He is a crab. He scuttles down Main Street, walking backwards, looking to his left and his right, eyes forever darting. Maybe he is worried about predators, maybe he is looking for food, and maybe he is just looking as he sidles, back and forth, left and right down the sidewalk.

A man comes darting for him. “Hey, you! You little…” Our crab, Cancer, needs to hear no more. His claws go up, clicking at the air. He backs himself into the drug store, burying himself in the sand. Outside, the seagull circles, eyes wary and hungry. Eventually, he moves on. Inside, the crab pokes his eyes out of the sand.

On the counter at the drugstore is a half-eaten English muffin. Apricot Jam has cooled on the surface and the butter has formed into a lukewarm blob. His eyes rotate toward the trash, the tiny mandibles around his mouth begin to click together. One pincer creaks over to it and sweeps the muffin off the plate and brings it to his mouth. Alert for predators who might snatch that precious morsel away, he devours. Quickly, he slides sideways off the stools, and scuttles silently out the door.

Aware of the seagull that so recently wanted to snatch him up into the air and smash him on a parking lot, the crab backs against the wall, eyes swirling around. He side slips down to the Hub and ducks in the front door. At the desk, he spies a small lobster, caught by the register. Carefully, he approaches.

“You know I watched that game on Saturday and you played very well….” The lobster backs up, but Cancer, the crab, has one pincer firmly ahold. “I was wondering what you thought of the play calling It seemed as if you should have had more freedom out there I watched you pass the ball a great deal perhaps you should be passing more Everyone in the stands seemed to think so.” His mandibles begin to clack as he brings the other pincer to bear on the trapped lobster. “Did you know that the superintendent was aiming to curtail all sports because they got in the way of faculty meetings Did you hear about that He feels that…” A larger lobster emerges from the shadows and approaches Cancer from behind, swiping at his back with one large claw. Terrified, the crab beats a hasty retreat.

Later, Cancer will join the other crabs at Hutch’s. They will all feed on the leavings of some larger, more noble animal, picking the bones clean. For hours, they will swing their ragged claws and back up, sawing the air with great protestations. Then, with a sigh of great pain, they will bury themselves up to their eyes in sand and sleep under the sand of silent seas.