“Martin, will you simmer down?  Some of us are actually trying to sleep over here!” Teresa said in whispered tones, but irately, from her and Cynthia’s bed.

“Aw, I can’t help it.  They go off on an adventure, leave us here, and we have to wait, wait, wait…”

“I’m not crazy about it either, but you heard Mother.  They’ll probably be back tomorrow.”

“Sure, they’ll be back.  But back from where?  What was the big secret, anyway?”

“Don’t ask me.  Ask Mr. Ages, or anyone else who was at that meeting…for all the good it would do.”  There was no mistaking the discontent in her own voice; but, always striving to set a good example, she added, “But we’ll just have to trust them.  Remember what Mother said: that it was for the good of all of us, and that we have to trust her.  You’re not going to say you don’t trust her, are you?”

Martin made his trademark sour face.  “No.  No, of course not.  It’s just…”

“You’re worried, just like the rest of us.  It won’t kill you to admit it once in a while.”

Martin almost hid his face entirely.  Admitting to something like worry, it was well known, was something he was unaccustomed to; but there was more on his mind than just the withheld details of the mission.  “What about…when she said we probably wouldn’t mind having some time away from her?”

Teresa gaped in disbelief.  “Why, I thought you’d be the last one to gripe about that!”

“Sure, but…what if she decided she wanted a vacation away from us?”

Teresa’s eyes rolled upward.

Then Martin had another idea.  “Hey…maybe Tim can tell us something.”  Knowing full well his little brother’s predilection for “funny feelings,” which always seemed to indicate an insight or observation that would invariably prove true, he turned over to Timothy’s side of the bed, so oversized for these mouse children that he had to do a sort of sideways crawl to get to where his brother lay sleeping, ignoring Teresa’s entreaties to not disturb him.  But the other side of the bed was empty.  “Hey, Tim, what happened?  Did you fall out or something?”  Martin jumped down to the floor.  Thinking that his brother might have overheard his suggestion and was hiding, he said, “C’mon, squirt, joke’s over,” and peered under the bed.  No Timothy.

“Where’d he go?” asked Teresa.  Martin shrugged and started to walk around to the other side of the bed.  “This is so unlike him,” she added.  “Why would he be hiding?”  Martin suddenly took notice of the mild sarcasm in his twin sister’s tone, but before he could inquire about it, a small grey shape shot out from under the girls’ bed and yanked Martin off his feet.  As Timothy engaged his brother in their impromptu wrestling match, to the delight of both of his sisters—Cynthia having taken notice of the situation by now—he took a second to throw Teresa a look of thanks for not giving him away half a minute earlier, as he made his quick and stealthy crawl on all fours from under the boys’ bed to just under the girls’ bed.  Soon, everyone was laughing, quickly gaining the attention of their babysitter, coming over from the opposite side of the apartment.

“All right, you kids,” said Isabella with as much authority as she could muster.  “You know we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow, so settle down and get some sleep.”

The boys obediently rose from the floor, smiled at Isabella innocently, brushed each other off, gave each other a quick hug, and scampered back into bed.  Isabella smiled, shaking her head.  She could hardly blame them; her own childhood, after all, wasn’t that far behind her.  They all promised to settle down, and after they said their goodnights, all was quiet…at least for about two minutes.  Timothy moved closer to Martin’s side and whispered, “What was it you wanted to ask me again?”

“Oh…just if you had any idea what’s up with Mom and them.”

“Not much.  I just know they’ll be back soon.  In fact, I get the feeling…they’ll all be back.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?  Of course, they’ll all be back.”

Timothy said nothing more and returned to his side of the bed, leaving Martin to shrug in silence and lie back, feeling more ready now to go to sleep.  Timothy did the same, a contented smile on his face.

*      *      *

As it grew closer to sunset, all felt an instinctive need to lower their voices and proceed more quietly.  The surrounding forest, conversely, grew steadily louder.  The onset of twilight brought out a cacophonous chorus of night creatures, the ones here sounding very similar to the crickets, katydids and spring peepers they’d normally hear back home.  For all it provided a sense of familiarity, none of them were kidding himself or herself: this definitely was not the world they knew, and they wouldn’t take anything for granted.  There was another, far less pleasant element of familiarity brought on by this time of day: a rise in the activity of tiny flying creatures inclined to bite or suck blood, that earlier encounter with such pests proving to be only a warm-up.  And so back out came the insect repellent, which thankfully had already proven to be most effective.

