by Eric Johnson
I was starting to think that maybe going to the Trade House was a mistake. I had nearly gotten killed just then. I looked at the small tower. It was closer now but the pulsing pain in my leg told me I should give up and go to ground.
Then I thought of the strawberries. I had never had a full strawberry before. Not even a rotten one. Those were already claimed before I ever arrived to a bin.
I determined that my effort so far should not be for nothing. I got up and slowly imped across the roof saving my energy for the next main street crossing.
It was easy going across the roofs and thankfully I did not have to do any jumps
I checked the alley thoroughly this time before going down in. It was clear. No dogs, people, or even mice.
I slid carefully to the ground and put my left foot on the ground first. Then hobbled over to a shed built into the back of one of the buildings. On the side of the shed was a wooden board at ground level. I pulled it aside and a small black opening presented itself. I went in.
When I pulled the board back in place behind me darkness prevailed. A small amount of light seeped in between cracks and it took me only a moment to adjust to the lack of light.
I crawled down the whole and there was a pile of mice in one corner in slumber. No one paid me any mind to I just crossed the chamber and went for the passage to cross the street. About halfway across I heard a slight rumbling over my head and a few dirt clods fell in on top of me. I picked up the pace and reached the other end hastily. There was another slumber ball here as well.
The hole going up here actually had some fashioned steps going up. I made my way up and the exit was obscured enough by a couple of large bins that I was able to enter the alley unseen. I peeked around the edges to make sure that I was not observed them went up the drain pipe. The drain pipe was a lot harder with my injury but I still made it. I dropped on the roof and panted with the effort. Across the roof I could see a couple of mice heading my way. It was a boy and a girl about my same age.
“Hi.” I greeted them as they approached.
The boy took the point and actually pushed the girl slightly behind him.
“Hi.” He returned, but I could tell that he really wanted to be on his way and away from me.
“Anywhere good to go in?” I asked him.
He shrugged and helped the girl onto the drain pipe. They both disappeared on me.
I got up and headed towards the Trade House. It was very close now. It might have been my imagination, but I could smell fresh fruit. It was sweet but not that sickly sweet you get when it starts to rot. I took a deep breath and continued on.
I was about a building away from the Trade House and knew I was going to have to get under it to be able to do anything. I had only been in this area a couple of times and I had not tried to get into the Trade House.
I looked over a couple of roof edges till I found one with the tell-tale signs of mouse activity. There was not a drain pipe but there were two walls closed to each other and so I shimmied down with a hand on each. I jumped the last couple of feet and landed in a squat looking around to make sure I had not been noticed. I crawled over to a cast off tub against a wall and found a hole beneath it.
Once inside I crawled to the bottom. There were a couple of mice down here at the bottom and they were eating some stale bread. I looked at them and they reflexively hid their food from my eyes. I looked around the pit and there was no other exit. I had only found a hidey hole and not a tunnel.
I cursed my luck and climbed back up. I picked up the half barrel and looked around to see if anyone was near. Once I was sure it was clear I pulled myself out quickly and made my way back to the roof.
I found that climbing up between the walls with my food injured was too difficult because of the pain.
I dropped and looked around the alley. There was not another way up. I went to the end of the alley and looked around. There were people everywhere, but no one was paying me any attention. I stepped out into the foot traffic as calmly as my nerves would allow me and strolled across the front of one of the buildings. I was about halfway across when I looked in the window of the store I was passing and someone inside spotted me. It was some very large lady. She had been talking to someone at the counter and dropped what she was doing and thundered to the front door of the shop.
I was just in front of the front door as she burst through.
“You get away from my store you thieving monster!” She shouted at me. She was shaking her hand at me menacingly and the fat on her arm fought to keep up. It seemed to jiggle in the opposite direction her arm was moving.
I broke into a hobbled run and went around the end of her building and into the alley. She followed in close pursuit.
I found a gap hole and dove in. It was wide enough initially that I fit right in, but the hole to the chamber below was very small so it would take some crawling.
The fat woman stood outside the gap screaming to anyone that would hear. I made haste.
I could still hear her voice crowing outside when I reaches the bottom.
A small group of mice where holed up here and were keeping to themselves off to one side. I nodded a greeting in their direction, but they did not return the gesture. I looked around and I found the tunnel I hoped I was looking for. I thought about my bearings in relation to the Trade House and this appeared to go in the right direction.
“Wait!” Someone from the group called to me. “That goes to the Trade House.”
I nodded. “Good, I am trying to get there.”
“Why?” The same guy asked. “You looking to die?”
I could still smell those strawberries. I shook my head and then ignored him as I started back down the tunnel again.
There were definite sweet smells down this way and I was not imagining it. There was a small network of passages here and a couple of them ended up in clutches so I had to back track and try a different way. But I finally reached the end. The tunnel ended in a brick wall with a couple of bricks removed to allow access through. It was plenty big enough for me so I imagine any mouse could come through. The other side of the wall was a storm drain with a grate that showed me the inside of the Trade House.
The Trade House I could see was a loading dock. This was where I wanted. This is where they might drop things.
I waited and watched. There were lots of carts coming and going. Then I saw a large cart come in loaded with melons. It was being pulled by a giant. On top of the load of melons was a mouse. A MOUSE! She was pretty too.
I was agog with the fact that no one was rushing in to kill this mouse and they were in the Trade House.
Then it happened. Someone tried to grab the mouse off of the cart. I squinted my eyes to block the inevitable horror that was about to befall her. But then the giant intervened. The worker was knocked backwards and the girl mouse was protected by him.
The mouse and giant seemed to exchange a kiss (ew!) and she grabbed herself a melon and then was on her way.
I now really wanted one of those melons. They surely would understand since the giant liked mice. I stood there staring out of the grate for quite some time while they were unloading the cart. I remembered what they said about it having to hit the ground so I waited.
I was just about falling asleep on my feet when I saw it happen. One of the melons hit the ground. Before I could change my mind I swung the grate open and charged out into the open. I dashed right into the middle of the group, scooped up the melon in a single motion and kept going. My leg was crying out in pain the entire time, but I ignored it. I was going to have a fresh melon!
Then it happened. A sharp pain cut through my shoulder and I felt myself falling to the ground. I hit the ground hard and the pain multiplied.
I rolled onto my back to see what was going on and at least five Trade House workers were bearing down on me with their swords drawn. One of them already had blood on the sword. I swallowed a
s I realized it was my blood. I pushed back with my feet trying to scoot away but they were on me too quick.
I saw as a worker made a wild swing down at me and it went into my leg and about halfway through my thigh bone and became stuck there.
I screamed out in pain and someone took a slice at my head. Their blade glanced off my temple and blood started gushing into my vision, pain rocked my whole body.
The swordsman with the sword in my leg stepped down on my leg and twisted and pulled at his sword in order to dislodge it. I could feel as well has hear the cracking of my leg bone under his weight and twisting.
I was flailing about with my arms trying to defend against attack and someone actually sliced one of my hands off. It did not hurt. Everything else hurt, but watching my hand fall away still grasping and ungrasping did not hurt. I could hear my own screaming and yet it seemed like I had stopped.
I watched as if in slow motion as my hand hit the ground and a small splatter of blood shot out of the wrist on impact.
My vision was going grey and cloudy. I felt disjointed.
I watched in interest as a sword pierced my sternum and buried itself in my heart. I could not feel it. I did not feel anything anymore.
I was no longer hungry.