The Legend of Mr. Gruum's Monster: Part I

“Running, running, around mama’s ben…

I hear a monster, creeping out of daddy’s den…

Papa said, ‘It’s nothing…”

… and granny said, ‘It's all in my head…’

So off I now go, to hide all of my toes…

From that same monster, who snuck under my bed...”

Old children’s rhyme

from the late ‘Red Sky’ Era

PART I:

(In the later years of the 600’s… During the ‘Calm Water’ Era of The Known Realm’s Saga… Almost all of the Valespawn of the world had been purged by the Purebloods, (aka: ‘Arual’s Champions’, ‘The King Slayers’, or ‘Bloodhounds’, in different lore.), and throughout all of the lands within its borders, was a calm peace… As well as a boom in progression, discovery, and wealth for any and all that craved it…

However…

In some dark corners of the world, there were still ‘monsters’ lurking around… Monsters that still wanted to waste innocent blood, or simply terrify you to the point they could steal your soul away…

Yet despite what your elders would tell you… Not all of them were truly evil… Some were just trying to stay alive, while others…

Others were just looking for an old friend.)

(The Eve of Summer)

-697-

“... and so off you go, before you lose all of your toes!...” A mother shrew hushly laughed as she grabbed her little shrewlet’s pinky toe.

“No!... Hahaha!... Stop it mama!...” Her only son giggled, trying to wiggle himself free from her tickling hands.

It was already way past the bedtime for little rodents his age, and with the twilight of the evening now being replaced by the soft glow of a waxing moon, his mother was now preparing him a warm nest of blankets on his little haypile next to hers.

“...Ooooh, but I don’t want to go to sleep yet, mama…” The little shrewlet whined, and proceeded to try and climb out of his fortress of patchwork quilts to escape.

“Ooooh, no ya don’t!…” His mother said with a sly smile, and quickly scooped up her heart and joy with a gentle hug, before sneaking in a few raspberries as she laid him back down in his bed for the night.

“Hey, mama?... Where did that song come from?...” Her little shrewlet asked, thinking of anything to help delay his bedtime even further.

“What song, sweety?...” His mother replied, still tucking him into a snug little haypile.

“The ‘monsters under the bed’ song?...” Her shrewlet continued, looking up at his mother as she now prepared her own bed next to him.

“Hmm… You know… I’m actually not sure, dear…” She answered honestly, and once she took off her copper-wrapped glasses, she rolled back over to look over her son’s curious face as he started to yawn.

“*yawn*... Then where did it come from?...” Her shrewlet asked further, fighting his own eyes as they started to grow heavy.

“Well…” His mother said as she propped herself up on her arm. “... I remember when I was a little shrew, my grandmother would sing to me before bed… As well as her mother, and her mother’s grandmother… I bet not even the gods themselves know who actually created that song…”

‘But why-… *yawn*... Why was it created?...” Her son asked, but was now keeping one of his eyes open, while letting the other one ‘rest’ a minute.

“Hehe… Does it need a reason?...” His mother gently smiled, watching her son slowly close his other eye.

“*yawn*... I guess not…” Her little shrewlet yawned with a mumble, and with a little push, snuggled up to his favorite spot on his mama’s arm as he finished his thought. “... Do you think the monster is still out there?...”

“Oh, of course not dear… I imagine it died a long time ago…” His mother soothed, knowing her son’s frightful mind. “... But even if it was, I would never let him hurt you…”

“That’s good…” Her son exhaled, feeling his mother hug him tightly. “... and one day… When I’m bigger… I’ll make sure he’ll never hurt you either…”

“That’s my brave, little Gruum…” His mama smiled…

… and with a finally kiss from his mother, the young shrewlet past into his gilded dreamworld for another long night of rather blurry, but well cherished, memories.

******************************

(27th of Winter)

-717-

It was cold…

Lots of wind…

A little dryer than normal, but still…

Bone-numbingly painful to feel…

… and for the more ‘less-fortune’ souls that made the gutters of Mistport their home, the growing winter winds were causing more and more of them to overwork themselves to prepare for the harder days that would come after the Winter Solace.

