be a tough sell. Muscle's reaction would be all too real. A three hundred pound man reduced to tears might just do it.

When they arrived at the Library they were not surprised to see two police cars, a television station camera van, another old van with "Save the Pigeons" recently painted on the side and just for good measure a City Fire truck. There was also a long line of patrons waiting to get in for the day. The air was full of low, upset voices. This was obviously a huge problem, barely contained. The weather only made things more gloomy. The sky above threatened to open up and douse the crowd at any moment. It was cold enough that the huge pond was still turned off and the water in the basin was beginning to ice on top. Soon it would be a solid block if the weather worsened only a little.

Joseph drove straight into the large front parking lot. He stopped right next to the fire truck and jumped out. Babbit noticed that Officer Maren was near the top step of the Metro Library, once again in charge. Why was it always him? That never was a good sign for Babbit. Things happened often enough to Babbit on his own, but twice as bad when he got around Maren. Babbit also noticed that Muscle was close to the front of the line, waiting to get in. Someone must have said something wrong because the huge man had started to cry. Babbit remembered and felt bad all over again. It had to be the reaction that Joseph knew would happen by any mention of Mother's Day. He was so sad for Muscle. Muscle made a hollow mournful noise that Babbit could hear clear down to the parking lot. It soon increased to a wail. One of the officers came over and started talking to Muscle directly. She was trying to comfort the big man the best that she could. Things got a little better, but not much. Muscle can be a physical distraction without trying, but an emotional distraction was much worse for everyone concerned. The officer kept trying to convince Muscle that it was only the end of February and not even close to Mother's Day yet. Muscle was trying to pull himself together.

Someone high up past the top step spoke loudly to both the crowd and the news camera. Babbit could not see who it was exactly from where he stood beside the pest control truck. Then he just stopped trying to see altogether and listened instead. Babbit got busy slipping on the bright yellow jumpsuit and hood. "We have a Pigeon Infestation." The voiced continued. There were a couple of gasps from the line of people that went far beyond the steps and wrapped around the building. Passing the information from person to person, once it was too far to be heard directly had an ill effect too. Things always got worse when they were passed word of mouth in that fashion. By the time news reached the end of the line, the word infestation had escalated into "invasion". Pigeon Invasion. A full-scale assault on the Library was in the process. Cheers from the back of the line, "Go get um heroes! Save the Library!" resonated forward.

To most people, pigeons are fun, silly birds that land in our parks and old people feed them for fun. Sometimes their a pain and are too dumb to get out of the way fast enough to suit our needs. But generally not a big issue. Actually, we all notice them from time to time, without really noticing them. They range a bit in color, from black to white and every gray in the middle. Some even boast beautiful green-blue crests. Most people like their gentle cooing sound too. Well, pigeons are a bit more bothersome than that to be sure. Turns out the city spends millions of dollars every year keeping them from nesting on ledges, in buildings, under bridges, airway ducts, transportation stations, statues, memorials and generally places that were not intended for that use. Well, not intentionally intended for that use. Even a stupid pigeon can do the math on that.

Pigeons are originally from wild Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. But they have now become part of the background scenery all over the world. The buildings humans construct everywhere in their major cities are very cliff like, similar to the pigeons original nesting sites. Pigeons love roofs, drain spouts, lofts, and attics. A huge, inside park, like the one inside the Metro Library, with a perfect temperature year round, would be a paradise for the little birds. The mess they would make of things and the cost to make repairs would be dreadful.

Pigeons eat just about anything including livestock poop. They're not picky. The Library would be a smorgasbord of one kind or another. The birds also often carry parasites and disease. That is why this was a four-alarm event for Ms. Green. She could not stand a hair out of place on her own head so an infestation, perhaps an invasion would be catastrophic.

Officer Maren was doing his very best to keep the crowd calm, the Head Librarian calm and himself calm. The newsman had started interviewing a few of the bystanders. Filling in some air time with interviews, waiting to see how things would turn out next. There was a lot of pressure on Office Maren to save the day. He was not ready to let anyone down. He took his job very seriously.

Maren sent the second officer, his partner of six years, Joe Smith to find the maintenance guy. Maren needed to shut down the electric to the library front doors. The protesting men had hooked themselves up to the handles. Every time Maren tried to free them, the doors would slide open or closed. Lefty had planned things well for the two men to block the entrance. Troublemakers for sure. They were just thrown out of here this last Saturday and they were back already, Maren thought to himself. The justice system needed work. As for the other two officers in the second police car, they were busy keeping everyone in line and calm too. Officer Wilmajane Seuss, no relation to any doctor, was working her magic on the huge, blubbering man at the head of the line. She was good with crowd control. Officer Maren was going to note that in her file later. He made a mental note now, to do that later.

