Confusion & Confession
That night in Rat Town, all of the Jewish rodents were laughing as hard as ever when Gold and Red told their story Even Jesse, the huge Great Dane, barked and wagged his tail.
"I bet--I bet--" Gold gasped, grabbing Black Rat's shoulders, "I bet--th-they h-haven't llaughed [sic] so hard in t-ten years!" He fell down, laughing so that he couldn't breathe.
"Someday you're going to get into trouble--" Black started, but Gold waved his hand (being unable to talk, much less breathe), cutting him off.
"Just to be--" Black started again, when a shrill ringing cut through the air.
The refugees turned to the sound, terrified. Black limped to the edge of the stage. [Note--as for the presence of such odd things as "buses," "stages," Burgundy being a "teacher," etc.--keep in mind that I wrote this in junior high--hence all my writing was heavily influenced by my surroundings...which happened to be a school. Compare for example to the characters visiting a UFO convention at the local junior high in Men In Black.] He looked alarmed.
"What is that?" Gold asked loudly.
"The raid alarm!" Black shouted. "It hasn't gone off for year--"
There was a crash on the roof, and tremendous barks were heard.
"They've found us!" a Jewish gerbil quailed.
"Don't panic!" Black said through the microphone. "Exit out the left door and go down into the trench network. Several Trench Rats will lead you there." Finishing hi short speech, he jumped off the stage and ran for the right door. Gold ran after him.
"I never heard that alarm!" Gold shouted.
"It was before you ever came!" Black replied, dashing outside. Gold was amazed at how fast he could run with a lame leg. He went back in to aid the Jews in their exodus from Rat Town.
Later in the night, Gold, Purple, Red, and Green, along with a few Jewish mice, sat in D-Day's "cubbyhole." The mice were still frightened, so when Gold learned that they could speak English, he decided to cheer them up a little.
"How many words can you think of that start with the letters L-A-B?" he asked.
"Laboratory."
"Labrador retriever."
"Labotamy [sic]."
"That's what you need!" Gold exclaimed, pointing at Purple.
The trick worked. The Jewish mice began to laugh, easing up a little.
"This has been one evening," Purple yawned.
"Well, it certainly wasn't two," Red joked.
"Oh, will you shut up for a while?"
"I dunno."
"You--fix--Rat Town?" one mouse asked.
Green and Gold looked at each other. Gold answered, "Of course we will. Why wouldn't we?"
"Five W's," Red said. "Now an H."
"How--soon?"
"There it is!"
"Don't you worry."
Suddenly everyone was talking at the same time.
"How's Doomsday?"
"Step on my tail and I'll--"
"I heard he's recovering."
"What happened?"
"A W and an H!"
"Cut it out!"
"--bash your face in!"
"Now where've I heard that before?"
"I think D-Day said it."
"Who the heck am I?"
"Where the heck am I?"
"I don't know. I always liked Tootsie Rolls."
"Huh?"
"Darn!" [Note--compare this utterly inane and pointless conversation to the infamous "cockroach" conversation held by Kat and Damien in Chapter 1 of D Is For Damien, and to the "trematode" conversation in The Night Of The Goat. Just for funsies.]
Black came up and, seeing the confusion, shook his head. "Hello!"
Purple, Red, and Green immediately leapt to attention and saluted. "Hello, sir!"
Gold twirled his tail and grinned.
"What's going on?" Black asked, climbing in.
Red relaxed. "Nothin' much, sir. In fact--"
"We don't know what we're doing," Purple snickered.
"I guess that's it, sir."
"At ease!" Black exclaimed, laughing at Green, who immediately relaxed with a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, sir," he said, dropping to the floor in a heap.
"Gold, I'd like to see you, please?" Black said, waving a finger at Gold and leaving.
Gold looked a little perplexed. "What's he want?"
Red shrugged. "Better go."
Gold climbed out and followed. When he got to Headquarters, he found Black holding a box in his hand. He gave the box to Gold and stood back to wait.
"What is this?" Gold asked, looking up.
"Open it. You'll see."
Gold slowly opened the box, and gasped.
Inside lay a shimmering Purple Heart!
Gold's eyes widened and he looked up again with bewilderment. "But, why? I was never shot--"
"You don't have to be shot to get a Purple Heart. I thought you knew that."
"But what for?"
"Think back. Try to remember."
Gold thought so hard that he closed his eyes. All he could think about were the trenches. Then...the pain...his leg...then, D-Day's words..."After you blacked out...a grenade...you were hit..."
"So that's it," Gold said, looking at the heart. "I forgot all about it." He rubbed the gold face. "How's Turquoise? Ain't he recovered yet?"
Black lowered his head. "I thought you knew about him, too."
Gold looked up. "You mean, he's..."
"Oh, no, not that," Black reassured him. "But last week, he lapsed into--"
"A coma?"
"--yes, a coma. I think he might have a low blood level or something. He isn't healing very fast, like you did."
"What about D-Day?"
"He's recovering. He got too much gas. We have him on oxygen machines."
"Anybody else?"
Black thought, then shook his head. "No, not that I can think of."
Gold was silent. Then, "Mind if I go see Turquoise?"
"No. Just don't bother him."
"I won't." He walked out and into the trench system, then stopped because Black was following. He waited for him to catch up, then they both walked down the long trench together.
Turquoise looked just about the same as he last had. His head was still bandaged, the casts still on his arm and leg. He looked as if he were merely resting, except for the fact that he was wearing an oxygen mask. Gold indicated it, and Black replied, "Without it might stop breathing altogether."
Gold stared at Turquoise for a long time, not knowing quite what to do, when Black turned for the door. "They say that when you talk to those who are comas, they hear," he said, somewhat cryptically, shutting the door softly behind him. [Note--it really wasn't that cryptic at all. There should also be an "in" before "comas."]
Gold looked around a little, then said, "Nice place you got here," and smiled in a distant way. "Uh, listen, Turquoise--that is, if you can, I mean--well, you see, I--" He broke off, then said, "I'm really sorry this happened to you. It should've happened to me. I deserve it more."
He stopped, almost expecting to hear Turquoise talk back in his snappy way, just like old times, but knowing he wouldn't. The only sound was the "beep, beep" of the heart rate monitor and an occasional voice echoing in the trench. He spoke up again.
"What I'm tryin' to say is--well--thanks, for sticking around." He patted Turquoise's arm, and fancied he saw his eyelids move. Then he left the room.
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