The old wheat mill town was not an overly large place to dwell for its residents, but over its past few growing years, more and more people looking for work had come in hope of getting their start in the grain trade. Some were able to pick up the trade secrets rather easily, while others were just more lucky than their competition… and while yes, the town had become quite successful to any and all who chose to live there, it still had a ‘bad’ side of town… and this side was beginning to ‘bother’ the other residents that didn’t wish to see it.

So in an effort to not be run off from their only home, the ‘street rats’ of Mistport had learned to work together to keep each other safe, while also trying their best to ‘fix up’ their neighborhood to meet the town's growing ‘standards’...

… and for today’s ‘chores’, a few of the rats, mice and shrews that lived in Critter’s Row had thankfully been asked by the local dockworkers to help clean up around the piers, and were now scurrying from their homes to get to work early. Among them were five different little rodents. Two scrappers, two runners, and one sweeper.

The two scrappers, who were Rats, were the tallest of the group. At almost five feet tall, they were rather smart when it came to knowing what was still ‘useful’ in the trash, and could also carry the most out of them all. The two runners, who were Mice, were the fastest, (and more ‘cuter’), members of the group. While their taller companions would be going through the trash and sorting out what they could keep, they would help take off the waste to the local landfill, while packing up all their ‘earnings’ to take back home. Then last, but not least, was the sweeper… and before we go too far, yes… This was our little Mr. Gruum.

His job was to help tidy up the streets once all the trash and debris had been cleared, and because he had built such a good name with the locals, he now got paid… in real money… to just keep their porches and doorways swept. Indeed… He was really proving just how valuable his worth was to both his community and neighbors alike, and today was just like any other day in their small, but productive town.

“Hey, Gruum!...” One of the mice called out, and trotted up beside him to nudge him towards their goal. “... Me and Crumbs are gonna go ahead and start picking up the barrel bags. Did you wanna come see if there’s anything in them before we haul’um off?...”

“Nah… Y'all can go head and have’em, Sugar…” Mr. Gruum politely declined the soft-eyed female mouse, already in full gear to head towards the docks.

Even though he did like the idea of checking out the old goods and scraps from the market backallies, Mr. Gruum was even more excited for his new job… Sweeping off the main strip of businesses that line the front docks.

When the last dock sweeper, Mr. Crackers, finally passed away in the last Spring Cycle, the Mayor sent a message to Critter’s Row, looking for another full time sweeper to replace him. It was honestly a shock to hear almost everyone recommended him, and even more so, that his new job came with a guaranteed pardon from paying the ‘squatter’ tax while he was one of the town’s sweepers.

In truth, it had been more than a blessing to be given such an honor… and that’s why everyday since… Be it rain, sleet, or a hot summer heat… Mr. Gruum would get up extra early with the others to get as much done as possible, so that he and the rest of their community could keep up their good standing with the… Well… With the more ‘defined’ lords and ladies that simply wished to wall them off.

“Well then, don’t you overwork yourself on that pier today, Gruum…” Little Sugar the mouse soothed, already knowing her oldest friend wouldn’t listen. “It’s been very icy the past few nights, and I hate to have Socks and Shoes go fish ya out that cold water if you were to slip and fall in…”

“Pssh… I ain’t gonna fall in, Sugar… You worry too much.” Mr. Gruum playfully waved her off.

“Hehe… Then I don’t wanna hear you fuss’n when it does happen…” Sugar said back with a smile, and as her brother, Crumbs, waved for her to follow him towards the local baker’s shop, the two waved goodbye and eagerly continued to head towards their daily chores.

*****************************

The dock of Mistport were actually very quiet that day… Not too many people were working or out-n-a-bout, and with the Winter chill really setting in, there were less and less boats coming into port. That meant there was a lot less of a mess to clean up… Which made Mr. Gruum happy, because he could do more of his paying side jobs… but also, it had yet snowed that year, and that was making things a lot easier for everyone.

So to start with, Mr. Gruum always started with going to the little cleaning shed that was tucked away near the dock fisher’s cabin, and then grabbing all the tools he needed for the day.

Every sweeper in the town had their own method of how to do their job, but Mr. Gruum was, hands down, the most over-prepared. He would always carry some rags in a bucket for trash, mopping, or other small litters… A satchel of tools and scrapers for tougher messes… and, of course… He always carried a broom…

… but it was just any old broom.