As far as their provisions were going, the four companions had enough food and water for about three days, since they had no idea of how available or accessible they would be where they’d be going.  Now, in this utterly unfamiliar environment, they knew it would be risky to sample any of the local fare without knowing whether or not any of it would be harmful or even fatal to their own systems, so they strictly rationed their own provisions.

The twilight was growing ever dimmer; and with nightfall imminent, they knew they’d have to make camp soon, and were now looking for another reasonably open area just off the trail, hoping for one similar to where they’d spent their earlier rest break.  Minus that break, the four had been on the move now for nearly four hours, and none could completely stifle yawns.  All were clearly ready for a good night’s sleep, but they’d agreed that one of them would have to stand watch, and so Melvin and Willis were already discussing who would stand the first one.

“How about drawing straws?” suggested Melvin.

“Sure, why not?” agreed Willis.  “We’re already drawing flies…”  He swatted at and missed one nipping at the back of his leg.  “…or whatever you’d call these little buggers.”  Willis brought out his bottle of repellent and started applying more to himself.

Justin and Mrs. Brisby, who’d been walking ahead, approached the two Guard rats from a little further up the trail.  “There’s a pretty good spot right up here a short ways,” announced Justin.

Melvin turned to Willis.  “I guess drawing straws is good enough.”  He made to get on all fours, but Willis stopped him.

“No, allow me.”  Willis dropped down and began making his selection.  He paused as he heard a slight rustling in the branches almost directly above them.  “Hey, did one of you suddenly grow taller—”

“Shhh!”  With Justin’s silencing, everyone started backing away quietly from the spot beneath the rustling branches, which everyone could now hear very clearly.  Willis was still on all fours, moving away crab-style.

Before they could prepare themselves further, something they couldn’t see clearly jumped down—or fell down—with a whooping cry that sound like “Yeeahooie!” and landed directly on top of Melvin!  He was partially prepared for something like this, and was able to assess the situation quickly enough as the two fell to the ground, rolling around together twice before stopping, at which point Willis leaped into the fray.  In seconds the two had wrestled the newcomer to the ground while Justin and Mrs. Brisby looked on anxiously.

“Do you think he means any harm?” asked Mrs. Brisby as their “guest” struggled vainly in the Guard rats’ grip.

“Only one way to find out,” said Justin, drawing closer.  “Okay, guys, let’s have a better look at him.”

Melvin and Willis drew back a short ways but still kept a firm grip, pinning the stranger’s arms and shoulders down.  There was enough daylight remaining to allow them to see that he—presumably male, as far as they could tell—was about the rats’ size though was more humanoid in form.  He had skin light blue in color, no hair on his head and was of a thin, wiry build, and his face was basically humanoid, though with wide eyes that were rather catlike, and other facial features that gave him an almost reptilian appearance.  The fact that he wore clothing—a partially open vest that was tied at the bottom, leaving most of his midriff bare, and short trousers, both apparently of woven plant fibers, and shoes of some undetermined material—indicated that his was a civilized race.  He spoke quickly in a language unintelligible to the four friends, but he seemed to sound almost indignant about being restrained like this.

“I’d almost forgotten there’d be a language barrier,” said Justin.

“I think it’s safe to let him up, don’t you?” Melvin asked.  By now the stranger had ceased his struggles and seemed to be simply waiting for his “captors” to free him.

“Please, I was just getting comfortable,” said Willis.

The newcomer seemed to mean no harm and actually appeared quite curious of them.   Seeing no other reason to keep him restrained, Justin said, “All right, go ahead.”  They loosed their grip and quickly got to their feet, backing away warily; but the newcomer just calmly stood, dusted himself off and said a few more gibberish-sounding words at them, his demeanor still as one who’d simply made a social blunder.  “So far, so good,” said Justin as their new acquaintance continued speaking in a normal conversational tone, with noticeable curiosity showing through and no overt sign of hostile intent.

