Well I've finally got back to writing again hopefully I be able to 
put out some new stuff in the near future. Please send C&C to JLee100441@aol.com

James


       Part one can be found at my webpage. JLee.anifics.com/index.htm
      
       Story status:
       Neko Can't: The next part is about half way done.
       Alternate Future: Finished the outline for the next part just have to 
get started on it.
       Secret Lies: Like AF, I got the outline just need to start on it.
       Redstring of Fate: Part two is halfway done.


Mrs. Brisby and The Mystery Rat

By: James Lee

Disclaimer: Nether The Secret of Nimh or any other characters that will 
appear in this fanfic belong to me. No profit is being made of it.

Part 2
    Brisby woke up to a clanking sound coming from a distance. Getting out of 
bed, she walked up the stairs to go outside. Once outside, the mouse made her 
way up the large stone in the garden. She stopped when she saw Sandy standing 
on the top.
    The rat had a stick, about 8 inches long, and was swinging it around. No 
not swinging, dancing was more like it. Sandy thrust and twirled the stick 
with such an elegance that it was almost like the staff was a part of her own 
body. 
    "High time you woke up." Said Sandy, not even slowing down.
    "How long have you been doing that?" asked Brisby.
    "About an two hours. I started with basic fitness exercises: push-ups, 
pull-ups, and jumps. Then I moved on to the hand to hand and weapons. I was 
hoping it would help me remember.
    "Did it work?"
    Sandy stopped and shook her head. "Only a little. Mostly all I got was 
more drills to practice. I do remember doing this with two others, but all I can 
remember about them is that one was a wuss and the other had the brains of a 
carrot. 
    Brisby raised her ears as she once again heard the clanking sound. She 
turned to see that they were coming from the farmhouse.
    "The farmers trying to start his tractor." 
    "The tractor?" asked Brisby fearfully. 
    Sandy nodded. "It's been sitting in the cold for a while so the engine is 
giving him trouble."
    "What did I tell you, Moving day." Brisby turned to see the old shrew 
making her way up the stone.
    "It can't be."
    "It most certainly is," Said the Shrew shaking her walking stick at the 
mouse. "I don't suppose you packed."
    "But what about Timothy? The chill in the air could kill him."
    "Child that tractor most certainly will. You have to get your family out 
before it's too late." 
    There was a sudden roar and the three turned to see a puff of smoke and 
the tractor moving towards the garden patch.
    "Ahh! Moving day!" Yelled the shrew as she jumped of the rock and ran 
through the garden. As she ran the old shrew yelled out, "Run! The plow comes. 
Run for your lives!"
    From the stone, Sandy watched as all forms of birds and animals fled from 
the field. She then saw Brisby run from the house with her children. Sandy 
followed as she noticed the mouse had only three of the children with her.
    "Hay Mrs. B, you're short a kid!" Brisby ignored the rat as she rushed up 
to the old shrew.
    "Brisby, where's Timothy?" Asked the shrew surprised. Surely Mrs. Brisby 
wouldn't leave the boy to be crushed. 
    "Momma, what about Timmy?" asked Cynthia. Brisby handed the small mouse 
to the shrew.
    "Stay with Aunty Shrew. I've got to stop that thing!"
    "Wait, Brisby stop! You're out of your mind!" The Aunty Shrew yelled as 
the mouse ran off towards the tractor. The shrew as was then knocked aside as 
Sandy ran passed her.

    Brisby ran up behind the plow. Seeing a chain dangling from the rear, the 
mouse grabbed on and climbed onto the top of the plow. However the vibrations 
of the machine were so great that she quickly fell. Only by grabbing onto a 
near by string did Mrs. Brisby avoid falling in front of the blades. Climbing 
back on Brisby froze. She wanted to stop the tractor but couldn't will herself 
to move.
    By this time Sandy had climbed onto the tractor. Seeing that her friend 
couldn't move, she made way into tractor's engine compartment. Looking around, 
Sandy saw the fuel line. Easily yanking to small hose from the motor, she then 
used it as a fire hose and sprayed the heated engine with gasoline. 
    "Oh my god!" Yelled farmer Fitzgibbons as flames and smoke burst from his 
tractor. As he grabbed the fire extinguisher, the farmer didn't notice the 
rat that left the engine compartment. 
       "Mrs. B!" yelled Sandy as she climbed onto the plow. She found Mrs. 
Brisby curled into a small shivering ball. Grabbing a mouse Sandy leaped into 
the grass.
    A short while later the farmer Fitzgibbons got the fire under control. 
Looking at the engine he noticed that the fuel line had broken. "Of all the 
lousy luck."

    "He'll be back tomorrow," sobbed Brisby who was beginning to lose her 
self-control. "I wish Jonathon was here..."(Slap!)
    "Pull yourself together." Said Sandy, lowering her hand. The shrew who 
had joined them, frowned at the rat. She however, had to agree that her neighbor 
needed that.
    Taking several deep breaths, Brisby looked back up. "What am I going to 
do?"
    "We'll think of something." Said the shrew.
    Sandy frowned as she looked back to see a white cloud around the tractor. 
The cloud was from a CO2 fire extinguisher. "He got the fire under control 
faster than I thought. Depending on how fast he can get parts, I'd say we have 
two, maybe three days." 
    "The Great Owl, I bet he would know what to do." 
    Brisby looked at the shrew as if she had grown a second head. "Oh, I 
couldn't do that. Owls (gulp) eat mice!"
    "Show a little courage child. We're fighting for Timmy's life here!"
    "I'll go with you, if you like Mrs. B" said Sandy. Mrs. Brisby looked at 
the rat then nodded her head. 