It was his mama’s old broom…

… and when she passed away, Mr. Gruum always chose to use it while he cleaned, and even carved his name in it, just so that no one could take it from him.

He would even joke with the locals that it was his lucky charm… and sure enough, many good things had come since he had to live on his own. It was just lonely to not have his mama with him… but he always stopped by her grave before he would go home, and made sure to clean up her little stone on the outskirts of Critter’s Row, before leaving a small wildflower in her vase.

His trip home was but one of the things he looked forward to as he worked throughout his long days, and as for today, he was hoping to get a little extra work done, before he headed home to help sort out the daily haul.

So to begin with, he always started with the worst part…

The fisher and butcher gutters.

Yeah… There was no denying how much everyone hated cleaning up old fish guts or deer cleanings, but after a while, the smell really doesn't bother you. He quickly, but carefully, discarded them in an old wishing well that was now used as a compost deposit, and after a good scrub, he was on to the next chore of his list.

He started on one end of the docks, and slowly over the course of the morning, he tidied up and swept every pier. Picking up old hooks and netting that was dropped from the previous day, and storing them in his satchel for later to recycle. It only took til noon to finish his required work for the day, which made the little shrew very excited, and so he quickly headed towards the first shop on his list of side jobs to begin his more profitable chores.

It was actually the local seamstress, Ms. Cordelia, who had first offered to pay him after he cleaned up around her front garden, (without being asked), and ever since, he made sure to always take care of her wishes first before starting any other jobs.

He would always knock on her front door to her shop, though she would always tell him it was ok to come inside, and after a small talk of pleasantries, he would help clean and tidy up around her shop while she worked on her trade. She would even make him some tea if she wasn’t too busy, and though he never asked for them, he always loved it when she made him some peanut butter and honey sandwiches to go with it.

Once he was finished, she would pay him in his choice of favor… Either in silver coins or clothing… and sometimes she would throw in both, if she felt she had asked him to do too much. Today he actually asked if she could help fix his old cloak he always wore, and after a quick stitch, he was walking out of her shop with a hard day’s earning stitched over the holes in his clothing.

Next was the carpenter’s nook on the edge of the docks, which was probably his second least favorite job. It wasn’t a tough job, but there was always a lot of sawdust involved, and it took way more than just one good sweep to get up all of the leftover trimmings. Then after that, it was helping the tavern owner sweep off his porch… Then after that, he had to check on Mrs. Tanner’s garden… and then after that, it was…

Well… Ya get it…

He does a lot for such a small shrew.

… but even after such a long day of hard labor, he was still working into the late evening hours of the day, and was about to start one final chore for the dock fisher when he heard a little squeak call to him.

“There you are, Gruum!...” The voice of Sugar called over the docks.

Mr. Gruum quickly looked up from the buckets of old saltwater he was cleaning to see his little mouse friend coming up to check on him. He would have stood up from where he sat on the pier to greet her, but he was so focused on finishing his last chore that he just spoke while he continued to work.

“Hey there, Sugar… How was your day?” He said with a smile, still wiping out the inside of the bucket in his paws.

“It was alright…” Sugar said with an exhausted sigh, and came to plop down beside him as she too grabbed a bucket and rag to help him. “... Crumbs found a bunch of good food that was thrown in a wheat sack, but overall, there really wasn’t much for us to bring back home today...”

“Oh… Well… Maybe the others found some good stuff…” Mr. Gruum said with a hopeful tone, and gently nudged his shoulder into hers to comfort her.

“I doubt it…” She said quietly, looking down at the cold water under them. She stared at the two reflections that looked up at her with a sad gaze, but after a moment to recollect herself, she bounced back into her cheerful self. “... But hey!... I heard from the baker that he’ll be getting a new batch of baking goods this week, so I asked him if Socks and Shoes would help carrying it to his shop from the boat, would he consider giving us what’s left of his old stores… and he said yes!”

“Whoa, that’s awesome, Sugar!... That could literally help us all winter.” Gruum said with excitement, and looked over her blushing face as she turned away with a bashful grin.

“Well… Anything is better than nothing, right?...” She said in a low tone, repeating the overused saying of the residents of Critter’s Row.

There was a moment of silence after that… and though Mr. Gruum knew she wanted to speak from her heart, they sadly both knew there wasn’t much to say about their lives.