Many techniques are used in warding off a Pigeon attack. Mostly they are preventative modifications in nature to the structure itself. Like spikes and unfriendly wires that prevent nesting in high places for example. There is also a special goo, that is often placed in areas pigeons might want to land. The goo gets on their feet and they leave. Who wants goo between their toes after all? The Library was okay, safe for the most part where pigeons are concerned, but an open window had been an open invitation. Prevention was off the list, past tense. Now it was going to take a full, frontal attack of some kind. That would include traps for sure, nets and maybe even net guns. Maren had watched one animal show on TV where they used the giant net guns to capture running animals. He supposed that could happen here? If they had to shoot the trees to contain the birds. He pictured the idea in his head. Maren always wanted to go hunting, but all he bagged was bad guys. Another mental note to himself to start a bucket list.

Babbit finished gearing up, grabbed a large net and huge bag of bird seed from the back of the van. Joseph loaded up and was right behind him. Babbit put on his best, winning, friendly smile, walked the relatively short distance from the truck to the top of the stair. Then he stepped right up to Officer Maren and presented himself. "Here to clear the pigeons out, sir!" was what Babbit had planned to say. But instead Officer Maren dove right in: "Babbit, why are you here? Something is up, I know it." The older man moved a little closer to Babbit as he was facing him. "It started with Henry Miles, aka Honk and Pickeral Fish, aka Picker. They were here the other day. Things went badly for them. "Followed by Lefty and this new kid." Moving his head in Lefty's direction where he was still attached to the moving door. "Was Dawg part of the goings on here this past weekend? I would make an educated guess that the pigeons got in through the skylight. Dawg, cat-ing around again?"

"I am here to do a job." Babbit started to feel a bit better about himself. "Don't know what you are talking about sir." Babbit was trying not to stutter. He felt bad on a personal level about Dawg and the hole in the glass. Why Maren always had it out for him, Babbit really did not know. However, he was here to do a job. Yes, find The Book, find the lottery ticket, but eliminating the pigeon problem would be good too.

"Something wrong here Officer?" Joseph came up quickly behind Babbit. "I understand things are bad inside. If you will let us pass, we can get started." Joseph talked straight to Maren, one man to another. Babbit saw his friend in a whole new light. All grown up sort of. He understood a little why The Boss was grooming his son to take over. Joseph had a certain power and authority persona about himself. He was not afraid of Maren.

Officer Maren gave Babbit one hard look, up and down. "I am watching you, Babbit. You are up to something and I know it. I am going to be watching the others too, count on it. Go on through the doors and talk to the maintenance man there." He had a thoughtful look. Another mental note to remind himself to watch out for the gang. That reminder was easy, as Maren did not like any of them. They were all shifty in his book.

Joseph stepped on around Maren and motioned Babbit to follow. They went inside.

Chapter Twelve: Bigger on the inside!

Babbit did a quick wave to Lefty as he went past him at the door. Lefty was a good guy after all. In his way, he had just helped Babbit get one more chance at finding the book, and maybe, just maybe, living another day. Oh and the Lottery Ticket too, that would not hurt either. Everyone would be in a better mood if there was a bit more money flowing around. Babbit wondered what that was like. Not worrying where the next job was coming from, or how he was going to help his sister and her kid. It would be nice to do something else, then being, the Rabbit for The Boss. Once, he even dreamed of going into business for himself. Joseph had tossed the idea around with him. Babbit had told Joseph he wanted to be in the delivery business. He was fast and efficient, quick like a bunny. That had made Joseph laugh because that was obviously only true if "She" was not around. Then he was more like a stuffed bunny.

Water under the bridge. He was going to be The Boss's messenger and errand runner forever. If he was that lucky at all. If Babbit did not find the book, then the future, his future to be precise was grim.

"We are going to have to fix this pigeon problem Babbit. We can't let Dawg's mistake ruin any books." Joseph smiled. "That might upset that pretty librarian friend of yours." Joseph liked teasing Babbit just a little. Their friendship was very important to him. He was not going to let his father hurt Babbit if he could help it.

Waldo Als'right was less than ten passes inside the front door, right in front of the two friends. He had a mop and bucket cleaning up the latest droppings off the stone floor map. The man was beside himself. "Get busy, do whatever you need too. Help!" Waldo kept mopping. "It is going to take me a month just to clean up the entry and stairwell. It will take a dozen more coats of wax too."

"We will get this handled for you fast!" Joseph replied to the man. He put on his best reassuring smile. Joe was excellent in public relations. Always knew what to say. Really it was just his tone of voice. Joe always made people feel that even at the worse of times, there was hope and control over the otherwise uncontrollable events of life.

