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Even Dead, Really Nasty Pets Are Still ... Um ... Trouble

The Inmans had a parrot. Grump (that was his name) was horrible, angry, scheming and nasty. But he was their parrot so they couldn't shoot him. Instead he lived in their house, soiled their mail, stole their fried chicken and, every so often, bit. Then, finally, he died.

Sort of.

This is the story of Grump's funeral, as told by Matt Inman, then a boy, now author of one of my , The Oatmeal. Right down to the very, very end, Matt says, everything Grump did was disturbing. Even when the parrot's body was safely wrapped in a towel, and Matt's dad placed it deep down in the soft earth, even then, Grump still ... disturbed.

(Please be advised, there is the tiniest bit of salty language in this comic, and if you don't like that sort of thing ... don't look.)

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Robert Krulwich works on radio, podcasts, video, the blogosphere. He has been called "the most inventive network reporter in television" by TV Guide.
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