RATS
The grasses and flowers before them trembled for a moment. The boys stopped and looked at each other as if to confirm this, neither sure whether it had been real or imagined. But then it came again. This time there could be no mistaking it, the grass was trembling. Even the ground was vibrating! Ahead of them came a rustling in the grass, and faintly, almost out of human hearing range, a high pitched squealing. The grass before them rippled, as if moved by some unseen force. Like a path, where an invisible entity was advancing towards them, flattening the blades before it as it came. The squealing became a shrieking. Louder, and more intense as the invisible force progressed towards them. And there just before them , a rat, but such a rat as they had never seen before. Larger surely than a cat. Coarse, dark brown fur matted its body; a cord like tail trailed behind it, scaly and muscular, not some useless appendage. But worst of all was the head, large and pointed; two mad reddened eyes glowed like hot coals, and teeth,…no! ‘TEETH’!…Large, sharp, yellow teeth. Surely teeth like that could make a meal of two boys in no time at all.
The boys took a step backwards as the rat emerged from the grass. But it was followed. Not by one rat or two, but a torrent of rats. They poured from the grass in their thousands, a dark river of dirty brown fur flowing around them, leaving them stood holding fast to each other like an island midstream. Relentlessly the rats flowed by, not pausing, not deviating, intent only it appeared on fleeing in a desperate panic. On and on they came. Over the boy’s feet. In-between their legs. Rats in every direction, clambering over each other in their mad flight. The boys each wondered what it was the rats fled from, or too?
Unknown to them, the Rats were hell bent on a mission to escape from the triangle. The Rats knew that whenever anything entered the triangle, that for a short time after, a ‘gateway’ remained open, leaving a passage back to the ‘real’ world.
And then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the rats were gone; all that remained to give any sign of their passing was a broad path of trampled grass, and rapidly fading squealing. The boys stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other wondering how such an enormous pack of rats could appear from nowhere, and then disappear so quickly.
The rats continued on their mad relentless charge, sensing the opportunity. Knowing that with the entry of the boys into the triangle, there in lay their freedom. They fled, sensing their chance, up the valley side, and into the forest itself, an unstoppable brown tide. As the rats advanced, so the forest wildlife before them fled, but the rats were not interested in foraging for food, only their freedom. They sped on through the forest until at last they came to the great briars. With no hesitation they plunged in, regardless of the savage thorns tearing at them. Under branches, over branches, they were unstoppable. As they passed through the vicious tangle of thorns, so a change came over them. At first it seemed just a trick of the light. They began to loose substance, become transparent. And then gradually, loose form. And as they became more ghost like, there appeared here a flash of red as from a coat. The sparkle of brass buttons. A musket barrel. A black cross belt. And then even this was gone, leaving small wisps of smoke or fog, glowing from within, which was soon whipped away on the breeze leaving a cloud of dust that gently settled on the floor. As the rats had passed through the boundary of Tanglewood, so they passed out of reach of the enchantment that had held them.
Author Bio
I was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. I have
enjoyed adventures, while traveling abroad. I later married a man from
Southampton, England. Ever since I could remember, I could be found with a pen
and pad in hand creating stories influenced from my active imagination. While
raising my children I would read to them and their friends the Tales I have
written for their amusement. I have
always encouraged them to view the world with open eyes and to continue on a course towards their goals.
I was raised in an atmosphere where supernatural was real, and Legends and lore
a possibility .with strong family ancestry in Scotland, England and Ireland.
It was a natural course for me to pursue writing
what I love, fantasy and fiction. I have received merit in poetry with
publication in a book of anthology. I am attending a local colledge for my
Associates in English literature- Liberal-Arts. My hobbies include restoring my
historic home, gardening, decorating and the great outdoors. My greatest
passions are foremost, my family, Horses and my dearest companions a Labrador
and boxer.
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