I had my orders and I was willing to accomplish the action. I was a traveling man who had no morals. What I did to make a living was ungodly. I was a killer for payment. I was very good at it, but never was this new assignment so bold. My assignment was to assassinate the Pope. It would be difficult and it had to be done while the Pope was traveling through Europe. I had the Pope's schedule of stops and picked Ireland as the place where the killing would take place. The Pope was to meet for two days in Dublin on his trek through Europe in an effort to reform the Catholic church. My accommodations were to be in the Blarney Hotel. It was a rinky-dink hotel with large rodents as my roommates. It was really fitting because who was the biggest rat of them all, me!

I stopped off at the bar on the lower level of the hotel. I had a couple of very dark beers to mellow out, as the Pope was not to arrive in Dublin until the next day at ten in the morning. I climbed the stairs one flight up to get to my room. My room looked like a torture facility of hell. In the center of the bed was a very large green rat. I do not know about you but I never seen a green rodent before. And the size of him, he was good 150 pounds. He was as big as a Great Dane dog. And then to my surprise he opened his mouth showing some very sharp looking teeth with an Irish brogue he said, were you expecting Molly Malone? I drew my 357 ready to kill the big rat. But stopped as the rat said I am not your enemy friend. I just would like to speak with you a few minutes. Well go ahead I said with my Bronx accent. The green rat said, you know you really do not have to do this. I mean he said, the Pope is really a good human. And your not really that bad yourself. I said to the big green rat, are you kidding me I am a killer, a murderer, I am as low as can be. The big green rat then said who did you ever exterminate? Just the scum of the earth that's who. As the rat spoke his brogue began to disappear. He spoke very clearly now with an educated accent. More like an English aristocrat. 
His face and complete body also began to change. His long tail already had disappeared. His whiskers were gone too. In the matter of two minutes the big green rat had changed into a priestly looking character.

He continued to speak, save our pope he said with conviction. And go your way home in peace. You have a new clean slate.

You know he was right because I checked out of the Dublin Hotel and journeyed back to the United States. It was there that I met my one and only lover. And goodness prevailed for the remainder of my life.

Tony Mike Nerone

4-19-10