It was your typical pre-dawn Wednesday morning. Ralph crawled up through the storm drain and onto the sidewalk on 2nd and Mazatlan, where he usually basked in the delectable aroma of the Johnsons’ early breakfast bacon, sizzling in a pan. He knew this would mean a smorgasbord of satisfying goodies come 10 o’clock, haphazardly tossed into the organics waste bin. The Johnsons clearly didn’t believe in leftovers. But Ralph sure did. And, no one would be the wiser until discovering a mess after garbage pickup. The city waste employees always endured the blame for tidbits strewn about in the gutter, which tickled Ralph to no end.

He crossed the street, traversed the front lawn, leaped up onto the wooden bench on the front porch, and peered stealthily into the Johnsons’ kitchen window, his shiny black eyes camouflaged by his bandit mask. He sniffed enthusiastically, hoping to catch a delectable whiff of the bacon, though he knew the smell would torture him until later, when he could upturn their bin and devour whatever they’d thrown out from breakfast.

But something was off today. Something was different. His whiskers twitched this way and that. His ringed tail stuck straight out in alarm. This was no bacon smell. What came in through his tiny, black nostrils reminded him of his mother, back when Ralph was just a baby. He remembered the scent that came off of her when she threw herself between Ralph and an angry German shepherd that was intent on a furry snack. That smell was fear. And he smelled it now, coming through the screen window of the Johnsons’ kitchen. His fur stood on end as he focused his attention on Mrs. Johnson, sitting on a kitchen chair. Strangely, she had a bandit mask too, but hers was of white cloth, covering her crinkled eyes, and there was something stuck in her mouth. Her veiny hands were tied behind her back, and she was shaking. Ralph saw a large man standing behind her with a knife, at her. The hungry raccoon barely gave himself a chance to think before barreling through the window screen, screeching and baring his sharp teeth. The large man, caught off guard, dropped the knife, just as Ralph leaped at him and sunk his teeth into the man’s neck.