01 Magyk by Sage Angie

Author:Sage, Angie [Angie, Sage,]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-04-10T22:25:16.174000+00:00

"Sir.You can't do that, sir.Can do it. Have, in fact,done it." The black rat allowed a smug smile to drift past his whiskers.

"But I've got all my exams, and I've only just done my Higher Confidentials. And I came top"

"And I came top, sir.Too bad. Confidential status revoked. End of story.Dismissed."

"Butbut" splutteredStanley .

"Nowpush off ." snapped the black rat, his tail flicking angrily.

Stanleypushed off.

Downstairs,Stanley dropped the paperwork off at the Customer Office as usual. The Office Rat scrutinized the message sheet and poked a stubby paw at Marcia's name.

"Know where to find her, do you?" he inquired.

"Of course," saidStanley .

"Good. That's what we like to hear," said the rat.

"Weird," mutteredStanley to himself. He didn't much like the new staff at the Rat Office, and he wondered what had happened to the nice old ratswho used to run it.

It was a long and perilous journey thatStanley undertook that MidWinter Feast Day.

First he hitched a lift on a small barge taking wood down to the Port. Unfortunately forStanley , the barge skipper believed in keeping the ship's cat lean and mean, and mean it certainly was.Stanley spent the journey desperately trying to avoid the cat, which was an extremely large orange animal with big yellow fangs and very bad breath. His luck ran out just before Deppen Ditch when he was cornered by the cat and a burly sailor wielding a large plank, andStanley was forced to make an early exit from the barge.

The river water was freezing, and the tide was running fast, sweepingStanley downstream as he struggled to keep his head above water in the tide race. It was not untilStanley had reached the Port that he was finally able to struggle ashore at the harbor.

Stanleylay on the bottom of the harbor steps, looking like nothing more than a limp piece of wet fur. He was too exhausted to go any farther. Voices drifted past above him on the harbor wall.

"Ooh, Ma, look! There's a dead rat on those steps. Can I take it home and boil it up for its skeleton?"

"No, Petunia, you can't."

"But I haven't got a rat skeleton, Ma."

"And you're not having one either. Come on."

Stanleythought to himself that if Petunia had taken him home he wouldn't have objected to a nice soak in a pan of boiling water. At least it would have warmed him up a bit.

When he did finally stagger to his feet and drag himself up the harbor steps, he knew he had to get warm and find food before he could carry on his journey. And so he followed his nose to a bakery and sneaked inside, where he lay shivering beside the ovens, slowly warming through. A scream from the baker's wife and a hefty swipe with a broom eventually sent him on his way, but not before he had managed to eat most of a jam doughnut and nibble holes through at least three loaves of bread anda custard tart.

Feeling much refreshed,Stanley set about looking for a lift to Marram Marshes.

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