Ever since the very beginning… Even before rodent’s and humans were forced to live with each other… Almost all rodents have never truly craved nor strived to claim the many so-called ‘lifestyles’ that humans chase. For the most part, they were more happy with just being around others. Be it rodents, dragons, or even just trees. They enjoyed exploring and making home in old nooks and stumps that they could fix up, and never really understood why humans would become so wasteful of ‘useful’ things, while being overly possessive of ‘pointless’ things…

… but it was because of these pointless things that most of their lives were at risk. Before more and more humans had come to settle down in the new ‘Highwater’ district that had been built on the other side of town, most of the locals never cared about how they lived, or even treated them as if they were trash themselves… And while yes… It was true… They did tend to eat garbage and use old but still good items that had been thrown out… That still didn’t mean they were dirty or ‘bad’. It was just how they had survived over the centuries since the fall of the World Saint’s, and The Bloodline War… and it wasn’t like any of them took up much room.

Not only did the entire rodent population of Mistport live in the same area, they did so in the oldest, non-working, grain mill that was on the complete opposite side of town. The rich folk of Highwater didn’t even use the old docks that they worked on anymore. They were already constructing a newer and bigger docking area that was now on the northside of the town, and with it, there was a heavy omen for not only the rodents… but the older businesses as well.

Yep… Some people just can’t be happy unless they can remake the world into their ‘perfect’ version of it… and if you don’t fix in with their new society, then…

Then you’ll either end up being shut out, drove out, snuffed out… or simply just forgotten, and left behind.

“Hey… Gruum?...” Sugar finally spoke, keeping her eyes to the starry sky.

“Yeah?...” Mr. Gruum asked, looking up at the same sky as he still continued to scrub.

“Do you ever… wanna leave this place?...” Sugar said softly, and with a dreamy look in her eye, she turned to the sea’s horizon to look at the reflection of light coming from the crescent moon.

“Leave?... Here?... Oh, no… I couldn’t do that… Everything I need is here…” Mr. Gruum politely said back, without really thinking. “You, and your brother… Socks and Shoes… The good humans… Plus, I could never abandon what my mama worked so hard for… Our home was her greatest achievement in life, and now that it’s mine, I plan on keeping it until my children can have it.”

“Yeah, I know… That place means a lot to you, as well as your mama… But Gruum… Don’t you ever wanna just… start over?... In a better place?...” Sugar said further, and then laid her hand on Mr. Gruum’s hand to stop him from his chore.

With a small sigh, Mr. Gruum finally stopped his scrubbing to look Sugar in the eye… and there… in the moonlit spark over her iris… He saw a deep desire to follow her heart.

“Oh, Sugar… Not this again…” Mr. Gruum said weakly, and simply laid his hand over hers as he watched her begging frown.

This wasn’t the first, nor probably the last time, she would speak of what truly brooded in her mind. It was easy for anyone to see that Little Sugar wanted to leave such an oppressive place. Even if she had to leave her home, or even her brother behind…

… but that’s the story with most dreamers who dream…

They just want to go find themselves amongst the rest of the stars.

“Well… I guess I’ma head back for the night…” Sugar whispered as she gently pulled her hand away to stand back up.

Mr. Gruum would have tried to say something to cheer her back up, but deep down, they both knew that what she really wanted… would never happen.

“Be careful on your way home, Gruum…” She said with a fake smile as she walked back down the pier towards their home, leaving her now conflicted friend behind to think about what he could have said more…

I wish I could just make her happy… Mr. Gruum thought to himself, and now with a heavy heart, he finished stacking up the buckets at the end of the pier to head back home alone for the night…

That might be possible, little shrew…

… If you so desire…

*****************************

(The next day…)

It had been a rather horrible morning for Mr. Gruum…

… as well as many others that live in Critter’s Row.

On a normal day, he would wake up extra early, get dressed, eat a little breakfast (if he had it), and then meet up with Sugar and the others to begin their day…

… but that didn’t happen.

In fact, for the first time in his life, Mr. Gruum overslept… and because he woke up an hour late, he had to rush to leave his little makeshift shack in the old mill the rodents called home.