"Oh. The officer outside said to shut down the front door electric." Waldo Als'right looked even more upset. I tried already. There is a short in the system. I tell you that the electric is doing things again. All kinds of things. That Officer Maren needs to be patient. This happened the other day too. The electrician was out last Friday and said it was caused by the storm and power surges. Nothing I can do about it until he comes back in to fix it. That's on the schedule to happen tomorrow. I have called him several times today, but he does not answer. So, until he answers or tomorrow comes, the auto detection doors are off, but they don't stay off really well. So be careful." Waldo kept mopping. "Good thing the library is not allowing people in. Between the pigeons and the electric, the whole place needs to be cleaned, remodeled and upgraded." Tsk, tsk sounds. "That is not going to happen soon. "Just worry about the pigeons. I will see what I can do about the electric." Waldo put his mop in the bucket and headed off toward the electric boxes in the basement.

"Okay, we will keep that in mind." Joseph kept walking on, toward the park. Babbit followed close behind.

Chapter Thirteen: What you see is not what you get.

Back out at the front of the library, top of the main steps, a lovely old lady in an evening gown complete with full, fancy fur coat, and Bling, earrings approached Officer Maren. "Officer. Oh, Officer." The woman was very proper sounding. A matter of fact tone really. "You may want to do something. The doors are wide open upstairs on the outdoor patio. You can see them from the parking lot. We noticed them when we were coming into the parking area a few minutes ago from the main street. I know they have been having problems with the electric doors of late. I complained about it Friday when that nice young man got caught here at the front. They keep trying to update things around here, but cutting too many corners in the process, if you ask me." She twirled a small tight curl in her hair next to her right ear. "Just thought you would want to know." Then she walked back down the steps. The ladies that were waiting at the bottom for their friend, all waved to the handsome officer. Then walked back to their car together. Maren overheard something about going to a coffee shop as they retreated.

The head librarian, Ms. Green was turning people away personally and directly from the long line next to the side of the building. She hated to do it. This was the worst day in her career. "Pigeons are flying rodents!" Ms. Green wanted to scream, but she had too much reserve to do so in public. It would have to wait until she got home later tonight. Then she could go into her special closet, let her hair down and shriek.

Back inside the Library, Joseph looked up at the trees in the park. There must have been a hundred pigeons starring right back at him with hungry eyes. "Babbit, I have an idea." He swung the large bag of bird seed from over his shoulder down to the floor. Swiftly he pulled the string that opened the top. Immediately the cooing sounds above him in the branches, became silent. There was a tenseness to the huge room. "Drop your net and do the same thing I did, to your bag. Then follow me."

Babbit swung his bag to the floor and pulled the string. The bag split on the seam and opened wide. "What's the plan?"

"I have enough seeds to get to the top of the grand stair. I need you to start there and take the trail outside. Go through the second story patio doors. The ones that overlook the front entrance. We are going to have to do this really fast. They look very hungry." Joseph whispered, a little apprehensively as he glanced back at the birds. "Once you get outside, go all the way to the rail and pour everything you have left in a big pile. Then come running back. I am going to have Waldo turn the auto electric sensors on again. That way, when you come back through the doors, they will close tight and the birds will be outside.

Babbit looked a little doubtful but tried not to show it. Joseph was after all the brains of this operation and support for his friend was the order of the day. What Babbit did not realize is that Officer Maren had walked past both him and Joseph while they had been talking. He had headed past the park and up the stone stair, turned right at the first landing and continued to level two. Across the large room were the electric doors that led to the patio. Yes, they were standing wide open, just like the pretty, elderly woman had said. The cold air was rushing in and the warm air was creating a wind tunnel going out.

Officer Maren crossed the space between the tables and the open area in front of the doors. He tried to pull them shut but they were not working. Someone had turned them off. He cursed slightly under his breath. "Arg." Maren had been the one, He told Officer Smith to tell Als'right to turn the auto sensor off. Now he needed them on again. Maren walked right out onto the patio. There he went to edge and keyed up his mic. "Smith this is Maren. Find Waldo Als'right and get the doors turned back on." Smith acknowledged his partner and moved to comply.

Babbit ran lick-idée split up the stair ahead of Joseph to begin his, trail for the birds. Faster then he thought possible, he cleared the tables, crossed the open area and went out the patio doors. Funny, they were already open? Maybe Joseph had already got to Als'right and told him to open them? There was no time to find out. Babbit just kept pouring the contents of his seed bag in a line on the floor the whole way.

