Frankenstein

before. I’ll do it again. I don’t live by any rules, and I have no pity.”
    Nummy heard someone talk once about a pity party. He didn’t know what kind of party that was, but it sounded like Mr. Lyss couldn’t go to a pity party if someone asked him because he didn’t have any pity to bring. Maybe that was one of the reasons he was so angry all the time, because he wanted to go to parties but couldn’t.
    Nummy felt sorry for Mr. Lyss.
    Nummy was never asked to parties, either, but that was all right because he didn’t want to go. All he ever wanted was to stay home with Grandmama. Now that Grandmama was gone, all Nummy wanted was to stay home with his dog, Norman.
    But if you wanted to go to parties and you couldn’t, that must be sad. Nummy tried always to choose happiness, like Grandmama told him he could and should do, but he saw how other people were lots of times sad, and he felt sorry for them.
    Slowly the storm pipe curved, a long curve, and when they came all the way around to where it ran straight again, there was a big circle of light at the end.
    A round grating covered the end of the pipe with crossbars to keep trash and junk wood from washing into the drain. The grating looked like it was fixed all the way around to the sides of the pipe, but it was really like a coin standing on edge. If you knew where the little hidden lever was, you could press it and turn the entire grating sideways to the opening.
    “Pivot hinges,” said Mr. Lyss. “Who showed you that?”
    “Nobody. Just found it one day.”
    They came out of the pipe into a large but shallow concrete catch basin. Workers had cleared out the trash from the last storm. The concrete bowl was clean and dry.
    A narrow road dead-ended at the catch basin. They followed itdownhill a little way, then left the blacktop and crossed a field to the back of Nummy’s house.
    “Sweet little place,” said Mr. Lyss. “Looks like freakin’ Snow White lives here with seven damn dwarfs.”
    “No, sir. Just me and Grandmama. Now me and Norman.”
    Nummy peeled back the doormat to get the key.
    Mr. Lyss said, “You just hide the key under the doormat?”
    “It’s a secret,” Nummy whispered.
    “Haven’t you ever come home and found your place cleaned out wall to wall?”
    “No, sir,” Nummy said as he unlocked the door. “I do all the cleaning my own self.”
    In the kitchen, Mr. Lyss said, “Cozy.”
    “Grandmama she liked cozy and so do I.”
    “Where’s this dog that better well not bite me?”
    Nummy led him into the living room and pointed to the sofa on which Norman sat.
    Stamping his foot, slapping his hip, Mr. Lyss laughed. He had a laugh you wanted to run from.
    “That’s no dog, you idiot.”
    “He is too a dog,” Nummy said. “He’s a good dog.”
    “He’s a stuffed-toy dog is what he is.”
    “Well, you got to imagine good,” said Nummy.
    “You have a brain the size of a chickpea. You want a dog, why don’t you get a real one?”
    “Grandmama she said a real one might be too hard for me, after she was gone. I have to clean house, make food, take care of myself, and that there’s a big job, even without no dog.”
    Mr. Lyss laughed again, and Nummy stepped away from him.
    In a meaner than usual voice that reminded Nummy of how that movie witch cackled over her big iron pot, Mr. Lyss said, “You been able to teach old Norman some tricks? He looks so
smart
.”
    “He’s got better tricks than some real dog,” Nummy said.
    Just to prove that Norman was special and to make the old man sorry he laughed, Nummy went to the sofa and sat beside his dog.
    Hidden behind one of Norman’s ears was a button. When Nummy pushed it, the dog said in a nice but growly voice, “Rub my tummy.”
    “And you probably turn him upside down and rub it half the night,” Mr. Lyss said, and he started to laugh harder than ever.
    Nummy pushed the button again, and in his nice growly voice, Norman said, “Can I have a treat?”
    Mr. Lyss laughed so hard tears filled his eyes, and he sat down on a chair as if he might fall down if he didn’t sit.
    Through his laughter, the old man said, “He must eat you out of house and home!”
    Norman the dog said, “Let’s play ball.” He said, “I don’t like cats.” He said, “Time for a nap.”
    Mr. Lyss continued to laugh but not as hard as before.
    Norman the dog said, “You are very kind to me.”
    Mr. Lyss wiped his eyes on his coat sleeve.
    Nummy hugged Norman, and the dog said,