What was even stranger was that normally Sugar or Crumbs would already be knocking on his door in the morning, to see if he wanted to walk with them, but for some reason they didn’t do it today. Instead, they too had apparently overslept, and today it was Gruum who had to knock on their little shack on the outer wall of the mill’s entrance to wake them up. Once they were awakened, (... and in a terrible fuss as well), Mr. Gruum was asked to go check on Sock and Shoes, while the two mice rushed to go ahead and get to their chores, before one of the town inspectors came to ‘inspect’ them.

Socks and Shoes lived on one of the upper levels of the mill, where most of the rats of their community chose to dwell, and as Mr. Gruum began his long climb of stairs to reach their scrap metal burrow, he immediately knew something was wrong. He could see through the makeshift rafters and catwalks that there were some of the older rats standing around the outside of their home, and as he came to stand behind them, he could hear sniffling and someone weeping inside.

It was almost a regret for him to ask the rats standing there what had happened, but with woe, they told him that Socks and Shoes father, Boots, had passed away, and that their mother was beyond distraught by his sudden death.

Mr. Gruum felt an instant pain hit his heart, knowing too well the pain that came from losing a parent. His own mama had also died suddenly years before, and when he begged one of the human doctors to look at her, they said she just died of a weak heart. That never went well with Mr. Gruum… Nor to many of the other rodents of Critter’s Row…

… but then again… It was easy to mislead and gaslight an entire culture if they’ve never been able to see the truth.

So like the many others that had lost a loved one that year, Mr. Gruum gave his sympathies, and said he would return the next day to check on his grieving friends.

Then, after that rather sorrowful start to his day, things only seem to grow worse…

By the time he caught back up to where Sugar, and her brother, were on the docks, he was almost shocked to see half a dozen ships waiting for their turn to dock in their little harbor. They were pristine, well framed ships… and by just the look of them, both Mr. Gruum and the mice could tell it was more ‘high class’ home buyers, looking to explore the upper side of their changing town. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to see some many new people coming in on gilded sails, but right off the bat, Mr. Gruum and poor Sugar knew their day just got a lot harder…

Not only was there little to no room to work around the wandering crowds, the town inspectors came and ‘asked’ Sugar and Crumbs to use the ‘less’ traveled routes to haul off their trash for the day… Which was basically telling them to take the extra long way to do their jobs. Because of that, Mr. Gruum offered to help do their chores first, seeing how they were down two extra hands for the day, and quickly began the longest morning he had had in a while. The shops didn’t really have a lot of trash, due to them always staying on top of their work everyday, but once they got to cleaning up around the bins and gutter barrels that were meant for public use, things got way out of hand…

All the new people that were wandering around, looking at the cute ‘rustic’ aesthetics, were more than just ignorant of their surroundings… They were straight up rude…

Not only did they overfill the bins with constant litter and food they wanted to ‘try’, they also didn’t care for a second to just throw whatever they felt like on the ground. By the time they returned from their third trip to the dump, which was ironically just a short distance from Critter’s Row, both Mr. Gruum and Sugar were shocked to see that the roads and streets were once again covered in debris. Wrappers, food, and even vomit, (outside the tavern), was strewn everywhere. It was almost noon by the time the visitors headed to the northern district to be shown the newest ‘cottages, (... and by cottages, I mean oversize mansions with a ‘country’ feel to them…), but even then, it took two more hours for them all to finish picking up the leftover trash. Then, and only then, could Mr. Gruum finally start his own chores.

He literally stumped to get inside the cleaning shed, due to all of them rushing back and forth in it to grab things, and with his bucket and broom, he scurried off to start his long list of chores…

…and they too, were just as overbearing as his morning…

The fishers and butcher had taken it upon themselves to ‘strike up some business’ with their arriving guests, and worked together to cook off ‘samples’ to the heavy pockets that came looking at their wares. They’re scrap buckets and gutters were heavily clogged with guts and blood, and poor Mr. Gruum couldn’t do anything more than take trip after trip to the compost well to try and get rid of the worst of it…

… and then after that, came his sweeping…

… and by sweeping, I mean repeatedly bending over, breaking your back to pick trash out of the street, sweeping…

There was so much litter embedded into the cracks and stones that he had to get on all four just to scrape off the gunk on the streets … and even once it started to get dark, he was still sweeping up the last street, just so he could go to bed knowing he at least finished his main job…

Finally… After fourteen long hours… (Of constant belly grumbles, and tired eyes)… Mr. Gruum proudly looked over his hard work and smiled. The docks and streets look so clear and perfect in the cold night air, and as he gathered up all his tools to be put up for the day, a strange sensation rushed over him…

Come find me…

… and it told him to go check on the seamstress.

