Matthew had heard their squeakings and rustlings all the afternoon, but they’d not yet made an appearance. He’d been relieved to find that the rodents had not emerged to attack either his lunch or supper—meager beef broth and two slices of black bread, humble but stomach-filling—but now, ever since Green had closed the roof hatch and left only a single lantern burning on its hook, the creatures were creeping out of their nooks and crannies to claim the place. “Watch your fingers,” Rachel told him, sitting on her bench. “They’ll give you a bite if you try to strike them. If one crawls on you tonight, it’s best to lie perfectly still. They’ll be sniffing at you, that’s all.” “The one that bit your shoulder,” Matthew said. He was standing up, his back against the wall. “Was it only sniffing?” “No, I tried to get that one away from my waterbucket. I found out they can jump like cats, and I also learned they’re going to have your water no matter what you do.”
What do You think about Speaks The Nightbird (2013)?