The pigeons had been watching. Turns out they were more than watching, they were waiting. As soon as the first seed hit the floor a ruckus went up among the silly winged mice. As one, they took flight and started for the trailhead. Pushing and flying into each other they fought for every morsel. Up the stairs, to the landing then up the second stair again. All the way to the top. Beating the air with their wings, the sound was nearly deafening. That is where Joseph's bag ended. Empty. Babbit had started his trail there and continued around the big clock, that somehow had been placed right in the way and straight on. Zigzag, around the desks, across the open area and right out onto the patio. Babbit did not stop until he bumped into Officer Maren by accident. Babbit had his mind and full attention on the seeds spilling out from his bag to the floor while moving backward. Maren had been busy looking over the patio rail. Both were very surprised!

Too concerned about fouling up the plan, Babbit immediately yelled out, "Sorry!" and ran back toward the library entrance. Just as he passed through, a whirring sound of electric could be heard powering up the mechanism. The heavy glass doors slid closed. It had worked. The birds, all of them, were outside. Pushing and shoving to eat from the seed pile. That was really great. That was really great! Babbit should have been leaping up and down but he was stopped right in his tracks. There across the room. Setting on the tiny shelf, right in front of the face on the Grandfather clock, was The Book.

The electric doors did exactly what Joe said they would. They closed with a resounding swoosh sound. It was, however, one way. The auto lock kicked in and Officer Maren found himself standing on the wrong side. He glared at Babbit and pounded on the glass.

Babbit, however, did not notice Maren right away. Something else had consumed his interest. There it was. Setting there all the time. Right there in plain sight. Someone must have found it, not known what it was and placed it there. It was obviously not a library book, as it did not have the proper stickers and markings. So whoever found it figured that the owner would be back. They were right.

The lights flickered overhead, and something told Babbit to look behind. The doors swished back open to the patio and Officer Maren was moving his direction. Babbit could feel this was a pivotal moment in his life. Walk or run, fight or flight. Well, you don't fight with an officer ever. So that was off the table. Maren was still a way away, so it could be said Babbit did not hear him well. Probably would not get away with that. Yet, better to try then to provide positive proof and sign his death warrant. Babbit leaped to the nearest table and took off. Bounding in huge hops, table to table all the way to the clock. There he tried to slow his motion but misjudged his speed. He hit the old clock just at the right place, it fell backward and was propelled down the stair, Babbit riding it like a surfboard. The book, however, was not lost, but in his hand. Babbit had The Book.

The grand timepiece arrived at the middle landing, Babbit leaned heavily to the right and there was just enough forward inertia that the clock dipped and went over the edge. It careened down the next flight of stairs twice as fast. It hit an angle at the bottom just right, stopping the ancient cabinet suddenly but not it's rider. Babbit sailed through the air like a superhero without a cape. That, however, was not the end. Babbit landed on an empty return cart with such force, it was a shock he had no broken bones from it. The power of the landing propelled the cart forward erratically, again gaining speed this time because of the recently washed and waxed floors at the base of the stair. His makeshift grand Prix car zoomed through the park walkway under the trees and out the other side. Then just as it started to slow once again, it touched the map. Waldo Als'right, had already put three layers of wax on the beautiful front, stone floor map too. The cart may have slowed, if it had not been for the great job, Waldo always did when he waxed. It was a job he tended to take pride in above his other daily tasks. Today had been no exception.

Babbit hit Peru and there was no stopping him. The huge glass doors were next. He was about to find out what a bug on a windshield felt like. There was no hope. Babbit was going to slam them full force. He closed his eyes tight. Not that he was a coward really, but that he just hated how this was going to mess up his good looks. He did not have a way to swoon women with nice things to say, but he was not a bad looker really. Well was not a bad looker before all this.

"Swoosh!" The doors pulled back and let the cart pass.

Babbit's ride had not ended. Not the death he expected, splattered on the glass. No. Instead, the cart continued through the opening. The wheels hit some unseen bump just past the door, and Babbit found himself again launched into the air. The cart separated and crashed on the steps. Thankfully it missed everyone milling about outside. No one was hurt. Babbit, however, was catapulted high over the heads of the crowd, which included patrons, police, firemen, channel 12.2 local news at 11:00, and worst of all the Head Librarian. Babbit landed in the fountain. Normally there would have been a splash but the weather had gotten colder over the past few hours since Babbit first arrived. The top of the fountain had iced a bit. Babbit slid across the center trying to stop himself from anymore, further unwanted adventures. Then he noticed. He had dropped The Book. It must have happened when he landed. There it was. Only a few feet away. Babbit leaned forward to get to his knees and rise. "Crrr ick."

