by KH Gordon
Chapter Twelve
Torus slept restlessly, and woke up early while the rest of the family still slept. He got up quietly and went to the middle of the room. He stood silently and listed carefully to the sounds of the sleeping building. He could hear the soft hum of human appliances in the apartment above him, but no humans moving or talking. Far away he could hear the sound of water running in pipes. He didn’t hear any rat activity from his neighbors, but at the very limits of his hearing there was the tiny scratching sound of a mouse gnawing a wooden baseboard. Then the scratching stopped suddenly and there was the sound of tiny feet scampering away.
Torus stood for a long time, listening to the stillness. He imagined he was drawing the silence in and filling himself with its emptiness. Then he imagined he was dissolving out into the silence like smoke until there was nothing left of him but a rat-shaped space in the larger space that was the den. Then he decided he was hungry and went to look for something in the food nook.
He was just finishing a snack of bread crust when his father woke up, rolled over off the bed and ambled over. He scowled at Torus groggily and scratched his stomach.
“You’re up early,” he said.
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Huh,” his father grunted. “Did you leave me anything to eat?”
“Nope, this is it,” said Torus, popping the last of the crust into his mouth.
His father grunted again and shuffled over to the nook, coming back with a lump of some indefinite human food. He sat down next to Torus and held the lump in his paws and stared straight ahead at the wall. He sat for a long moment without moving and Torus had to check to see if he was still breathing. Finally he yawned an enormous yawn and took a bite of his food.
“What time is your ceremony?” he asked with his mouth full.
“I don’t know…” said Torus. “How would I find out?”
“They might have said something at the meeting last week. Do you remember if they did?”
Torus shook his head.
“No, I could barely stay awake while Nogolo was talking. It was almost like he didn’t want us to think about it too much so he was making it as boring as possible.”
“Well, I guess we’ll figure it out when everyone starts gathering. Isn’t your friend Nevi going, too?”
Torus nodded.
“Her mother always knows what’s going on. We’ll follow them.”
All the calm silence that had filled Torus earlier was gone, replaced by a combination of fluttering nervousness and heavy dread. He was suddenly aware of his breakfast in his stomach like a cold stone.
“I don’t know what profession to choose,” he said suddenly.
His father glanced over at him and took another bite of his lump of food.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I didn’t either, and it came out all right in the end.”
“You didn’t?” Torus asked, surprised.
“Well, not exactly. I knew I wanted to get out of the building sometimes, so when they asked me at the ceremony I said ‘Undecided, but I want to work outside sometimes,’ and so they made me a scrap gatherer. It’s not glamorous, but it helps the clan. Plus I don’t really have anyone bossing me around like I would on the tunnel team, or something like that.”
“Did you just answer that way on impulse, or did someone tell you to?”
His father smiled.
“It’s hard to say. I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I went and talked to Nile and he said ‘What do you like to do?’ It didn’t seem like it was much help at the time, but, like I said, it all worked out in the end. Why do you ask?”
“He said the same thing to me,” said Torus. “I told him I like pickles…”
There was a moment of silence, then both Torus and his father burst out laughing.
Torus became increasingly nervous as the day wore on. His father had finally found out from Nevi’s mother that the ceremony was in the afternoon before the human children returned. No one knew where they went every day, but they came back at about the same time most days and that was a time to be especially cautious since the children of humans had sharper eyes than the adults. But, as his father pointed out, there was less of a problem in their building than in other buildings, since there were so few children there.
“But then how do we know when to go?” asked Torus. “What if we miss it?”
“I know when to go,” said his father. “Don’t worry. Go eat something if you’re nervous.”
It seemed to Torus that they waited forever to leave, and once they were finally on their way the short trip to the gathering place took twice as long as it should. It was the pups’ first trip so far from the den. The girls kept getting distracted by new sights while Moki kept running ahead and taking wrong turns so they had to wait and call him back. A few other families passed them on their way and Torus was sure the whole thing would be over by the time they got there.
Finally, though, they came to the big room at the back of the building. The crowd was small compared to most gatherings, and Torus and his family were almost the last to arrive. He saw Nevi and her mother near the front of the crowd and he waved to her. Juke was in the middle of the group, sitting with two other huge rats Torus assumed were his parents. He looked around the room but didn’t see Chello at all. He tried to get Nevi’s attention to ask her if she’d seen him, but she was looking the other way.
Finally, as Torus and his father herded the pups into a spot near the far wall, he glanced up and saw Chello come in. He came in alone, and his expression was unusually stern. Torus waved and tried to catch his eye, but Chello just plopped down in the nearest available spot and stared straight ahead.
