090813 #worm A serpent the vacuum won't suck sits on my floor. He is pulsing spasmodically, sporadically, as if in some great pain. His mouth is working feverishly to try to eke out some particles of sound and light. This, then, is the nature of his malediction: as he asks himself repeatedly, "What is the most logical rational way to catch the nimble rat?" I arch back in my creaky old bentwood chair, point my finger and laugh.