In the brief, handful, of heartbeats that passed, Babbit gave it his best shot. There was just simply too much that happened all at once. Everyone around that had witnessed what Babbit went through, tried to rush forward and lend a hand. There was no way to tell them to hold off. To please stay out of the fountain. The ice was breaking, "Crr ick" and The Book was in danger. They could not have known. The Book ended up a victim of mob kindness.

I, myself may have been among those that were trying to help Babbit that day. Someone held up the book, once it had been discovered. The head librarian was immediately on the offensive. "That had better not have been a library book mister."

"No mam. Just the story of the rest of my life." Babbit answered back. He did not know if he felt good or bad about the book being destroyed. The water from the fountain had dissolved the ink on the pages, running everything together. The upside, all those people were free. The downside, The Boss may not see it as Babbit saving him from being connected to bad dealings.

Joseph had come out of the main library and now stood beside Ms. Green. Maren came out a moment later, ready to arrest Babbit for something right there on the spot. "Wait a moment officer, please." Joseph spoke in a loud voice to catch everyone's attention near by. "The pigeon problem is handled. Babbit there", Joseph pointed with his hand, "Is a hero! He saved the Library."

Cheers went up all around!

Ms. Green looked a little skeptical, but obviously, without proof to the contrary, she believed him. Mostly Ms. Green cared about the Library. That was her first priority. Ms. Green was tired. She had sent most everyone away already and prayed under her breath that tomorrow would be quieter at the Library. As for Officer Maren, he could not really think of anything to say. Babbit had not really broken any laws, he just looked guilty. So he simply gave Babbit the look, you know the one that say's "Get lost!".

Joseph answered a few questions like a pro for the camera crew and then he waived them off. Babbit had been through enough and there was probably a little more left to go. Joseph and Babbit had to go home to his father's huge mansion. They had to go and tell The Boss the book was gone.

Chapter Fourteen: See it my way.

Joseph helped Babbit get out of the pond, back to the truck and home. Well, his sister's place anyway. Babbit changed quickly and was grateful to be warm again. The pond had been very cold. Babbit stood in the living room and looked at his friend. "I lost it. He is going to kill me."

"Let's go, Babbit. I won't let him!" Babbit hugged his friend. You know I don't think you should help me this time. He gets so mad. I don't want him mad at you when I am gone."

"Stop it, Babbit. This is not the early 1900's and my father is not superhuman. Let us go talk to him." Joseph was set. There was no way this was going to go badly. He had seen all that Babbit did to save his father's book. He did not even like the book, and really was glad it was gone. Now he would have to convince his father that it did not matter. Somehow!

"Okay, Joe." Babbit wished his sister and nephew had been home so he could have hugged them goodbye. It was better this way, however. Joe could tell them some story and that would be easier for them. Babbit hoped so anyway.

Joseph drove them both in the truck back over to the Pest Control company. There they switched cars back to Joe's Chevy. Now, Joe thought was a good time to gather his own confidence. This was about Babbit no doubt, but more importantly, his father was just going to have to listen. Joseph had things to say. Important things.

The drive to The Boss's mansion was fairly silent. Babbit was trying to find a nice way to say he failed, again. Nothing he came up with in his head, put him in a good light. Joseph cruised right, up the drive and parked at the front. His Chevy was only a little out of place next to his father's Rolls. Joseph did not care. Like everything about his relationship with his father, Joseph's life just did not quite match up.

They walked up to the big house and went inside. Then into the living room. together. Joseph and his best friend Babbit. Joseph knew this was the time, now or never. He was ready, to take a stand. After the sale of his invention, Joseph would have enough money to be able to buy a small island in the Pacific or a giant chunk of Florida. He was going to make his father retire. It was about time. If his father wanted to keep working, he could work for his own son. That will impress him. I know it will. Joe thought silently.

Marta came around the corner. "Excuse me, boys. The Boss is in the parlor. Would you like something to drink before you go in?" She smiled.

"Marta, how long have you been working for my Dad?" A bright light went on behind Joseph's eyes. An idea. An idea worth expanding on.

"Joseph I have been here since your mom passed nearly twenty years ago." She smiled shyly. "Your mom was a wonderful lady and a good friend to me. I miss her even now."

"You love my dad right?" Joseph smiled. He watched her face answer the question for her. "Perfect". He already knew the answer but it was nice to be sure. "Stay close Marta. Things are going to change fast around here." Joseph smiled. He really loved Marta too. She had been a big part of his life growing up after his mom had passed away with cancer. Joseph also knew how much his father loved Marta, but could not let go of his mom. Passed or not, The Boss was not good with change. So he never did anything about how he felt. Showing his feelings was not easy for The Boss. Joseph was more like his mom. He understood. Joseph was good with people because he understood such things.