At the front of the room, Nogolo and the Dinnick climbed up on the platform and waved the crowd to silence. As the noise subsided the Chief came in and looked around the room, smiling gently at the rats assembled there. Nogolo hopped off the platform and took the chief by the arm, guiding him onto the platform and to a spot on the side. The silence in the room had become uncomfortable and tense. Nogolo moved to the front of the platform and raised his arms.
“My friends, you all know why we are here.”
Torus felt his mind begin to cloud over as it always did when any of the leaders started talking, but he struggled to shake it free. He was determined to pay attention and not miss anything this time.
“Our Mr. Nile has marked the new moon, but this is not just another moon for the families gathered here today. Today an even dozen and a half young rats have passed their tenth moon and are ready to come of age as full members of the Clan.” Nogolo paused and the crowd cheered, some more enthusiastically than others.
“I had prepared some remarks for this occasion,” Nogolo continued, “but why wait? These young rats have waited long enough, I think.” The crowd responded with more evenly enthusiastic cheers. “Let me just say this. The change we mark today is important, certainly, but largely symbolic. After this afternoon, you will still be the same rats you were this morning. You have been growing toward this moment all you lives, and you will continue to grow in the moons to come. You will not be suddenly stronger or faster, or ready to start a family, nor will you suddenly give up the youthful things that have occupied you to this time.
“What is changing is your place in the Clan. Up to this point you have been wards of the Clan, under its care as you are under the care of your families. As of today, you are full members and participants in the Clan. You will still enjoy its care and protection, but you will be expected to contribute to that care in ways that you have not before. Think hard about that. The Clan is only as strong as the bonds between its members, and those bonds are forged by shared effort and common goals. The rats that work together thrive together!”
Torus’ father leaned over and whispered in his ear.
“This speech hasn’t changed since I came of age twenty moons ago!
”
“But enough talk!” cried Nogolo. “Let’s move forward! Mr. Nile, do you have the names?”
Mr. Nile shuffled up and climbed slowly onto the platform. He took his spot next to the advisors and spoke softly to them. Then Dinnick stepped forward and called out loudly.
“Arkon, son of Jokon, of the Fourth Floor. Come forward!”
A slim rat with a worried face stepped up to the front of the platform and looked up at the old rats gathered there. Then Nogolo spoke.
“Arkon, do you come here today by your own will?” The young rat nodded barely perceptibly, and Mr. Nile said, “You have to speak, son.”
“Okay. Yes.” Said Arkon, his voice shaking a little.
“Good,” said Nogolo, smiling. “Do you pledge your loyalty to the Rats of the Acme Apartment Hotel, and to the leaders of the clan?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And how will you serve the Clan?” Arkon looked confused, so Nogolo continued. “What profession would you choose to support the Clan?”
“Oh, okay. Um, the tunnels, please. I’d like to help build tunnels.”
“Very well, we will consider it.” Nogolo, Dinnick, and Mr. Nile all retreated to the back of the platform where the Chief sat waiting. They spoke quietly among themselves for a moment, then returned to the front and faced the crowd.
“Jeffon, Tunnel Crew Leader! Will you accept Arkon as a new member of the Tunnel Crew?”
“I will!” said a lean, dark-furred rat near the far wall, and the crowd cheered.
“Congratulations!” said Dinnick. “You may return to your place.” Arkon turned and went quickly back to his place, visibly relieved.
Torus had a sudden thrill of anxiety. He didn’t know what to choose for a profession, and the thought of saying “I don’t know…I like pickles…” sounded just too ridiculous. He watched uneasily as a rat he didn’t know got accepted into the Patrol, and then a female from his tunnel was called up.
When she was asked for a profession she said “Undecided,” very quietly, and Nogolo looked down smiling at her. Without consulting the others on the platform he said, “Nothing is more important to the health of the Clan than a clean home. Will you join the tunnel cleaning detail?”
She shrugged and looked down.
“Sure,” she said. Torus found Nevi in the crowd and her eyes were burning.
“Anaka, will you accept Luzi to the Tunnel Cleaning Detail?” called Nogolo.
“Yes I will!” said Nevi’s mother clearly. Torus only had time to be surprised for a moment because just after that Dinnick called out, “Torus, son of Nolki, of the First Floor. Come forward!”
He sat still for a moment and his father nudged him with an elbow. Nosha whispered “Yay, Torus,” and waved at him as he walked toward the platform. He tried to catch Chello’s eye as he passed him, but his friend stared stonily ahead. Nevi was engaged in a whispered argument with her mother and didn’t look up, so by the time he reached the front, Torus felt very small and alone.