Later that day...
    "Didn't I tell ya you like flying Mrs. Bris." Said Jeremy the crow as he 
started climbing in the air. 
    "I-I don't know how I let you talk me into this," yelled Brisby as she 
nearly fell out for the tenth time. Sure this was the fastest way to get to the 
forest, but did he have to fly so high? Not able to look down, the mouse 
looked at Sandy, who seemed to be the very image of calm. {I wish I could be that 
calm and collected.} thought Brisby. 
    "When we get to the Great Owl, he'll know just what to do," said Jeremy 
as he forgot his passengers and did a spin. Suddenly, the mouse lost her grip 
on the string and she started fall. Without a word Sandy grabbed her and put 
her back at the strings around the crows nest.
    "That's easy for you to say. O-Owls eat mice," said Brisby as she grabbed 
onto the strings for dear life.
    "Ah only after dark," replied the crow as he started to descend into a 
dark part of the forest. Many of the trees were withered and leafless, which 
didn't help the mouse's nerves. Landing on a branch, Jeremy started to look 
around.
    "That must be the Owl's tree over there." Brisby looked to see a 
particularly large and ugly tree sitting by itself. {Of course.} thought the mouse as 
she looked at the scary near dead tree with an uninviting hole in it.
    Jeremy quickly flew over to a branch in front of the large hole. As 
Brisby and Sandy got off, the mouse could hear the rat mumbling. 
    "Stupid fucking dumb ass crow," growled the rat. "Remind me to kick the 
shit out of him when we get back...what?"
    "Umm nothing," said Brisby, as she stared at the rat. She hadn't heard 
such language from Sandy before. Sandy then unslung her weapon. The weapon was 
the same staff she had been using that morning, but it know had a blade tied to 
it. The blade was from a small hobby knife. Jonathon had used for odd jobs, 
but Mrs. Brisby hadn't much use for it. So when Sandy asked for it, the mouse 
gave it to her. Now it form the point of a make shift pole arm. 
    "Hello, anybody here?" Jeremy nervously called, as the three walked up to 
the entrance. "Well looks like nobodies home. Let's go."
    "He's in there all right," said Sandy as she narrowed her eyes. Before 
Brisby could ask the rat what she meant, a gust of air came out of the hole. 
Both the mouse and the crow where blown back, but Sandy was oddly unaffected. An 
eerie voice then came from the entrance.
    "Step inside my house." 
    Mrs. Brisby gulped and had to be prodded by Jeremy to move forward. As 
she got to the entrance she hesitated.
    "Either come inside or go away."
    Seeing that Brisby was a little apprehensive, Sandy picked her up and 
carried the mouse inside. {Hmm, the insides more ugly than out side.}
    "Sandy put me down."
    "Whatever say Mrs. Brisby," said the rat as placed Mrs. Brisby on the 
floor.
    "Honestly, I can walk on my own you know," said Brisby as she took a few 
steps then nearly tripped off an edge. Looking down, the mouse nearly screamed 
at the sight of several dozen mice skeletons. Back paddling as fast as she 
could Brisby bumped into Sandy, who just looked down and smiled.
    "Relax Mrs. B, the worst thing that'll happen is you'll be torn apart 
while eaten alive."
    "Is THAT supposed to make me feel better?" Brisby asked the rat, who 
nodded happily. "This isn't funny Sandy! I'll have you know he might rather have a 
large dirty rat than a small mouse."
    "Hey, watch the dirty rat comment. That's rat profiling, and I resent it. 
Oh, and keep ahead of me a bit."
    "Why, so I can be the appetizer?"
    "Noooo, it's because some evil son of a bitch is sneaking up on us!" 
Sandy yelled the last part out as she twirled around only to see a clawed talon 
come down on the giant spider that had been following them. Looking up they saw 
two glowing eyes open. The Owl looked as ancient the tree it inhabited. They 
could actually see cobwebs hanging of its brown and grey wings. {That ain't 
normal.} thought Sandy as the owls head did a 180, its neck cracking as it did 
so.
    "Why have you come here."
    Sandy jabbed Brisby in the side, to get her to respond. "P-Please I need 
you help. The plow has come early this year."
    "Move your family," said the owl.
    "Ah yes. Normally I would, but Timmy has pneumonia and he can't go 
outside."
    "You must move you're house to a place of safety." 
    Brisby shook her head; there was no way she could move the house. "Please 
there's got to be another way."
    "There is no other way." 
    "Hmph, great all knowing owl my ass," said the rat.
    "Sandy!" Brisby couldn't believe the rat said that right in front of him.
    "Oh come on Brisby, we could have gone to shit for brains outside for 
those answers."
    "Brisby?" said the owl, bringing its glowing eyes within an inch of the 
mouse. "Mrs. Jonathon Brisby?"
    "Y-Yes, he was my husband. How do you about him?" asked Brisby, preying 
that the owl didn't say he was delicious. 
    "That is unimportant. I will say this; his name is not unknown in these 
woods," said the owl. "There is a way. Go to rats."
    "The rats? I don't know any rats."
    "What am I? A hamster?" said Sandy. 
    "In the thorn bush." Brisby became thoughtful.
    "Oh, those rats."
    The owl continued, "Ask for Nicodemus. Tell him to move your house to the 
lee side of the stone."
    "That's impossible. No rat could ever move my house. It's..." 
    "They have ways," said the owl before turning around. "Now it is night, 
and I must go."
    Brisby and Sandy followed the owl as it hobbled towards the entrance. 
Just before going outside it turned to them. "Remember, the lee side of the 
stone."
    Jeremy cringed as the owl walked by. He then turned to Brisby and Sandy. 
"So how'd it go?"
    "He said he have to go to the rats," said Sandy as she watched the owl 
silently take off.
    "Rats?" asked the crow. "What rats?"
    Both of the rodents ignored him, as Brisby repeated to herself. "The lee 
of the stone."

To be continued.



       



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