There were worms, maggots, scattered around the floor of the cage. The smell of rot hung in the air. I shuddered all over. I remembered those worms from when I was a child. I had reached out impulsively, picked one up, and stared at it squirming between my fingertips, a round blob tapering to a tail, much like a tadpole. I’d put it in my mouth, gulped it down. I thought about the cankerworm in the car. What is wrong