It was true that he never got to see her that day, and though it was late, he figured he should at least see if she needed anything. So he quickly but neatly put away his things, and after attempting to clean himself up a bit, he headed to her poorly lit shop at the other end of the street.

*****************************

Once he was able to reach her shop’s front entrance, Mr. Gruum prepared to knock at her door, just like he always did… Except this time…

“Come in…” A soft voice called out from within.

The door was even cracked a little, and with a simple push, Mr. Gruum was able to walk right into the single candle lit room. The little shrew would normally feel quite relaxed in the presence of Ms. Cordelia’s tidy shop, but for some reason, it felt… off… tonight.

“Ms. Cordelia?...” Mr. Gruum called out, not sure if he should wander deeper into the dark shop.

“Back here, my dear…” The soft voice echoed again, now coming from the backroom of the shop.

Mr. Gruum then quietly walked towards the voice with a hindered step, but once he actually reached the doorway of her sewing room, he breathed a relieved sign. Sitting at her cutting table, the simply dressed seamstress sat working into the late hours on a dozen custom orders. All from the booming business she had received from the out-of-town visitors.

“Well, good evening, Mr. Gruum…” Ms. Cordelia said sweetly, pausing from her stitching to give her favorite helper a warm smile.

“Good evening to you as well, Ms. Cordelia…” Mr. Gruum said with a small bow. “... I see ya got some good business today.”

“Yes, but… Sadly most of my creations have to be altered…” Ms. Cordelia said softly, though she did so with a smile. “A lot of the girls that came in asked if I could do ‘alterations’ to them, like they do in Grand Aural… and like a fool, I said yes to all of them…”

“Oh…” Mr. Gruum mumbled, and after looking at the table next to her, realized just how much work she had redo.

Over twenty or so dresses were sitting next to her old sewing machine, and only two dresses had been finished since she closed her shop at dusk.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?...” Mr. Gruum politely asked, out of habit.

“Oh, you’re so sweet…” She said with a tilt of her pinned-up head of black hair. “Unfortunately, only I can make theses changes, my dear… but that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for your continuous offer to ask…”

“Of course, Ms. Cordelia… I’ll always be happy to help you…” Mr. Gruum said proudly with another bow. “... and hey… At least you sold a lot of your pretty dresses… When do you have to have them all done by?”

“I told them all that their dresses would be done by the time they finished the ‘tour’ at the end of the week…” Ms. Cordelia said calmly, but her unsuspecting words instantly struck hard in Mr. Gruum’s ears.

“W-Wait, a week?... They’re all gonna be here for a week?...” He said with dread, and with a weak step back, leaned into the doorway with a paw over his temple.

“Well… If I’m being honest… I believe their presence will be more than just a week, I’m afraid…” Ms. Cordelia said quietly, and with a final snip! of her scissors, finished her third dress of the evening.

She then rose to sit the beautifully made garment in a closet to keep clean and safe, and proceeded to walk into her small kitchen, with a very dazed Gruum following behind her.

“What do you mean by that?...” Mr. Gruum asked wearily, watching her as she prepared some tea for them to share.

“I mean that I believe those ‘defined’ lady’s and gent’s are gonna be settling down here… Once the new harbor is built in Highwater…” She said firmly, and with the tea now on, she went ahead and prepared some sliced bread to make her hungry guest some sandwiches.

“Settling down?...” Mr. Gruum whispered, not realizing he was even speaking.

Though he was aware of the new improvements that had been going on, it never dawned on him that one day it would be finished. If the events of today were any indication of what was to come, then…

“Come now, my dear… Come sit with me…” Ms. Cordelia asked softly, trying to help ease his worried mind. With the tea steeping, and a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in hand, Ms Cordelia then led them back into her sewing room to sit at an empty tea table.