“Torus, do you come here today of your own will?”
Torus nodded, then remembered he was supposed to speak.
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“And do you pledge your loyalty to the Rats of the Acme Apartment Hotel, and the leaders of the Clan?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent! And how will you serve the Clan, Torus?”
“Um…undecided?” He knew that was the wrong answer. He could feel his father’s disappointment on the back of his neck. He knew he was about to be assigned to the cleaning crew, or to some other meaningless team, but he didn’t know what else to say.”
“Very well, then. I think we can find room for you on the clean–”
“Wait!” Torus was struck by a sudden thought. Nogolo looked down at him, startled at being interrupted.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I, umm, I like building things. And fixing things. Is there a profession where I can do that?”
Nogolo seemed at a loss for words. Dinnick looked bored, like he was hardly paying attention, but Mr. Nile was gazing at him intently, as if he hadn’t seen him clearly before. Finally Nogolo spoke.
“Well, Torus, usually rats build the things they need for themselves. And we’re careful not to build too much so we don’t attract the humans’ attention. There’s not a thing-building profession, exactly.”
He stopped and gazed at Torus with a puzzled expression on his face. He was about to speak when Mr. Nile stepped up and began whispering in his ear. After a few moments, Nogolo’s expression relaxed and he said, “Yes, I think that will work.” Turning back to Torus he said, “Torus, we think the Tunnel crew is the best place for you, but when you are not engaged in a project with them, you can work building things for Mr. Nile and other, um, senior rats that may have difficulty building things for themselves. How does that sound?”
The idea had come so quickly that it hadn’t really settled into Torus’ mind, but he said, “I guess it sounds pretty good.”
“Very good!” cried Nogolo. “Jeffon, if you agree…?”
“I do,” said the tunnel crew leader without enthusiasm.
“Then Torus, son of Nolki, Congratulations! You may return to your place.”
Torus turned and went back to where his father and the pups were waiting. He tried to keep a slow pace, but he was so relieved to have the ordeal over he could barely keep from running.
“Well done, son!” whispered his father.
“Thanks,” Torus whispered back.
“That’s stroke of luck, Nile speaking up for you.”
“What do you mean?”
His father motioned him to silence, raising a claw to his lips.
“I’ll tell you later. Shh.”
Torus watched while a few other young rats took their turns going to the front. There were some he knew only by sight, and others he didn’t know at all. He was a little surprised to learn there were so many rats his age he had never met before. He was looking around the room to see how many faces he actually recognized when he heard Dinnick call out.
“Nevi, daughter of Anaka, of the First Floor. Come forward!”
Nevi got up and walked unhesitatingly to the front. When she got to the front her back was to Torus and he couldn’t see her face, but he could tell by the way her tail twitched that she was angry.
“Nevi, do you come here today of your own will?” asked Nogolo, smiling.
“Of course,” she said.
Nogolo’s smile faded a tiny bit.
“And do you pledge your loyalty to the Rats of the Acme Apartment Hotel, and the leaders of the Clan?”
“I will gladly pledge loyalty to the clan of my birth,” she said, her voice clear and strong. “And its worthy leaders,” she added, with just the slightest emphasis on the word ‘worthy.’
Nogolo’s smile faded completely and was replaced by a slightly puzzled, concerned expression.
“Good,” he said. “Very good. Nevi, what profession do you choose to serve the Clan?”
There was a short pause. To Torus it looked like Nevi was drawing a deep breath and trying to keep calm. Then she spoke, and her voice rang like a bell in the silent room.
“Scout,” she said. “I want to be a Scout.” She stared straight at Nogolo, challenging him.
The stunned silence in the room was quickly replaced with a tense murmur of disbelief and incredulity. The look in Nogolo’s eyes was one of tightly controlled panic.
“But my dear,” he said, “it’s…unusual for a…that is, Scouting is the most…dangerous profession and…”
“I know every tunnel in this building,” said Nevi, interrupting him. “I’m fast and silent on my feet, my eyes and ears are as sharp as anyone’s. And I can fight, if I have to. Ask anyone.”
Torus glanced at Chello, who was staring at his feet with his tail twitching.
“One moment,” stammered N
ogolo, and he turned quickly to the back of the platform and huddled with the other leaders there. There was an animated discussion among them, but Torus couldn’t hear any of it above the rising murmur of the crowd. He glanced at his father who was watching the advisors with an uninterpretable scowl on his face. The pups had lost interest and were wrestling in a pile on the floor. The tension in the air made Torus uncomfortable and the pups’ playing irritated him.
