The Bridge In the Clouds by William Corlett

Author:William Corlett [William Corlett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RHCP
Published: 2005-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

15

Into the Enemy Camp

THE ROOM THEY had entered was in darkness. At first, they could see nothing at all. But, little by little, as their eyes grew accustomed, and with the aid of the small amount of light that spilled in from the passage through the crack in the door, they began to distinguish vague shapes.

Rattus was standing on his hindlegs, staring at them. Behind him, looking extremely small and nervous, was a mouse.

‘Alice,’ Rattus hissed, ‘this is Timrous – my name for her! She’s a good little creature, but scared. Try and stiffen her up, will you?’

‘Me?’ Alice asked, surprised that she should be chosen for this job. ‘How? What d’you mean?’

‘Just stop her flapping while you’re with her.’

‘With her? Am I going with her?’

‘Certainly! You don’t think you can walk into Morden’s camp looking like yourself, do you?’

‘But . . .’ Alice started. She wanted to say that she had no intention of walking into Morden’s camp in any guise whatsoever. But before she could say another word, Timrous, the mouse, jumped towards her and the next thing Alice knew, she was landing on four tiny claws and twitching her nose excitedly.

‘I don’t want to go at all!’ Timrous squeaked in her head.

‘Me neither!’ Alice assured her.

‘Trouble is,’ Timrous explained, ‘they need me. I know every inch of this house and I’m known by most of the rats. They’ll only accept these other creatures if I’m with them. That’s what the rat said, anyway.’

‘We’ll have to go then,’ Alice thought in a resigned voice.

‘What d’you make of it all?’ Timrous squeaked. ‘The rat seems to know what he’s doing – but he’s a bit too bossy for my liking. Still, to be fair, I was going to have to move out. So I may as well go along with him! The old woman’s cats were no problem! This is a big house and I’m used to coping with cats . . . but Morden’s rats!’ The mouse shuddered. ‘It’s been hell since they moved back in. So many of them! And the trouble with them is if you don’t join them, your life isn’t worth living! Lots of my friends have gone over to their side. Fear! Sheer fear! If you don’t join them, they think you’re against them – and they bother you all the time. So I keep in with them. Doesn’t pay to make an enemy of a rat. But I’m certainly not one of them, whatever they may think. Horrible, uncouth louts! They’ll ruin everything for us, you know. They’ll drive the humans away from here – and without humans, you have to really work at making a living . . .’

‘Shut up, mouse! Stop your squeaking!’ Mary hissed and then she gasped, realizing that it was Rattus who had spoken through her.

‘You’d better be with me,’ Rattus explained in her head. ‘You have the pendulum. William, there’s a weasel called Mustel over there. Now I’m not partial to weasels myself, but if we’re in for a spat, they’re good fighters.

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