DAGGER goes shopping

[Kip Powick]

It was a dull and drizzly day in Toronto when DAGGER decided to go shopping. He was looking for something unique that he could display prominently in his residence. Down on Queen Street he walked into a gloomy antique store and began browsing. He spotted a large brass rat sitting on the floor, holding a storage room door open. It looked very interesting so he carried back to the cashier.

"The rat, eh?" said the old, gray-haired cashier.

"Um, yeah... how much?" asked DAGGER.

"Well, five bucks for the rat--but 200 dollars for the story, " the cashier replied.

“Do you take Aero Plan points?”, asked DAGGER

“No,” the old lady replied, “only cash.”

DAGGER grimaced and pried a five dollar bill out of his wallet, “I'll just take the rat, ………..without the story, " he said.

He left the store, his precious brass rat tucked under his arm. Soon he began to notice that a few rats were following him. He walked a few more blocks and the number of rats behind him increased. This continued, until there were virtually thousands of rats behind him. Afraid of the rats following him, DAGGER ran to the edge of Lake Ontario and threw the brass rat in.All of the rats plunged in after it, and met their watery deaths.

DAGGER ran back to the antique store. The old cashier was chuckling to herself. "So now you want the story?"

"Nah, " said DAGGER, "I was hoping you might have a brass CAW or CUPE member

for sale though?"