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28 Basically Basically, there are two kinds of children: those who like to torture and those who like to rescue. Most get their first practice on insects— some save ants in a jar with breathing holes punched in the lid and feed them crumbled saltines and sugar. Some pin a ladybug under the magnifying glass and wait for the sun to burst it into flames. Some rip off spiders’ legs. Some make tiny spider-sized casts and crutches and wheelchairs. These children usually progress quickly to animals and birds. Some fire at pigeons with BB guns. Some take the pigeons home swaddled in T-shirts or socks and try to mend the wounds with Band Aids or maybe gauze and masking tape. Some pluck out a cat’s entire set of whiskers and laugh as it bumps into chairs like a drunk. Some make a papoose and carry the cat around to save it embarrassment. Some like to chop off the legs of frogs. Some like to set frogs free. At night all children are exhausted by the cruelties of the world and fight sleep because there is still so much to do. So many tiny slings to be sewn, tailored to fit around a puppy’s neck and front leg. So many slingshots to be fired. The Y held tightly, a secret in every bully’s fist. duhamelKtext.indd 28 12/1/08 11:15:19 AM ...

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