“If only we could understand each other,” said Mrs. Brisby.  “Think of what he could tell us of this place.”

Then, once again as if on cue, the amulet began glowing, at first brightly and then dimming and fading almost completely, all in about five seconds.  Everyone present noticed, of course; but before the others could say a word, the newcomer said, “Well!  What was that all about?”

“Well, that was just a…”  Justin cut himself short, looking wide-eyed at the stranger, as did the others, as they all realized what had just taken place.

“We understand you!”  Mrs. Brisby exclaimed.  “Do you understand us?”

“Yeah, I sure do,” the stranger replied.  “Why’d that stone glow like that?”

There was a moment of hesitation; none wanted to admit outright that they hadn’t expected the Stone to act as and when it did.  Then, thinking fast, Mrs. Brisby told him, “It’s…making us understand each other.”  She knew implicitly that this surely was the truth, but thought it best not to show surprise about it, and she glanced at the others to make sure they knew this.

“Hmm…if you say so,” said the stranger, visibly impressed but not too startled.

“Do you have a name?” asked Justin.

“Sithpha.  What’s yours?”

The four each introduced themselves to Sithpha, and they were both impressed and puzzled by the almost-casual manner in which he seemed to accept these newcomers to his world, as if their physical appearance, completely different from himself, was perfectly normal.  Surely, they must be as strange to him as he was to them, and yet…

“You look awfully strange.  Guess you’re not from around these parts.”  Despite these words, Sithpha still spoke as if he addressed visiting out-of-towners.

“No, we’re not,” Justin replied.  “We’re from a long, long ways from here.”  He figured that the simple answer was the best answer for now.  He then added: “Now…why were you up in that tree?”  He made sure he asked this in a manner that was more curious than accusatory.

“Well…I don’t live far from here, see, and I saw you coming and I got curious.  I just wanted to get a closer look at you all.”

“If that’s all you wanted, then why’d you jump on me?” asked Melvin.

Sithpha looked all around at their faces, and to them his facial expression and body language instantly registered embarrassment, as he reached under his vest to scratch his back.  “Well…it’s like…I guess I just…sort of slipped, you know, lost my grip.  It’s getting pretty dark, and hard to see, and, well…”

The four travelers looked around at each other.  It certainly didn’t sound unlikely, and his embarrassment seemed genuine.  Melvin half-expected Willis to make some further remark about “just dropping in,” but he refrained.  “What do you think, everyone?” said Justin.

“I think it was just an accident,” said Mrs. Brisby.  The others nodded their agreement.

“Sure, that’s all,” said Sithpha.  “Just an accident.  I’m really sorry about that.”  He was clearly eager to change the subject, and so quickly added, “So what brings you all around here?”

“We’re looking for my husband.  We believe he might be in this area.  His name’s Johnathan…Johnathan Brisby.  Have you heard of him, or know anything about him?”

“Hmm…Jah-nuthin…Brizz-bee…gee, I’m sorry, the name doesn’t ring any bells, but…you all look like you need a place to crash for the night.  I think I can accommodate you, if you like.”

The four friends looked at each other.  He seemed sincere enough, and entirely guileless; the story of his curiosity giving way to his “accident” sounded convincing, as did his apology; and his offer was easily more tempting than the prospect of spending the night out in the open in alien territory.  But Justin, especially, still harbored misgivings, knowing full well the potential for treachery that can lay behind even the most genial and affable manner.  Certainly he wanted to trust Sithpha; he was likable enough, and seemed harmless, and yet…

The four conferred in private, and an agreement was soon reached: they would accept his offer but not let their guards down.  So once they’d told him this—the former part—they resumed their journey, now led by Sithpha.

Along the way, Willis said privately to Melvin, “So, the Stone’s a portable translator, too, eh?  Next I suppose it’ll conjure rabbits out of midair.”  Melvin just nodded with a grunt.  All of them reflected on this unexpected turn of events, and how it was the Stone that had brought it about, and wondered what further surprises it held in store for them.

They would soon find out, to their regret.

