Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue

by Anna Fargher

  London will always be my favourite city, though, Pip thought, remembering the red buses, the telephone boxes, the people coming into the umbrella shop to grumble about the weather, and the men and women walking arm in arm as they looked at the umbrellas in the window on their way to the theatre. Seeing Mama and Papa in her memory, she swallowed a lump in her throat, finding their faces too hard to bear.

  ‘Just you wait until you see the Eiffel Tower.’ GI Joe winked, noticing her whiskers drooping on her cheeks. ‘There’s nothing like it.’

  For the rest of the day, the stag and the wolves continued east, travelling as quickly and quietly as they could through the forest and taking cover whenever they heard an unexpected sound or saw a flutter in the undergrowth they did not like.

  It was a slow journey, and the August sun had scorched the sky red when they reached the den near the river, which rippled like molten gold against the fading light. Gabriel and Madeleine led the way, bounding along the bank before swerving to the right and abruptly disappearing under the treeline, bringing the animals to a grassy ditch with a large, earthy hole burrowed into the ground.

  ‘It’s deep enough so we won’t be seen or heard.’ Madeleine sniffed the entrance to the den she’d dug some time ago. ‘And it will keep us dry if the weather turns.’

  ‘Parfait.’ Madame Fourcade smiled. ‘I can think of no better place for us to gather our strength.’

  ‘But Henri won’t fit inside.’ Pip’s brow furrowed. ‘We can’t stay here if he’s going to be in danger.’

  ‘She’s right,’ GI Joe added. ‘It’s your antlers, buddy.’

  ‘I’ll be fine if I lie down and keep my head low,’ Henri said calmly, stepping into the ditch and tucking his legs under him.

  ‘We’ll stay close and keep watch,’ Madeleine said. ‘I promise he’ll come to no harm. We build our dens in the safest places so our cubs are not at risk.’ Suddenly Madeleine’s eyes clouded and Gabriel nuzzled his head into her neck. ‘If we had stayed here with ours,’ she said, blinking away tears, ‘the Rogue Wolves would never have killed them.’

  Pip hadn’t considered Madeleine being a mother. Both she and Gabriel were young and fierce; it made sense for them to have cubs and, as she looked at the wolves comforting each another, she sighed, realizing grief haunted even the most powerful creatures.

  ‘No words can make up for your loss,’ Madame Fourcade said warmly, ‘but you will always be a mother, no matter what happened to your young.’

  Looking up from Gabriel’s fur, Madeleine met the hedgehog’s gaze.

  ‘It feels good to be here again.’ Madeleine smiled softly. ‘It’s full of happy memories.’

  Gabriel’s gold eyes shone. ‘And one day I hope it will be filled with many more.’

  ‘Now,’ Madame Fourcade said, sympathetically changing the subject, ‘we’ve had a long and perilous journey, so we must eat!’ Pip’s stomach gurgled and the hedgehog laughed beside her. ‘Your belly sounds as empty as mine!’

  Beneath the first shimmer of stars, Pip and Madame Fourcade snuffled in the undergrowth above the wolves’ den and nibbled on freshly foraged blackberries, acorns and seeds, while GI Joe exercised his weakened wings and flew unsteadily between low-hanging branches above their heads.

  When Pip was finally full, she wiped the juice from her lips and sat heavily with her legs stretched out before her, watching the stag’s silhouette graze the grass along the moon-drenched riverbank. Behind him, Gabriel and Madeleine waded into the river. One after another, they darted their muzzles through the surface and reappeared with large fish wriggling between their teeth. Leaping triumphantly out of the river, they trotted to dry land and feasted on their catches with swishing tails. It was a scene as normal for woodland animals as any Pip could imagine, and for a brief moment she forgot the world was at war.

  Fed and watered, the animals retired, with Henri and the wolves curling up in the grassy ditch, and Pip, Madame Fourcade and GI Joe nestling together inside the den, which was bare except for a scattering of dried leaves and the warm smell of family. Pip snuggled against the hedgehog’s soft belly fur and felt comforted by her friends’ gentle snores. Slowly, her eyes grew heavier and she slumped into a deep, worn-out sleep.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  HOPE

  Pip woke with a start, seeing Léon and Hans’s final struggle against the sentry owls and Goliath Rats at the Nacht und Nebel camp twist painfully in her mind. Trembling from the tips of her whiskers to the end of her tail, her gaze slowly came into focus and she breathed easier, finding Madame Fourcade and GI Joe peacefully sleeping beside her in the wolf den. Feeling too shaken to close her eyes again, she sat upright with her knees pulled into her chest and cried as quietly as she could.