Joseph took a deep breath and walked down the hall toward the Parlor. Babbit and Marta were right behind him. He was the first one to the double doors.

"Where is my Book?" His father's rough, angry voice echoed down the hall all the way from the Parlor.

Joseph smiled at Marta, glanced at Babbit with a reassuring look and headed right in. The double doors to the parlor were half open already. So Joseph just pushed them hard and they swung all the way. It was a grand entrance, powerful and commanding. "Dad we are going to talk."

The Boss was setting in his big leather chair. He sized his son up in one glance. "Do you have my book?" His tone was extremely agitated.

"No," Joseph responded. He did not look away but met his father's gaze directly. "No. It was destroyed. I was there. It was unavoidable. Things happen." Joseph let that sink in a moment. "You don't need it anyway."

"What?" His father stood right up out of the chair. "Where is Muscle? I have a job for him." The man's tone was dark and malicious. "Babbit was there right? He is not a lucky rabbit. I will have Muscle make him a new set of shoes for his unlucky Rabbit's feet." Babbit was still standing in the main hall next to Marta. This was not going well. He thought about running, but The Boss might take out his anger on his sister or her son. So he had to stay right where he was. Maybe The Boss would not bother his family? It was not the mob way. But he had never seen the man this angry. No telling what was possible at this point.

"No. You are not going to do anything to Babbit. In fact, I think in the end you may even thank him." Joseph watched his father closely. "It is about time you looked past the business. I am right here. I am your son and I don't want to follow in your footsteps. I am my own person. Your business was destined to fall apart. It was built on the backs of poor people that don't deserve to be taken advantage of. I am the new Boss around here. This is a takeover. I have a new business and you are going to work for me." There Joseph had said it. Plain and simple. He was not going to fill his father's shoes. His father's plans were not his and Joseph was going to make that plain. The old ways were gone. This was Joseph's time to shine.

The Boss looked at his son. Emotions played across the big man's face. There was anger there, yes. There was some very serious rage just below the surface of his otherwise calm facade. Joseph continued to wait for his words to have their full effect.

His father started to say something a couple of times and stopped himself. All this time he had longed for his son to take over. But really what he wanted was to see his son be a man. The family business had been all his father had ever known.

"Father. I have my own business. I am rich. I want you to come and work for me. Oh and Marta too. I am going to send her back to school. She is going to take classes on becoming a travel agent. I know she wants too. I saw the magazines about world travel my whole life around this place. It is time to live the dream. She is going to be my travel agent and yours. Together, you can find a life together. Not built on yesterday, but putting our hopes in tomorrow. Marta loves you, dad. Listen. Let mom go. It has been long enough."

The Boss was so proud. Yes, he was. Joseph had turned out to be the real man he always wanted him to be. It was going to be hard to change his ways. Retire? What would that even be like? Marta? Marta loved him? The old man starred across the room. He looked at Marta standing just inside a few paces behind Joseph. There was a silent exchange of emotion between them. He had held it off for so long. Yes, deep in his heart he did love Marta. It was just so hard to let go of the past. But, Joseph's mom would be proud too, The Boss knew. That was extremely important. She would have been so proud of Joseph.

"Okay." The Boss whispered. He did not yell or scream. He just said, "Okay." It was not going to be easy. But he found that retirement was more inviting then he imagined. And Marta? He had mourned and fixated on his lovely wife for twenty years. That was maybe long enough. He finally let himself see things clearly. Slowly he pushed back the chair he had been standing next too. Turned at the edge of the desk and walked across the room. As he came level with his son, he half smiled. "I am proud of you boy." Then he continued to walk on toward Marta. Like a twenty-year-old man, he knelt to the floor. On one knew he starred up into Marta's smiling face. She knew too. Marta had waited so long. "Will you do me the honor of being my wife?" The Boss spoke with love and respect.

Marta did not wait. She answered immediately. "Yes, I will marry you. You big lug!" Her smile beamed.

"Get packed. We are going to Vegas!" Joseph laughed. "My Dad is getting married!" Joseph was thrilled. He had pulled out all the plugs and made his father see the light.

The Boss stood up again and hugged Marta. Then, just as Joseph thought all was going just fine, his father turned to face Babbit. The rabbit had not run or hopped to safety. He had stood fixed waiting in the hall. "You are one lucky rabbit!" Then he laughed very loudly. It was contagious. Marta laughed, Joseph laughed, but Babbit only nervously giggled. This could always go bad still. He was not going to feel okay until The Boss was married and Joseph gave him the high sign.