“So, Sithpha,” Justin said, “since we are new to this area, what can you tell us about it; like, where most of the people live?”  As agreed, they didn’t want to let him know that they were not of this world—unless, somehow, he already suspected it—so they refrained from asking questions about the world in general.

“Hardly anyone lives ‘way out here, in the sticks,” Sithpha replied.  “Verenphor is the biggest city in this area, north of here.  I’m from Timphon, myself; that’s a smaller town off to the east.  I’m kind of a country boy, myself.”

“Didn’t you say,” said Melvin carefully, “that you didn’t live far from here?”

“I did, didn’t I?  I meant I’m from Timphon originally, most of the time.  Right now we’re fixing up an old place out here; me and, er, a friend of mine.”  Again the four’s caution level was raised.  He might still be sincere, maybe a little nervous…but his answer sounded uncomfortably like he was making it up on the fly.  “It’s a real fixer-upper.  We just started working on it, so it’s still pretty rough; but at least it’s a roof over your head.”

“For one night, I think we’ll do just fine,” said Justin, sounding as casual as possible.  If there’s any danger where we’re going, I’m sure we’ll be able to deal with it.  He wondered about these people’s level of technology, and was already getting a sense that it might be roughly on a par with Western human civilization of around the 18th Century; or for that matter, of their own back in Thorn Valley.

Mrs. Brisby was equally cautious of what might lie ahead, but was able to allow some more time for reflection, especially upon looking up and seeing the stars beginning to emerge.  There were relatively few visible due to the narrowness of the trail and the surrounding treetops, but they were enough to remind her of her and Johnathan’s first night together as husband and wife.  She couldn’t suppress a sigh at the memory; right then, she couldn’t believe that this invitation they were accepting out of the blue was anything but, at worst, a momentary deviation from their mission.  Who knows, she thought, Sithpha and his friend might even be of help to us in some way, even if they don’t know Johnathan.

The four travelers continued chatting with their erstwhile host about their current locale, all the while careful not to appear too unfamiliar with it.  Sithpha made occasional references to local plant and animal life, and they could only wonder as to which ones referred to ones they’d already encountered.  Eventually they were led off the main trail and onto a narrower, less traveled branch.  “We’re almost there,” Sithpha announced, and shortly they came upon a clearing, at the edge of which was a small building that was roughly circular and built of stone.  The entire area—house and clearing alike—had the general appearance of having been abandoned months, perhaps over a year, ago.  One wouldn’t know from the near-total lack of upkeep that there was anyone living there; there was tall, untrimmed vegetation almost right up to the front door.  Through the one window visible, dim light could be seen.

“Well, Sithpha,” Justin said as they began moving along the inlaid trail of flat stones leading to the door, “you weren’t kidding about it being rough.”  Again he took care to sound only curious, with no suspicion, but still couldn’t help feeling that something wasn’t quite right.  He almost involuntarily felt the handle of his machete.

“Definitely a fixer-upper,” added Willis.  He and Melvin exercised equal caution.

“How long have you known this friend of yours?” asked Mrs. Brisby.

“Not…er, not too long.”  Sithpha stopped about a foot short of the door, putting a hand to his forehead, appearing to be in genuine discomfort.  “Think I’m getting a bit of a headache.  Anyway, he kind o’ likes it looking more natural-like around here.  I’m sure he’ll welcome all of you.”

“Are you all right?” asked Mrs. Brisby, genuinely concerned though still cautious.

“Sure,” Sithpha replied as he reached for the doorknob, “though  I think I’ll need a bit of a lie-down pretty soon, after—”  Before he even touched it, the door opened to reveal his “friend.”  The eyes of all their guests grew wide.  The lamplight from inside, combined with the remaining twilight, was enough to enable them to see that he was of a totally different species from Sithpha.  He too was basically humanoid in form but stood a bit taller than Sithpha or the rats.  His skin was covered in a short, velvety dark green fur, and his face was even closer to that of a human except for two tusks projecting upward from his lower jaw.  His hands were also very humanlike.  While not fat, he was certainly of a stocky build.  A thick, lizard-like tail, long enough to touch the floor, completed the “totally different” image.  He was dressed not unlike Sithpha, but in longer, knee-length trousers and a sleeveless tunic.  Could he be as much a stranger to this world as we are? they all wondered.  Another thought occurred, almost as quickly: what was their precise relationship to each other?

