Jack stood at the front door waving goodbye to The Father as he drove off, and Joey the Thief approached through the darkness with a devilish smile and a pocketknife in hand.
"Ech, Joey the Thief," said Jack, "I always expect you. Especially when my dad drives off."
"Hand it over," said Joey, still smiling. Jack complied, and Joey entered the house and stood just inside.
"That's all I have," said Jack.
"You sure? I'm pretty sure you've got some more."
"No, that's it."
"I think you're lying."
Jack definitely had more; the house contained many items of moderate value, perfect for a moderate thief like Joey. However, like anyone else, Jack was reticent to part with his stuff. So, he decided to try co-opting Joey rather than flat-out denial.
"Uh, would you like to come in for some water?" asked Jack. Joey lowered the knife slightly.
"Ok."
"But," said Jack, hesitating as they walked up the stairs, "try not to steal anything, please. I'd really prefer you didn't. Already I'm not happy about that Apple moniter." Jack pointed to the computer screen tucked under Joey's arm.
"Hmm, I'm not sure I can do that."
"Aww, please? Just come up for some water, without touching anything."
Negotiations continued, then the two pressed onward.
Jack became a frog named Daniel del Boulderbelt. Joey the Thief also took on some amphibious qualities.
Daniel del Boulderbelt hopped down the tunnel with Joey. The tunnel was well-lit and mostly smooth. A rumbling indicated that the tunneling horror was encroaching from both sides. Growing fearful, Daniel del Boulderbelt and Joey ran to the nearest side passage. The opening was very small, and while Daniel del Boulderbelt had no problem squeezing through, Joey became stuck.
"Go on, go on without me!" Joey yelled over the deafening rumble. The enormous mouths were nearly upon him.
"No, I can't!" said Daniel del Boulderbelt, grabbing Joey's hand and trying to pull him through. He could see in Joey's eyes, and feel within himself, the inevitability of the moment, as if every step they'd taken on their journey, every moment in their oft adversarial relationship, had led to this event. Joey would die, and the frog would continue on.
"You have to! Go! Go! Achh! AHH!! NOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Joey screamed in agony. Daniel del Boulderbelt watched as his face and body were torn out of the hole, replaced with the solid, writhing mass of the tunneling horror. The frog backed slowly down the side passage, watching the slime scrape off the worm's body and ooze slowly forward.
"Hmmm...the slime doesn't matter..." said Daniel del Boulderbelt, thinking aloud, "...or does it? There's one guy with the most slime. Slurry!"
With that, the frog dropped into Slurry's lair, a hollowed volcano, to confront the slimy mass about Joey's death. Daniel del Boulderbelt dropped into the luminescent green ooze with a plop.
"Why, hello!" said the disembodied voice of Slurry with mock gregariousness.
"Save it, Slurry," said Daniel del Boulderbelt. "Tell me what part you played in Joey the Thief's death!"
"Ho ho ho!" Slurry laughed deeply, "You could wrap up my entire self and I still wouldn't tell. And what about you? You destroyed miles and miles of tunnel!"
"Oh, that doesn't matter," said the frog dismissively.