“Stop it! Stop it!” he hissed. They stopped and Nosha pouted and looked at him reproachfully.
“This is boring,” said Moki. “I’m hot.”
Nogolo came back up to the front of the platform, joined by Mr. Nile. The crowd gradually quieted down, and Nogolo spoke.
“Nevi, to be a Scout…” He trailed off and looked to Mr. Nile for help.
“Scouting is an honorable and crucial profession,” said Mr. Nile. “It is also risky and difficult. If you choose this path, Nevi, there will come times when you have no one to rely upon but yourself. Are you prepared for that?”
“Yes, sir, I am,” she said.
“Then I for one see no reason not to recommend you for this profession,” he said, with a note of pride in his voice. “Nogolo, will you continue?”
“Yes, of course,” said Nogolo. “Hakan, Scout leader, will you…will you accept Nevi as a Scout in your squad?”
Scout Leader Hakan stood up and walked slowly to where Nevi was standing. He was small and slight for a grown male, not much bigger than Nevi herself. He cocked his head to one side and squinted at her.
“Will you follow orders?” he asked, “even if it means risking being seen by the humans?”
“I will,” she said.
He paused, then spoke again.
“You have good nerves,” he said. “You are too reckless, but that can be un-learned.” He turned and walked back to his place and continued speaking without looking back. “Yes, Nogolo. I accept this young rat in my squad.”
Nogolo sagged visibly.
“Very well then. Back to your seat, Nevi,” he said. “Congratulations,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
After that, Torus could no longer pay close attention and he started playing surreptitiously with the pups. Young rats continued to be called up for their part in the ceremony, but only a couple captured his notice.
Nevi’s big friend Juke was enthusiastically accepted into the Patrol by Dumash, and a female, who he didn’t know, when asked her chosen profession, said “Cleaning tunnels or Forage Porter is fine for me, thanks!” with a contemptuous glance at Nevi.
By that time, Torus was almost as restless as the pups and his father was on the verge of dragging them all out by their tails. Torus tried to make Moki calm down by sitting on him when he heard, “Chello, son of…of Chello, of the First Floor. Come forward!”
Chello got up and ambled to the front of the room.
“Chello, do you come here of your own will?”
“Sure,” he said.
“And do you pledge your loyalty to the Rats of the Acme-”
“Yes, sir. Yes I do. Absolutely,” Chello interrupted.
“The Acme Apartment Hotel,” finished Nogolo resolutely. “And how will you serve the Clan?”
“I dunno, Patrol I guess,” said Chello.
“Patrol, you guess?” said Dinnick. “Do you think you’ve got what it takes? There are things in your, ah, background that might suggest otherwise.”
“Why don’t you ask Dump- Dumash?” said Chello hotly. “He’s been on me about it for two whole moons.”
“Exactly,” said Nogolo, resting a calming paw on Dinnick’s arm. “Patrol Commander Dumash, are you willing to take this young rat into your Patrol and teach him to use his strengths in the service of the Clan?”
“Oh, yes,” called Dumash from the back of the room. “We’re very excited to have him join us and – ”
“Good, very good,” said Nogolo, waving Dumash to silence. “Now we’re – congratulations Chello, back to your seat – Now we’re at the end – what?” He leaned toward Dinnick who whispered in his ear. “Oh, yes, of course. Carry on.”
“Finnick, of the Fourth Floor. Come forward!” called Dinnick
A tall rat with dark, glossy fur stepped forward.
“Finnick, do you come here today of your own will?”
“Yes, I do,” he replied in a booming voice.
“And do you pledge your loyalty to the Clan and its leaders?”
“You know I do, sir,”
“And how will you serve the Clan, Finnick?”
“I feel I can best serve the Clan by service to the Executive Council. I’d like to join the administrative team, if the leaders see fit.”
“Very good,” said Nogolo, and the leaders gathered a final time at the back of the platform. Their conversation was subdued and short, and they returned quickly to the front.
Torus’s father snorted quietly and rolled his eyes.
“What is it?” asked Torus.
“That’s Dinnick’s son,” replied his father. “The leader’s circle always brings their own in, and they only bring their own in.”
“That stinks,” said Torus.
“That’s life,” said his father, resignedly.
“Young Finnick,” said Nogolo, “on behalf of the Administrative Team we are happy to welcome you. Congratulations!”
There was half-hearted applause from the audience as Finnick returned happily to his place.
Torus’ father leaned toward him.
