When Timothy finally reached home, he was visibly exhausted yet excited about
something. Teresa, who had been busy tidying up their small living room, came to
Timothy, trying to calm him down.

"Timmy, li'l brother," she said, "calm down and tell me what
happened to you!?" Timothy couldn't stop panting, but tried to catch his
breath and calm down. "C'mon, calm down!"said Teresa,"You know
how worried mom gets when one of us comes home panting from running so fast;
she'll think that
Dragon might've almost caught you!"

Timmy, with an effort, tried to speak.

"No sis, it something much worse than that. Mr. Ages says that we'd better
get out of here as fast as we can, 'cause.." Timmy stopped to catch his
breath. "I don't know... something in the water!!!..."

At that moment, Mrs. Brisby and Auntie Shrew emerged from the kitchen. Seeing
that Timmy was panting and worked up about something, they stopped the
housework they had been doing and went over to see what was up.

Mrs. Brisby was first to find out that something was very wrong.

"Timmy," said Mrs. Brisby, "my dear tell me, what's wrong? Why
are you so upset?"
"What's wrong with you Timmy? Is everything okay??", asked Auntie
Shrew, putting the jar she was carrying on the table, perhaps a little too near
the edge. The jar began to fall over the edge...

"Auntie Shrew!! Be CAREFUL!!" cried Teresa, jumping with a graceful
gymnastic pirouette (which can only be performed by mice), snatching the jar in
mid-air and gently depositing it on the floor.

"M-mom," stuttered Timmy," Mr.Ages says that we h-have to move
away from here because the water is p-poisoned.." Mrs. Brisby stared at
Timmy, "H-he said that the quicker we get out, the b-better."

Auntie Shrew shuddered from just hearing the word 'move' and remembering what
had happened when the rats had moved the cinderblock (which she really couldn't
recall because she had been unconscious at the time).

"No! - Oh God - not again!!", Auntie Shrew began to have a nervous
breakdown, the kind that everybody knew she always got. "Why do these
thing always happen to ME!???" bawled Auntie Shrew,"Why me?!!! Can I
never have a moment's PEACE!?!?!?!?!???" Auntie Shrew looked very upset ,
so upset that Teresa stepped back, in case it got so bad that with her excited
movements, Auntie Shrew made something fall on her head and fainted, as in the
last time they'd had to move.

"Auntie Shrew, please! Calm down!" said Mrs. Brisby, very seriously.
"Let Timmy talk and explain to us what we have to do, with his excitement
and your nervousness, we'll all end up in even more trouble!"

Auntie Shrew understood that Mrs. Brisby was telling the truth, took a deep
breath and tried to calm down. "Alright", she tried to relax,
"Alright, Timmy dear, could you tell your Auntie Shrew," she was
having a
hard time keep ing under control and soon anxiety brought her back to the state
she was in before,"Why would that old crazy coot Ages say such a ghastly thing!!?!?!???"

The Brisbys all watched Auntie Shrew very intently and with annoyance, she
looked at the menacing looks, smiled timidly... and quieted down.

"I don't think that you should say that, even as a joke." Mrs. Brisby
spoke with a harsh tone, the one she used when scolding one of her children.

"What?", said Auntie Shrew innocently,"That Ages is a crazy old
coot? I've ALWAYS known that!!"

"Auntie!!!", Teresa shot her a look, "You shouldn't say that
about Mr. Ages! He's good, even though he does get mad a lot, but you know he
loves us..."

"Yes! Its the truth!!", Timmy also chided her, "You always say
such bad things about him."

Auntie Shrew felt ashamed of what she'd said before, looked down and began to
weep. Mrs. Brisby comforted her.

"Okay, okay, it's alright," Mrs. Brisby gave her a hug, trying to
alleviate her fears, "I know you're nervous and upset, but the important
thing is that we're together and we're going to stay together. Now what
we need to do is pack, only those things that we really need so we can get on
our way to Thorn Valley. We need to get there quickly so that Justin can meet
us and we can stay there until the danger has passed."

Auntie Shrew's face looked up and tears slid down her cheeks. Mrs. Brisby wiped
them sweetly with her tattered, red shawl.

"Please forgive me, Mrs. Brisby, forgive me children. I didn't mean what I
said.." The kids looked at her and smiled and they hugged their Auntie.
Then they realized that they were in a hurry and each one went to pack
their things.