  ‘Pip?’ Madame Fourcade groggily moved over to her and wrapped her paws round her shuddering shoulders. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I should have done something to save Léon and Hans that night,’ Pip sniffed, tears streaming down her face. ‘Then they’d still be with us.’

  ‘There’s nothing you could’a done.’ GI Joe cooed sleepily, untucking his head from under his wing and shuffling over to her. ‘This damn war’s to blame, not you.’

  ‘He’s right, chérie,’ Madame Fourcade soothed. ‘No matter how many “should”s and “could”s we utter, we cannot change what is done. Keep your head above water by remembering our friends in happier times. Reliving their last moments will only weigh you down.’ Madame Fourcade paused, squeezing Pip tighter and resting her chin on the top of her head. ‘I ache inside, thinking of you and my hoglets growing up in these terrible days of war. I cannot wait to introduce you to them after our liberation; they are not far from Paris at all. You have already been through so much for one so young. We will triumph, Pip, you’ll see. Hope is a very powerful thing. Anything is possible if you can keep it burning, and the bravery you showed when you freed us from the Nacht und Nebel camp has lit the fires inside the hearts of the Resistance – and that’s what scares the enemy the most.’ The hedgehog’s eyes twinkled with kindness. ‘Do you know what always makes me feel better after a nightmare?’ Pip shook her head. ‘A bath.’

  GI Joe nodded. ‘Oh boy, that sounds good.’

  ‘Let’s wash away the horridness,’ the hedgehog said, padding towards the entrance to the den, which was now lightening with the smoky blues of sunrise. ‘It works wonders – you’ll see.’

  Pip, Madame Fourcade and GI Joe crawled into the open air, past Henri, still cradling the umbrella in his horns as he slept beside Madeleine and Gabriel in the ditch, and walked to the river, which mirrored the murky clouds ambling slowly across the sky. Reaching the water’s edge, GI Joe waded up to his stomach and tossed his body from side to side and Pip mimicked Madame Fourcade, cupping her paws into the river and splashing her face with a gasp at the chill.

  The cicadas woke, chirping their early morning melodies, and the water stilled. Pip’s heart quickened, seeing her reflection for the first time in months. She had lost some of her fluffy fur and she could see she looked more like Mama now.

  She felt the familiar press of Henri’s nose gently nudge her shoulder. He padded into the shallows with the wolves and lowered his mouth to drink.

  ‘If we find the seagulls soon,’ Madeleine said, lifting her head to the sky, now bleeding pink and mauve, ‘you could be in Paris by nightfall.’

  Gabriel and Henri followed her gaze with water dripping from their muzzles.

  ‘I’m ready,’ Pip said, with Madame Fourcade and GI Joe nodding beside her.

  Henri smiled. ‘Then climb back up, you three.’

  Pip and Madame Fourcade scaled the length of his face to stand between his ears, but GI Joe shuffled on his talons, unsure of how to join them.

  ‘Use your wings!’ Pip offered, and GI Joe’s brow furrowed in reply.

  ‘I don’t know, liddle lady.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘My aim isn’t what it used to be. But here goes.’

  With a frown of con
centration, he bent his knees and leaned his body forward. Throwing up his wings and tail feathers and swiftly pulling them down again, he lifted himself into the air and landed unsteadily on Henri’s face. The stag lifted his head and at once GI Joe stumbled and landed on his stomach with his wings wrapped around Henri’s nose. They stared at each other, wide-eyed with alarm, before the pigeon cleared his throat with embarrassment and waddled to the crown of Henri’s head.

  ‘Worry not, mon ami,’ Madame Fourcade said as GI Joe settled beside Henri’s right antler with a doleful sigh. ‘We may be better rested, but no one expects you to bounce back overnight after everything you have been through.’

  ‘Ready?’ Madeleine wagged her tail with Gabriel. ‘Follow us!’

  For the rest of the morning, Henri and the wolves cantered under the cover of trees and long grasses growing beside the river, winding through the forest. The shore grew woodier the further they travelled, and the animals slowed through tall shrubs and leafy boughs until they reached a place where the thicket abruptly thinned into thick green hedgerows and pastures, rolling into the horizon.