“You should try getting to know Finnick,” he whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s like I said about Nile. It’s good luck to have the leaders speak up for you. Nile’s not exactly a leader, but he’s well respected by the whole clan. If you get to know Finnick it might help you in the future.”
“Okay...” said Torus uncertainly.
“Now,” called Dinnick above the noise, “here at the end – ” He was interrupted again, this time by a tremendous clattering noise from the back of the room at the broken windows at the top of the wall. Then several things happened at once.
Two pigeons flapped through the broken window almost directly above Torus’s head. The pups, who had never seen a pigeon, started screaming, as did many other rats, young and old. Nevi darted swiftly and silently through a gap in a nearby wall. Chello dashed in a different direction and snatched up a bent and rusty nail that was lying on the floor near the far wall. Torus saw them both, and saw them nearly collide, although neither seemed to notice the other. Torus’s father put his arms around the pups in an attempt to calm them as the pigeons circled around and around the room. On the platform, Dinnick looked alarmed, Nogolo was looking at him smugly, Mr. Nile was looking at Nogolo shrewdly, and the Chief was watching the pigeons circle with a somewhat dreamy smile on his face.
As they had at the previous gathering, the pigeons slowly circled down and finally landed on the platform. Nogolo stepped up to meet them.
“Welcome, friends,” he said. “We are nearly finished, but I’m glad you were able to join us.”
“Greeting greet greet!” said one of the pigeons.
Nogolo turned and addressed the crowd. “You all are aware, I know, of the new arrangement we have entered into with our neighbors the pigeons. I took it upon myself to invite a delegation to attend our coming of age ceremony to help cement the ties we are building between Clan and Flock.” The crowd regarded him with cold silence.
“Wise rat, old rat wise,” said the other pigeon. “Listen rat young old rat young wise. Rat Rat!”
“Now, as Advisor Dinnick was about to announce, there is a small celebration after the ceremony. To honor our new members, you know, and I thought it fitting if our new allies would honor us by joining with us for some refreshment?”
There was a disgruntled murmur from the crowd, and the other leaders on the platform stared incredulously at Nogolo.
The pigeons stared, too, with wide, glassy expressionless eyes.
“Join not,” the first pigeon finally said. “Observe we observe only. Ratgathering. Uneasy makes it us we uneasy of ratgathering. Observe.”
“Ah, yes, I understand,” said Nogolo, nervously, “but this is simply our coming of age ceremony. We gather each second moon for this purpose. Surely you see it is of no consequence?”
“Join not. Now go we,” said the pigeon, and they flapped noisily out the window.
When the birds disappeared through the window the crowd erupted in a flood of angry shouts.
“How dare you?” demanded a tall rat with brown fur. “How dare you invite those…creatures to this? This is supposed to be for us and our young ones! It’s nothing to share with outsiders!” Several other rats shouted in agreement, including Torus’s father.
Torus saw Nevi come out of the space in the wall, carrying something long and sharp. Chello saw her, too, and started over to where she was.
“Dad,” Torus said, “can I go over and talk to my friends?”
“Sure,” said his father. “We’ll see you at home later. We’ll do our own celebration there. I don’t think Nogolo’s party turned out like he hoped.”
Torus looked up at the platform and saw Nogolo surrounded by a sea of angry, shouting rats while Mr. Nile watched with amusement. Torus went over to where his friends were waiting.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Chello, and they followed him out to a quieter place in the basement. He was still carrying his nail and occasionally poked it into the wall or floor of the tunnel.
They flopped down in the shadows and were silent for a moment.
“Well, I guess everything changes now,” said Torus.
“Nothing ever changes,” said Chello. “Just more of the same.”
“So are you staying on then? On the Patrol? Or are you still thinking about leaving?”
“I don’t know,” said Chello. “If Nogolo keeps letting those birds in pretty soon there won’t be any reason to stay.”
“I think we can stop it,” said Nevi. “If I can bully my way into being a Scout and Torus can invent a whole new profession for himself, then what can’t we achieve?”
“I’m hungry,” said Chello. “If I’m going to be Dumpish Junior I’d better start eating right away. Who’s got food?”
“We have lots of food,” said Torus. Why don’t you come over? Nevi, get your mom and Chello, you can –”
“Nah, they won’t come,” said Chello. “But I’ll come along if you’ve got enough.”
“Oh, sure,” said Torus. “Loads. I’ll go tell my dad. Go get your mom, Nevi and you all come over, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Okay”
Then the three young rats scampered off in three different directions, leaving the crowd of rats in the meeting room behind them.
* * *
Part II
