“Living as a rat was never an easy thing, especially if you’re a city rat. There are uncountable threats that could kill you at any given time at any given place. You name it. Vicious street cats, waiting for their next meal on every corner of the streets. Human vehicles, ready to crush anyone that dare to cross the roads into a thin paper. Being a city rat means you’re born to become a survivalist. You must become strong, swift, and clever. That’s what grandpa said.”
“Cool. Done with your story Newt? Now please shut up so we can reach the city faster”, said the rat who has been listening to the story all along.
“Sorry Crit, I’m just really bored walking this far into this sewer”, says the smaller rat who just finished his story.
“Hang on little kid, we should arrive at the city very soon”, said Crit.
“I wonder if this is the right decision Crit, leaving the village behind, grandpa is going to be really mad at us”, Newt replied.
Newt seems to be really afraid of what they would face in the city. As young country rats, both Newt and Crit have never experienced anything about the city. For all their life, all they have been doing was hoarding the farmers’ crops. There is not much danger in the village, they were living in peace with the old wise grandpa rat. All they do was playing during the day, find food, and at noon, they would listen to grandpa’s stories before falling asleep.
One day, Newt and Crit were just sneaking inside the farmer’s house, searching for food as usual. Dodging all the traps set up by humans. For Newt and Crit, all of these traps are useless and not scary at all. They’ve gained all of the needed knowledge from grandpa. They’ve known every single trick that humans would use to trap rats. Both Newt and Crit are untouchable. Talented young rats.
Newt and Crit always bring home food for grandpa since he’s too old to walk around. That night, they found a grape on the top shelf of the farmer’s house. Both of them carry each ball of grape in their mouth.
They were running really fast until Newt bumped into Crit who suddenly stopped running. Crit shushed Newt before he could say a thing. Instead of explaining, Crit pointed his finger down at the Television a human was watching. His eyes were shining. Newt tried to see what made Crit stop like that. It was hard to see a thing on the Television screen down below, especially because they were far above the shelf. Newt had to squint his eye before he was able to see what was on the TV screen. An advertisement. A cheese factory advertisement. Crit looked into Newt and nodded. At that moment, Newt knew what is going to happen next. They’re going to the city. To the cheese factory, they just saw.
“Of course, this is the right decision Newt. Don’t be delusional. I’m sick of eating all of that plain-tasted cheese and all of that almost-rotten fruits. And the seeds? I don’t want to talk about it. I want to eat something fresher, Newt. A higher quality food. Like the ones, we saw on Television. The city is the place to go. We’ve learned all the things from grandpa though. You know we’re untouchable. No traps could get us, now keep walking.” Said Crit to Newt who was still looking worried.
“But still… city, the place that grandpa has always warned us. I’m not really sure Crit, I know we’re untouchable and all, but those traps we have been dealing with are the traps in the village, we don’t know what we’re going to deal with.”
“Shush. I think we’ve arrived. If the information from that pigeon is accurate, then this is the place. The new cheese factory in the TV. We’re here Newt.” Crit said.
“Are you serious? I’m glad that we’re not trading those two slices of bread for a piece of fake information. I was worried that we have given away our four-days-worth-of-food supplies. That pigeon can be trusted overall”, said relieved Newt. “So, you’re saying on top of this is sewer is the cheese factory building right? What you’re waiting for Crit? Let’s go!”
“What’s up with you? A minute ago, you were doubting the decision we made and now you’re all this excited?” said Crit to Newt who was now jumping in excitement. “Anyway, yeah, let’s climb up this pipe and we should be able to find a way to enter the factory, I’m already sick with the smell of this sewer”, Crit continued.
They both climbed the pipe that connects the cheese factory with the sewer. Leaving the underground sewer that connects all the way to the village where they were coming from. Crit got the information of the routes they should take to be able to reach the city from the city pigeon that was passing the village during migration. And so, they arrived.
With their skills, Newt and Crit climbed and find their way through the maze of the factory’s drainage system, into the air ventilation maze, and all. They ran all the way till they found a small hole with light on the other side. Fresh cheese can be smelled, coming from outside of the hole. They both decided to get through the hole. They had to squeeze themselves to be able to pass it. Compared to Crit who has a larger body size, Newt’s small body barely touched the sides of the hole. Crit went to the hole first and then followed by Newt. As soon as they entered the light, they both froze.
They both just entered cheese heaven. They have entered the cheese factory. In front of their eyes is a huge clean white hall with shelves all over the place. The Golden, shining yellow cheeses can be seen everywhere, filling all of the shelves’ slots. The aroma of fresh, milky cheese can be smelled all over the room. Newt and Crit are both lucky enough to have entered the exact room they needed. The vault where humans store the cheese in the factory. Their way was easy, too easy. They haven’t met any trap on their way here. Even on the way to this vault, there is no trap at all, only mazes of air ventilation. They only need to squeeze their body into the small hole behind them and that’s all. They have found heaven.
Next thing they know, they went frenzy, Crit ate like a maniac, “It’s all ours Newt, it’s all ours! HAHAHA”, said Crit, while devouring half of a cheese wheel like crazy.
“Careful Crit! Remember what grandpa said, greed is the way to suicide, always take enough for us! And not more than it!” Newt said, concerned about how Crit is unable to control himself.
“Shut up for a bit about what grandpa said would ya? This is heaven Newt! Heaven! Enjoy the moment! Who cares what grandpa said? I’ve learned my way of avoiding and dodging all the human traps. I will be fine! We will be fine! Here, try this one, it’s so good!” Crit replied while handing a handful of cheese to Newt.
They were enjoying their moment until they heard a metal sound from the end of the room. It’s the vault’s door. The door is being opened. Both Crit and Newt panicked. A giant figure of a human appeared, shocked to see two filthy-looking rats eating cheese in the pearl-white room. Newt, Crit, and the human were flabbergasted. The human’s shocked face then turned into a furious face. A face of a killer, the face both Newt and Crit have seen on the cat’s eyes when they are being chased. They both panicked and run for the hole.
Newt ran first and squeezed himself into the hole. His heart is beating really fast, sighs with relief at being able to escape. He now just needs to wait for Crit. “CRIT, FAST!”, Newt yelled. Crit’s head entered the hole, another relieved breath out from Newt’s nose. Knowing that his buddy is fine and able to run to the hole. But something was off, Crit seemed to struggle. His body can’t get in due to the amount of cheese he had eaten. Crit tried to move really hard before he surrender. He gave a good-bye-look to Newt, who was still trying to pull his buddy past the hole. Newt lost his grip on Crit, as he is being pulled from the vault’s side. That day, the two rat’s grandpa known have lost a member. Upon his end Crit has just remembered a thing grandpa taught him. “Greed made us easy prey for death”.
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