“Well, Sithpha,” he said in quite the hospitable manner, “I see you’ve brought guests.  Welcome, everyone.  I am Uhrstegg.”  The four could hear from this that the Stone was still translating for them.  “You are obviously strangers to these parts, and have journeyed a long way.  Please come in, and we’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible.”  Despite his rather fearsome appearance, they couldn’t see any harm in accepting his hospitality; though, of course, they would remain on their guard.  So, following Sithpha, they entered the dwelling.

The room immediately inside was illuminated by two lamps, apparently of the oil-burning type, not all that different from the ones they used in Thorn Valley, an element familiar enough to actually make them feel somewhat at ease.  There seemed to be no furniture except for two benches, having the appearance of antiques, along the wall just inside the front door, and a table with two chairs off to the right.   There were doorways leading to two other rooms in the back.  It didn’t look like a place where an ambush was likely, though all were reluctant to venture too far inside.

Still, they were determined to be good guests, if cautious ones, so they introduced themselves one by one to Uhrstegg, who invited them to seat themselves along the two benches.  As they did so, Sithpha excused himself, still complaining of not feeling too well.  For a moment Uhrstegg seemed to take a special interest in this fact, looking almost alarmed; though it was hard to tell in such an unfamiliar countenance and in such dim light, to which the four visitors were quickly becoming acclimated.  The moment passed and he said cheerfully, “Well, when you’re feeling better we can begin preparing accommodations for our guests.”  He then walked over to one of the chairs and brought it over to where his guests sat, and sat himself down in it.

“My apologies for the lack of amenities,” Uhrstegg said, again very graciously.  “I’m sure those benches are ruder than what you’re used to.  Sithpha told you already, I trust, that we’re attempting to make this house livable again.”

“He did say that,” said Justin.  “Are you going to live here yourself?”

“Yes, I expect to.  I have come from a place quite far away, where I don’t expect to return anytime soon, and for now I would enjoy the solitude this place would bring.”

“We’re…from far away ourselves,” Justin said, figuring they should be as vague about their precise origins as they were with Sithpha, and hoping Uhrstegg would be just as satisfied.

“And what brings all of you here?”

“We’re looking for a friend of ours that we believe might be in the area.  He’s also Mrs. Brisby’s husband: Johnathan Brisby.”

Uhrstegg mulled the name over for a moment.  “I’m terribly sorry, I haven’t heard the name, nor seen another that looks like you.  Perhaps in the morning, I could aid you in your search.”

“That’s very kind of you, Uhrstegg,” said Mrs. Brisby.  “Thank you.”

For a few more minutes Uhrstegg gave more details about what he was hoping to do with the house, and how he’d met Sithpha and enlisted his help.  His guests told a bit, without going into great detail, about the valley they lived in and how their “wandering friend” Johnathan had lost his way.  As they talked, Uhrstegg’s head turned continuously, making eye contact with each of them, though it seemed that his eyes settled the longest on one of them in particular; or perhaps, on what she was wearing.

Finally, he said, “Mrs.…Brisby, is it?  I couldn’t help noticing the pendant you’re wearing, with that beautiful red jewel.  I’ve never seen one quite like it.”

“Oh…thank you, Uhrstegg.”  She looked down at it, fingering it; she had indeed noticed his interest in it, for throughout almost their entire conversation it seemed as if his eyes never strayed too far from her and it.  It could be no more than a simple interest in jewelry, and yet she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable at his attentions; but, she told herself, it was probably just because they were all still getting used to his unfamiliar appearance, in spite of his generous and hospitable manner.

“If it’s all right with you, I would like a closer look at it.”

Naturally she was hesitant; she looked toward Justin, and she could see that he wasn’t keen on the idea, but was reluctant to deny him outright.

“Please, rest assured that you have nothing to fear.  It obviously means a lot to you, but my interest is only out of simple admiration for beautiful things.”  He continued to sit patiently, waiting for a definite answer.