At that point, a lot of things happened all at once. Marta laughing with tears of happiness running down her face went to gather her bags. She so loved The Boss, and all her dreams had come true. The Boss was laughing and started hugging his son like he had never done before. It was true acceptance. Maybe his son was not meant to be a "bad" guy. Maybe there was something better after all, outside the family business. Vegas sounded great. Secretly he had dreamed about Marta, but until now, had focused so hard on his son, he had not allowed himself any true happiness.

Joseph smiled and turned to Babbit. "Go tell the gang we are quitting the business."

Quick like a bunny, Babbit was gone. He was still alive and may actually stay that way. By the time he left the Big House, he was laughing hysterically himself. He had dodged the bullet or in this case, a new set of shoes. Not the kind you wear around town either. The kind that sinks and takes you with them. Babbit realized he did not have a ride, as he had come to the house with Joseph. How was he going to get home? He could wait for Joseph, but Babbit wanted to leave and be as far away as possible quickly, in case The Boss came to his senses.

Muscles electric cycle was standing against the garden wall. That would work. So he walk-ran over to it and got on. The keys were in the ignition. Muscle did not ever take them out. He would lose them if he did, so it was easier to leave them in. No one was going to mess with Muscle's bike. No one ever messed with Muscle willingly.

The sky overhead was still dark and cloudy, but Babbit did not care. Even when the first drop touched his cheek. A little rain could not hurt, right? Babbit was off. Past the rose garden, between the big trees that lined the drive and out onto the main road. He was okay. Not dead! This was a wonderful day.

Chapter Fifteen: Babbit wins the Lottery.

Babbit did not stop until he got to his sister's house. It took a while on the little electric scooter, but it was still the best ride Babbit had ever taken. For the first time since he could remember, the pressure of his life was gone. He had not asked about the money he owed from the track to the Boss. Maybe that was gone too, maybe not. But that was only money. Not a matter of life and death now. Freedom. Real freedom.

He was drenched from head to foot by the time he got to, 6th street. The sky was still dark in places, but the sun was finally peeking out. Here and there the clouds had parted. It was about time Babbit thought. He was not big on rain but really loved the spring. Maybe this was the last storm of the year. That would be great with him. Babbit finally, lets himself laugh for real. Not hysterically, but with true feeling. Free. Babbit was free!

Up ahead there was some kind of commotion going on. Right in front of his sister's little house. A camera crew, two police cars, a fire truck just in case and bystanders of all kinds. Babbit drove up cautiously. What had happened now? He wondered.

A man with a microphone noticed him. "There he is. Get the camera's on him." The reporter called out.

Babbit stopped the bike at the edge of the grass. Before he could get off, he was swarmed. "What are you going to do with all the money?" The news reporter blurted out.

"What money?" Babbit mumbled. Then he saw her. The pretty librarian that had been in his dreams since the track. He pushed past the man and headed toward the girl. Watching Joseph take command, gave Babbit confidence. He was going to go for broke. In just a few steps he had pushed past the annoying reporter and through the crowd, to confront the Angel. "Hello." He stammered out.

"I am so glad you are here. I found your ticket. It dropped out of the book as you zoomed by on the cart. I picked it up and tried to say something, but you were obviously too focused on the ride." Angie smiled. "You are the winner of the Lottery. I have your ticket right here. I hope you are happy. What are you going to do now? What are you going to do with all the money? I am so glad you are safe. I tried to follow you through the park, but the cart did not slow down. I saw you fly off the steps. I was so glad you were not hurt. But you left so quickly with your nice friend. So I came here. I knew you had to come home sooner or later." Angie bubbled. Babbit watched her face smile. He knew she was talking but could barely focus on her words.

Then, "Lottery ticket?" It finally sunk in. The Boss's lottery ticket. "I need a phone." Babbit became very serious. The crowd was pressing in waiting to hear what the winner might say. They wanted a speech. There was a kind of hush, as everyone held their breath. Lottery winners were a big deal in this city to be sure. The news crews were thrilled. This was the best kind of news to be reporting on after all. All good! Angie looked in her hip pouch and pulled out her phone. The hip pouch being a style statement for the times. She did not carry a purse. Angie was too much of a geek. Babbit took the phone and dialed Joseph. He waited for his friend to answer.

Joseph picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"I won the lottery. I am standing in my sister's front yard. They found the ticket and are at my house with the news reporters, police cars and interested citizens. What should I do?" Babbit waited.

Joseph did not hesitate. "Babbit, it is yours. You claim it. Share it with the gang. Call it a gang retirement pension fund. That way maybe they can all get a fresh start. Dad's in the shower, Marta's is packing and we are going to Vegas. Have a happy life, my friend. I know I am going too."