  ‘Without the trees you can see for miles,’ Gabriel whispered, his gold eyes scanning the countryside for danger.

  ‘What’s that noise?’ Pip asked, ears pricking, hearing a low rumble grow rapidly louder overhead, and the animals halted, their necks craning into the clouds.

  ‘Hide!’ Madame Fourcade gasped as the noise rose to a pounding roar. The air shuddered as the animals leaped into the undergrowth and cowered, watching countless grey propeller planes pepper the blue above.

  ‘Those are US bombers,’ GI Joe cooed, watching them thunder into the countryside, and Pip breathed easier, hearing the river flow again. ‘You can tell from the stars under the wings. And that’s a whole lotta planes. We don’t wanna be anywhere near them when they carry out their objective, believe me.’

  ‘We should hurry.’ Madeleine trotted ahead. ‘The seagulls will be leaving for Paris to report them soon.’

  ‘Off to inform the Jerries about those planes, are we?’ came a gruff voice suddenly from the thicket. Henri shied backwards as an Alsatian with a white chest stepped out from behind a shrub with his nose wrinkling in a snarl. Madeleine and Gabriel growled and stalked forward, curling their lips back from their fangs.

  ‘Who are you?’ Pip’s ears pricked at his English accent and her mind raced, seeing the harness wrapped around his body. It had a small bag attached, stitched with a red cross on the side, and Pip’s heart swelled, remembering Dickin the London search and rescue dog’s kind, scruffy face. Not only had he helped her during the most difficult time in her life, he had never tired of trying to make her smile. He was her first true friend.

  ‘I think it’s best you tell us who you are,’ another Alsatian snapped from behind them. ‘We have a battalion of men ready to attack at our call.’

  ‘I dare you to do it,’ Madeleine the she-wolf spat, ‘but it’ll be the last thing you ever do.’

  ‘Stop it!’ Pip cried as they circled one another. ‘Don’t you see? You’re on the same side! You’ve come from England, haven’t you?’ she asked the Alsatians. They stopped growling and Pip spoke as fast as she could. ‘I knew a dog like you in London. His name was Dickin and he helped humans after bombing raids. He saved me when the umbrella shop where I lived was destroyed and my parents were killed. The wolves you are quarrelling with are members of the French Resistance, so stop fighting, all of you!’

  ‘Is that so?’ the first Alsatian asked, cocking his head at Pip standing between Henri’s ears beneath the umbrella cradled across his antlers. ‘I say!’ He suddenly beamed, his tongue hanging out of his mouth in a smile. ‘Are you Pip?’

  ‘Yes,’ she answered, sharing an astonished glance with her friends.

  ‘I don’t believe it!’ The other Alsatian wagged his tail energetically and bounced over to Henri, who took two cautious steps backwards. ‘What are the chances of us bumping into you like this? I’m Brian and we’re members of Churchill’s Secret Animal Army too! We’ve had special instructions via Bernard Booth’s pigeon service to look out for you!’

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you fellows, I’m Bing,’ the first Alsatian said, sitting on his haunches. ‘Forgive us – we didn’t mean to startle you. You’re deep behind enemy lines and none of us can be too careful. We’re sky-dogs and we’re the eyes, ears and noses of our men.’

  ‘Of course!’ GI Joe cooed excitedly. ‘You guys parachute with the boys and protect them on the ground, sniffing out mines and listening for the enemy, and you also deliver messages and medical supplies on the battlefield. I remember seeing three of you on the airfield before I boarded my paratroopers’ plane for D-Day. Bernard Booth told us all about you.’

  ‘Yes, he said about five hundred pigeons were joining us on the jump that night.’ Brian smiled and GI Joe nodded proudly. ‘We’ve communicated with a number of you since we arrived in France.’

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Pip asked, excited. She couldn’t imagine dogs jumping out of planes with men during battles.

  ‘The Allied army is pressing east through Normandy, but the enemy is fiercely counter-attacking around Falaise. We’re here so our men can sabotage their electricity lines and demolish nearby bridges from inside enemy territory and delay their supply of food, fuel and weapons.’

  ‘Have you seen the Jerries at all?’ Bing asked. ‘They use these blasted hedgerows for ambushing our men.’