Mr. Gruum was still in an internal fog that seemed to only linger with his thoughts, but once he sat down and grabbed one of the cut sandwiches to taste, he immediately realized just how hungry he was…

“Ahh… There you are…” Ms. Cordelia smiled, happy to see the little shrew slowly regain the color of his amber eyes.

After two and half sandwiches, (and a full cup of tea), Mr. Gruum didn’t seem as upset about what she had said... That being said, it also didn’t mean that he was any less worried about the future in store for him… and the prying eyes that were watching him seemed to already know what was ailing him.

“So, tell me then… How bad was it for you today?...” Ms. Cordelia asked, taking a sip from her cooling tea.

“Oh, well… It really won’t too bad…” Mr. Gruum lied, pretending to wipe his face to not show his eyes to her. “It was just harder because poor Mr. Boots died, and Sock and Shoes stayed home with their mama today…”

“Oh, no… Not Mr. Boots… I remember him from when I was younger…” Ms. Cordelia said in a grieving tone, and even seemed to reflect on something in her past as Mr. Gruum began again.

“Yeah… Mrs. Boot wasn’t doing too well, from what I could tell… But what’s so weird to me, is that the elders said it looked like he had died from a weak heart… Just like my mama…” Mr. Gruum said with an ominous tone. He then seemed to dwell over another dark thought that struck him, and couldn’t stop himself from letting slip past his lips. “... I got a weird feeling, I tell ya… That all these random deaths have something in common… Something that involves those snooty folks, and their ‘better’ side of town… I just wish I knew what it was… Or even better… I wish they would all just go away, and never come back…”

“Well, my darling… I’m afraid some wishes shouldn’t be wasted on such things…” Ms. Cordelia said with a weird tone, and then, out of the blue… she smiled. “... But let's say you could have any wish come true… What would it be?...”

“Any wish?...” Mr. Gruum repeated, a little confused by her question.

“Yes, Mr. Gruum… Any wish your heart desires…” She continued, still smiling.

“Well… I’m not sure…” Mr. Gruum said with a scratch on his head. “I’ve never really wanted anything…”

“Hehe… Are you sure?...” Ms Cordelia laughed, watching her guest blush at her teasing grin.

“I mean… I guess so?...” Mr. Gruum said under his breath, and before he could say something more, Ms. Cordelia did something rather out-of-the-ordinary…

“Well, then… If by chance you ever do know what you want, why not use this to test it…” She said sweetly, and as if she pulled it from the air itself, Ms. Cordelia laid a silver coin in front of Mr. Gruum.

“But, ma’am… What’s this for?...” The shrew said with puzzled brow, and before he could slide it back to her, she gently laid her hand on his paw to stop him.

“Have you ever heard of any old fables?... Or wise-tales?...” Ms. Cordelia asked softly, letting her bright grey eyes gaze deeply into Mr. Gruum’s. “There’s a rather old one I learned when I was a little girl… About how one can ask fate a question, by simply flipping an old coin, and seeing if the answer ‘speaks’ to them…”

“Asking fate?... Pssh… What a silly lark…” Mr. Gruum smirked, thinking her story was more of a children’s game than for adult decisions.

“It can be silly to some… But to others, it just might save them from their own selves…” Ms Cordelia said with a sly tone. “... I, myself, will never forget being at the end of the pier of my old town… and asking, ‘Should I stay here, or should I move on?’...”

“Wait, really?... You weren’t born here?...” Mr. Gruum said, surprised. “... Then this coin… Is it the reason you live here now?...”

“Yes… and no…” She answered softly, though with a heavy tone. “... What mainly matters is that I let that coin help me make some of the greatest decisions in my life… Now, I can only hope that you can use it to make yours…”

“O-Oh… Well… Thank you then, Ms. Cordelia… I’ll treasure it always…” Mr. Gruum said with a small grin, a little touched to be given such an old memory from her.

“I’m sure you will…” The softed-eyed seamstress smiled. Now happy in knowing that the little shrew before her would one day learn of the coin’s purpose… Just like she luckily did when she was still young…

Ms. Cordelia then stood up once again to clean up their finished cups and plate, and once she returned, she gently waved him to the door to say goodnight and farewell.

“Off you go now, my sweet…” She said while holding her door open, only to pause him once more before he could get too far down the street. “... and Mr. Gruum?...”

