The only thing different about Albert, was that he had a face resembling an alligator’s. Other than this unusual defect he was a bright, healthy child. Albert tried to hide his condition, but his peers grew suspicious of the birds that landed in his mouth to clean his teeth.
“Albert-gator!” They shrieked. “Albert-gator! If he doesn’t eat you now, he’ll EAT YOU LATER!”
To say this teasing made Albert cry crocodile tears would be cruel, but it was true.
“You’re a lovely boy.” His mother kissed his rough snout. “Kids can be mean, but someday they’ll regret calling you names.”
The next day, Albert was playing by the swimming pool when an older boy pushed him down.
“Crawl on your belly like a REAL alligator!” He laughed. In a flash, Albert clamped his jaws around the boy’s neck and dove underwater, completing a perfect death roll before anyone could intervene.
Jess