  ‘There were three Tiger tanks not far from here the night before last,’ Pip said, ‘but we sabotaged the fuel lines and stopped them in their tracks.’

  ‘Well done!’ Bing wagged his tail with Brian. ‘I bet they didn’t see that coming.’

  ‘We must return to our troops soon.’ Bing’s ears cocked towards the brush. ‘Bernard Booth gave us strict instructions to help you and any other Resistance network we come across – is there anything we can do for you?’

  ‘Will you and your men come to Paris and help us liberate the city?’ Pip pleaded, and her friends nodded around her.

  ‘The Resistance is gathering strength,’ Madame Fourcade added. ‘It’s only a matter of time before they strike and, with military support, the invaders won’t stand a chance against the civilian uprising.’

  ‘We can’t guarantee that, Madame.’ Bing shook his head softly. ‘If our operation is victorious, then our boys might be able to travel through Paris on our way to Berlin, but it’s possible the Allies will bypass the city. They won’t want to risk civilian lives or slow the advance towards Germany, especially as our fuel and food supplies are low. Brian and I must follow our orders and help our men put an end to all this mess.’

  ‘We are meeting our contacts further down the river,’ Gabriel said. ‘We’d appreciate it if you made sure your men don’t head in our direction.’

  Brian nodded. ‘You have our word. Anything else we can do for you now?’

  ‘Have you seen any Butcher Birds?’ Pip asked, and the Alsatians glanced at one another uneasily. ‘They’re small grey shrikes with black markings over their eyes like masks.’

  Brian nodded again. ‘We saw a mass of them heading east at dawn.’ Pip’s pulse raced. If they had left the wolf den any earlier, they could have crossed paths. ‘It was strange,’ Brian continued. ‘All the sounds in the forest stopped, and, as we signalled for our boys to take cover, a sudden swarm of them passed overhead.’

  ‘Beware,’ Madeleine said gravely, ‘they are members of the Milice – the French Resistance hunters.’

  ‘They’re searching for me.’ Pip hung her head.

  ‘They’re afraid of you because they are losing the war,’ Henri reassured her.

  ‘The war isn’t over yet.’ Bing sighed. ‘We still need to be vigilant every step of the way if we’re going to be victorious, so take care on your onward journey.’

  ‘Best of luck to you all.’ Brian and Bing grinned with their tongues hanging out of their mouths.

  Pip
and the others smiled and wished them well. ‘I hope we’ll see you again.’

  With that, the Alsatians leaped into the undergrowth and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

  ‘We just met sky-dogs!’ GI Joe gave Pip an excited little nudge with his wing. ‘Those guys are at the highest level an animal can get. With their help, the Allied army will make serious headway – no human can match a dog’s hearing or sense of smell.’

  Pip remembered how amazing Dickin was at finding people under the rubble. The humans wouldn’t have known where to start without him, and if dogs could help the soldiers in battle too, there must be hope.

  The roasting midday sun had already crested the sky when Pip and her friends neared a cluster of willows, which draped their long tendrils into the river. Panting in the heat, Henri and the wolves moved sluggishly towards the trees with Pip, Madame Fourcade and GI Joe drooping upon the stag’s head. Madeleine led the way and parted the fine branches with the end of her nose, bringing them inside a cool, shady chamber enveloped by a canopy of fine, leafy branches swaying gently in the breeze.

  At once, a cacophony of trumpeting screeches struck them as a large flock of herring gulls stood tall and glared at the new arrivals with pale, stony irises ringed with orange.

  ‘Silence! ’ the biggest one cawed. The birds snapped their beaks shut and their snowy heads darted curiously from side to side. ‘It’s only Madeleine and Gabriel!’ He turned to the wolves. ‘What are these animals doing with you?’

  The troop of gulls encircled the stag. Some bolder birds took flight and swooped about his head to get a closer look, and Henri, Pip and Madame Fourcade flinched in alarm as a gust of wings blasted their whiskers.

  ‘Jeez!’ GI Joe ducked and ruffled his neck feathers. ‘You guys are friendly.’

  ‘Stop!’ Pip pleaded, stepping forward and protecting her eyes with an open paw raised to her brow. ‘We need to get to Paris. Gabriel told us your colony delivers intelligence to the Resistance in the city. Please, we need your help.’