Babbit smiled. He was lucky after all. He had a true friend, a beautiful girl that he knew. She had given him her name. And, he was going to live another day, to actually have a future. "Have a good time in Vegas." Babbit finished his conversation. Hung up the phone. The reporters rushed forward and Babbit made the news. The big Lottery winner was Babbit the Rabbit. The lucky rabbit!

Babbit claimed the ticket and the cash. Then he told the gang. They were not really too unhappy. Lefty already wanted to retire. Now he was out of the book, and not dead. Honk and Picker were okay with it too. They had decided after the close call, in the return box, to find a new way to make a living. Dawg, well he had found love at the hospital. But that is another story. Muscle was the last to find out. He was going to go to pieces at first because he only knew a life of crime. But Muscle was quickly redirected by Angie, on a new path. Muscle was going to become a "star" volunteer at the Library. Angie and Jason made it their mission to teach Muscle to read so that he could help others. That made Muscle very happy, more so, than his share of the money.

Babbit was happy and most importantly free. With his share of the winnings, he paid to clean and repair all the damages the pigeons had done, while this whole fiasco was going on. Then he funded the Kids section wish list. New books by the box loads were delivered to the Metro Library. Babbit bought himself a new car. It was a Rabbit of course. Babbit finally considered himself to be a truly lucky Rabbit after all.

Chapter Sixteen: Spending the money!

Joseph did everything he said he was going too. He took care of The Family, both his own which included his father and Marta, plus the gang. That is why he gave the Lottery ticket to Babbit. He simply did not need the money and neither did his father at this point.

After moving his father to Florida and his new stepmom Marta, he went on safari. Not to hunt mind you. He had an idea about water this time. Saltwater to be precise and a need for fresh water in harsh desert places. Armed with the success of his last invention, he felt strong emotions about his next project. So he packed his bags and went on another adventure. Before he left, however, he sent a telegram to Babbit. It was important. But again, the arrival of that telegram, was another story, waiting to happen for Babbit the Rabbit.

Honk and Picker were and are still best friends. Picker had a great idea to send Honk to speech therapy and counseling with part of the Lottery winnings. Things for Honk got better. Also, they went together with what was left and became real partners in a trash recycling business. Now they are making money hand over fist and set for life.

The Boss married Marta and retired down in Florida. It is where all the high-end retirees end up right? Well, that is what his boy told him, and The Boss believed everything Joseph said. Joseph was a good boy! After all, he knew how to take care of "The Family".

Dawg turned out to be a cat lover. Not really by choice. While at the hospital getting stitches after Tiny had done his best to defend his territory, he fell madly in love with the head nurse lady. It was a little rough at first with Dawg's allergies. The lady turned out to be the proud owner of at least a dozen cats. Dawg spent a great deal of his bonus Lottery money on allergy medications. It was a little bit costly. Dawg did not care and thought she was well worth it.

Lefty was and is now best friends with the kid at the library. Misery really loves company, because Lefty and the kid joined up for a cause. Lefty retired from doing books for The Boss. He repainted his microbus and had the inside detailed. It was the perfect vehicle. Together TFR and Lefty joined up. They now travel around to protests all over the country. Political, Economical, Ecological, whatever protest catches their attention. It was détente for them. A treaty between two opposing views come together in an unsettling peace. They both figured out that having friends with some different views could be interesting and entertaining. If Lefty and the kid can do it, can get along, then maybe there is hope for the country too. Lefty liked to think so.

Muscle learned to read and write thanks to Angie and her Nephew. He was so proud. Now he volunteers every other week, teaching others to read too. Because of his part of the lottery money, Muscle could spend all his time helping out others. Jason says that makes him a real hero. Muscle still thinks often of his mom. He knows she would have been really happy. Now he really was doing his best! To make up to Muscle for having to remember missing his mom on Mother's Day, Joseph made sure that there was always a special celebration day every year at the library. Joseph was so rich, he created a foundation, and donated a million dollars a year to the Metro, in the name of Muscle's Mom. That too made Muscle know he was part of "The Family". Joseph's family.

Babbit gave his portion of the gang retirement fund to the library. More specifically to fund the children's wish library for new books in the west wing. Also to repair any damages the pigeons may have caused. After all, it was his fault Dawg had been there in the first place. Also, that is where Angie tells her stories on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. He loved when she told stories! So Babbit was going to make sure she had a nice place to tell them in forever. Oh, and he kept enough of his winnings for a new suit and a small car. A Rabbit. A Lucky Rabbit car!

The End.

Notes and Acknowledgements

Just a note to say thank you for your time. Hope you enjoyed the adventures of my favorite rabbit! More new titles will be published in the months ahead.

Check back often! Enjoy...!

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Author and Copyright 2018 by: A. Foster

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