“Yes, ma’am?...” Mr. Gruum said back with a quick turn, still holding the silver coin in his hand.

“Try not to lose it…” Ms. Cordelia said with a wink…

… and with that, the two went back to their homes for the evening… but not before Mr. Gruum pondered a little longer on Ms. Cordelia’s story… as well as what his first question to fate should be...

*****************************

(The following week)

So things have escalated quite a lot since the last time we heard from Mr. Gruum…

Not only did the open house tour receive well with the alien outsiders, almost all of the Highwater cottages were sold before the week was even over. The town council and mayor were overjoyed to hear such profitable news… but with them and the other wealthier patrons in the northern district now growing in size, a newer list of ‘improvements’ had to be put into effect…

No more hauling trash away in front of visiting guests… Gutters and streets must now be periodically redone over the course of the day… and on top of that, the town inspectors were now going to walk the streets daily, just to make sure their ‘image’ was up to the town’s ‘glowing’ standard.

Even when Socks and Shoes finally rejoined them after a few days of grieving, Mr. Gruum and the two pairs of siblings were beyond stunned to be thrown into such a stressful new environment… With absolutely no warning, and in just a few short days…

… and although they were still allowed to look through the trash, the rats were now instructed they could only do so at the dump… and that none of them could be seen digging through the trash while still in town.

Crumbs did grumble that at least their jobs wouldn’t be as hard, seeing how their home was but a stone’s throw away from the landfill… but the way Sugar saw it, it was the town’s way of keeping them further and further away from Highwater’s growing eyes… As well as slowly, but surely, walling them off from the only home they had ever known…

In many ways, Mr. Gruum was finally able to see more and more of the little mouse’s truth as her words started to manifest in him. Over the course of several overworked days, the little shrew was forced to push himself into the late hours of the evening to keep the streets in pristine condition, and over those long days, he barely got to see any of his close friends at all. The only time he did see them was early in the morning before they began their work… and with that lonely toll growing evermore against his heart, Mr. Gruum found himself wandering down a pier one night after his chores…

Ahh… So you have finally come…

… and once he reached its end, the little curious shrew looked out to the horizon with a dreamy gaze, while holding the small silver coin in his hand.

What if Sugar is right?... Mr. Gruum’s mind echoed, reaching further and deeper into his listening ears. … Things are only gonna get worse for us here… and Sugar really does think we can find another town that would accept us… but…

The little shrew’s fingers started to tighten around the coin. He stood in silence as the cold winter air began to breeze by him, and after a long, nervous exhale…

“Should I leave this place?...” Mr. Gruum whispered to the tides, and with a hesitant snap!, flipped the coin in the air.

Heads is yes… Tails is no… The shrew confirmed in his head… but as he prepared to catch the coin…

You’re doing that wrong… A very deep voice whispered from nowhere.

“*SQUEAK!!*...” Mr. Gruum squirmed in fright, hearing such a sudden, frightful tone…

CLINK!

… but because he flinched, and turned around to see nothing, the coin fell onto the pier…

CLINK!

… bounced around a few times…

BLOP!

… and then fell into the cold water below.

“NO!!...” Mr. Gruum cried, just a few seconds too late from grabbing his gifted treasure.

He immediately dropped to the side of the pier to look down over the passing water, and in a panicked urge to save it, began to roll up his cloak to jump in after it.

You don’t have to do that, Mr. Gruum… The deep voice said once again from behind him, and right as the panicking shrew quickly turned again to face the voice…

“Who is-WHOA!...” Mr. Gruum squeaked, and began to fall backwards off the pier from slipping on the icy boards…

Brace yourself!... Mr. Gruum cried out in his head, feeling an instant chill sweeping over him at the mere thought of touching the frozen water…

However…

After a few seconds of tightly closing his eyes, Mr. Gruum still didn’t feel any water rushing over him… Nor did he feel as if he was falling anymore…

As a matter of fact…

The little shrew felt as if he was instead being lifted up in the air by the scruff of his cloak, and after a confusing moment of darkness, Mr. Gruum finally opened his eyes…

You ought to be more careful…

… and found himself staring back at the narrow golden eyes of a long forgotten Nightmare…

PART I: END