Triss - 15 by Brian Jacques

Author:Brian Jacques [Jacques, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

22

Memm Flackery and Sister Vernal sat on two chairs close to the Abbey doors in Great Hall. A trolley served as their table. On it was toasted bread, a jar of comb honey, the first of that summer's strawberries, and a steaming pot of dandelion tea.

The Harenurse yawned. "Rotten old storm, hope we don't get another this season. There was one time last night when I thought the bloomin' roof was comin' in, the way that blinkin' thunder sounded!" She munched listlessly on her thick, honeyed toast.

Sister Vernal stopped herself from nodding off and blinked owlishly. "Up on our paws all night, with crying Dibbuns and others who wouldn't come down from the windows because they wanted to watch the lightning. Dearie me, I'm exhausted."

"Boom boom! Bangybangybang! Boobooboooom!"

A herd of shrieking little ones dashed past, followed by Ruggum, Roobil and Turfee mousebabe, who were chasing them, pretending to be stormdogs. Memm and Vernal covered their ears.

"Boombangeeboom! I'm a t'under comin' to getcha! Boom!"

Little Dibbun maids squealed, running in circles with their aprons thrown up over their faces. "Yeeeek, it's a storm!"

Turfee waved two long cornstalks. He was the lightning. "Tish! Flash! Tish! Tish! I burn you tails off. Tish!"

Memm collared him as he dashed past for the third time. Sitting the mousebabe on her lap, she popped a strawberry into his mouth. "Be still, y'little bounder. Chew on that an' keep quiet, wot!"

Immediately she was surrounded by Dibbuns, clamouring aloud,

"Wanna strawbee! Gimme strawbees, Memm!"

"Bo urr, oi'm gurtly 'ungered for strawbees, marm!"

"You nebber sayed pleeze. Can I hab a strawbee, pleeze!"

Memm and Vernal emptied the bowl as they dished strawberries to the open-mouthed infants. Vernal threw up her paws wearily. "Go and play now, they're all gone!"

Ruggum folded his paws defiantly and faced up to her. "Urr miz, uz be a goin' to ee h'orchard an' picken more!"

Memm fixed him with her severest Harenurse stare. "Oh, no you don't, young sah, you're not to go outside, any of you. It's drizzlin' heavy out there. Go an' play!"

Ruggum held his ground, returning her stare with what he thought was his fierce moleface. "Ho, do ee say so, marm, well let oi tell ee. Grizzle doant bee's a botheren us'n's, we'm gurt tuff h'aminals, burr aye!"

Memm moved her chair so that its back was against the door. She wagged a warning paw under Ruggum's snout. "Well, tough or not, you ain't gettin' by me, master Rug-gum, so you can go off into the corner an' bally well grizzle about that. Now, that's my final word on the subject. Wot!"

"Ahem, permission to get by, marm, if'n ye please!"

Memm looked up to see Skipper and Log a Log standing there. The otter Chieftain and the Guosim leader were

heavily armed. Skipper carried a sling and stone pouch, a newly tipped javelin and the sword of Martin across his back. Log a Log carried a sling and pouch alongside his shrew rapier, with a small bow and quiver of arrows in addition.

Ruggum snatched up one of Turfee's cornstalks.

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