A fisherman off the coast of Rhode Island was shocked last week when he caught a YELLOW lobster. Wha' happened? Theories abound:
The color was caused by a bad case of hepatitis; the lobster lacks courage and has now officially been labeled a coward; the yellow color had been artificially applied to the lobster, as a marketing gimmick for the forthcoming opening of a chain of Yellow Lobster restaurants; or the lobster had used the Yellow Pages Directory or hung out near a Yellow Submarine one too many times.
Satisfied with none of these explanations, spoof reporter Gail Farrelly managed to score a personal interview with the odd creature, so she'd get the scoop straight from the lobster's mouth. What he said was, "It all happened when I was watching the movie Old Yeller for the 800th time. I felt a glow come over me. Presto, I changed color."
Farrelly came away from the interview thinking that Thomas Dekker was right: "This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more, to whosoever will think of it."
Gail Farrelly is the author of three mystery novels. The latest is "Creamed at Commencement: A Graduation Mystery." One of her short stories is published online: "Get Yourself a Face" (about a Mafia princess who buys herself a face transplant and a lot of trouble). Her story "Even Steven" was a finalist in the 2007 Derringer Award competition.
The story above is a satire or parody. It is entirely fictitious.