Again Mrs. Brisby looked at Justin.  He gave a small nod, concluding that since the Stone only worked through her, what could Uhrstegg do with it?  Still she couldn’t help feeling some small caution; then, she stood, taking one step closer to him, and said, “If you don’t mind, Uhrstegg, I’d prefer to keep it on, but you may still look at it.”

“Perfectly understandable, my dear.  Thank you.”  She lifted it, bringing it closer for Uhrstegg to view; and he placed it in the palm of his hand.  “Aaah, yes,” he said to himself as he examined it.  For a couple of seconds he closed his eyes as if concentrating hard; then he started mumbling some words, quietly but audible enough for the others to hear…and get a sense that something was wrong.  They couldn’t understand his words now; if he was speaking in his own language, why wasn’t the Stone translating?  The three rats exchanged uneasy glances, instantly sensing what each other was thinking: something is definitely wrong.

Mrs. Brisby felt this to an even higher degree, even an alarming one, feeling the Stone “speaking” to her again; but whereas it was guiding her before, now it felt like a warning of dire consequences to come.  With scarcely a thought she acted upon it, backing away from Uhrstegg; but he stepped forward as if he’d anticipated this move, all the while quietly-spoken and unintelligible words continuing to issue from his lips.  Without warning he clasped the Stone firmly; and in one deft movement, lifted it from around Mrs. Brisby’s neck.  The three rats leaped to their feet—all feeling, in the backs of their minds, that they should have better heeded their earlier misgivings—and drew machetes from their holders.  They moved as one toward Uhrstegg…

…And never reached him.  There was a sudden bright flash from the Stone, momentarily blinding all of them.  Though still reeling from the flash, they continued to advance upon Uhrstegg, but seconds later found themselves bouncing off something that shouldn’t have been there.  It seemed to be an invisible barrier that had gone up between them.  Before they could fall to the floor, the barrier pushed against them in a very definite direction: straight out the front door, which had somehow become open.  All four of them were deposited unceremoniously onto the lawn.

It had all happened so fast that they barely had time to react, let alone come up with any plan.  They thought they’d be ready to face any danger that would come along, but this…!  They all got to their feet and moved towards the door, but again were stymied by the invisible barrier.  Uhrstegg now stood at the door, the Stone now around his neck, a look of triumph upon his features.

“You treacherous slime!” shouted Justin angrily.  “And we trusted you!”

“Why?  Why are you doing this?” asked Mrs. Brisby pleadingly.

More to himself than to his erstwhile “guests,” Uhrstegg said, “Too long have I waited.  Now nobody will stand in my way!”  The amulet glowed brightly, and before any of them could react further, the ground rumbled and shifted beneath them.  None of them had experienced an earthquake before, but it became instantly clear that this wasn’t what was happening now, as the vegetation and the very soil peeled away beneath them, knocking them all off their feet again.  Then, a circular wall of rock, several inches thick, sprouted up as if growing right out of the earth.  It completely surrounded them and swiftly rose to a height of almost ten feet.  Outside, Uhrstegg stepped out from the doorway and looked up admiringly at his handiwork.

Sithpha, having emerged from the other room after hearing the start of the commotion, had observed almost the entire scene and was aghast, fists tightly clenched.  The spell Uhrstegg, or Ghormfisk, or whatever he was calling himself now, had started to wear off just as he approached the front door with the ones he’d been compelled to bring here.  At first it had felt like no more than a headache and slight nausea, but as the symptoms lessened he quickly understood what had been done to him.  Maybe it was too late to help them, but there had to be something he could do.  Spying a broken table leg, he grabbed it and rushed out the door.  Now, raising the club over his head, he prepared to bring it down upon the head of his “master,” but was stopped cold as the others were.

Uhrstegg whirled to face him.  “You’d dare assault me now, knowing what I could do?  Especially now that…I’ve got this?”

“They did you no harm!” Sithpha shouted, anger and revulsion overcoming his fear.  “It was bad enough that you forced me to deceive them, but…now you do this to them?”

“Very well,” Uhrstegg said contemptuously.  “Since you’re so concerned for them, you can join them!”  He willed the amulet’s power to hurl Sithpha upwards to the tubular prison’s top opening.