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Urban fishing
Going into the sewer was an art unto itself. For this form of urban fishing
you required additional equipment (such as a clothes hanger, paper cup, tape
and stick), patience, fine motor coordination and teamwork. You'd make your
scoop and slowly, carefully try to fish out the dirty, scummy, smelly, slimy
balls that had recently fallen into the abyss. If you had a short kid like
Eddie "Stymie" Wolf you might be able to lower him down head first into the
sewer where he could reach down and grab the prize.
Kids like Stymie had a special immunity to smells. Though usually only
mediocre at sports, these daredevils proved their value to the gang through
special skills and feats of courage, such as entering and emerging
victoriously from that dark, dank underworld. Stymie was one of those
multi-talented specialists who could also throw up on demand, another highly
regarded trait.
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