|
Ideal for: the child whose mother never let him have
a hamster
Job Specifications: When the bard’s ballads get a little old and the
jugglers are busy with other public engagements, the town pubs turns to the
unusual in-house entertainment of…watching dogs kill rats. Your job is to
catch the little buggers from the sewers. Now remember: you can’t hurt them,
so throwing rocks from a distance is out of the question. You have to hold
them, wet and stinking from human refuse, and somehow keep your hold of them
as you walk back to the neighbourhood pub.
Drawbacks: The rats fight back, and given the stuff they’ve sunk their
little teeth into, you’re at really high risk for tetanus, the plague, or
some nasty infection that they haven’t even found a name for at the turn of
the century.
Perks: You’re best friends with the pub owner, a relationship that will
serve you well when you’re actually old enough to drink. Plus, historical
accounts show that the career has upward mobility: there was one “Jack
Black” who was named the “Royal Rat Catcher.” He was not, as some people
suspect, a member of Parliament.
|
