Chapter 1
It was a very tiring day at school for Susan. While she and her class were watching a fierce battle during history one of her students got lost in the battlefield. He had wandered far from the rest and unfortunately one of the soldiers had mistaken him for a spy.
Susan of course managed to get him back easily (when she found him) but still, he had ignored her warning not to leave the group and that had irritated her.
What's more she was too tired to meet Lobsang, as she had initially planned, so she had cancelled it (again). Lately she'd been thoughtful... Things with Lobsang were not as she had expected. She decided to call it a day and have a nice hot bath followed by a nicer cup of tea and the occasional chocolate which should be lying somewhere in the kitchen.
Just when she thought the day was over she heard a noise which sounded like flapping wings and a raven carrying a rat on its back flew in the room through the open window and crashed on a vase in the middle of the table.
"This was not there before" said Quoth.
"SQUEAK" agreed the Death of Rats.
"And obviously it's not going to be any more. I had just bought that pile of china which was a vase five minutes ago."
"Sorry."
"Every time you come for a visit the house looks like it has been bombed."
"That's not what we came for."
"Oh, bugger. What is it now? When will I ever have a normal life?"
"Squeak eek!"
"He says your granddad wants you to go meet him. It seems something bad has happened."
"Has it? What's the news?"
Susan stopped time and called Binky. The white horse came and shortly afterwards she was entering Death's house.
Albert came from the kitchen and welcomed her. "Master is in the anthropomorphic personifications' room. Oh, no. I just remembered he went to collect a soul a moment ago. He'll be back in no time though. In the meantime I have some caramel flavored tea. I'm sure you'll love it."
"Well I thought it was something urgent. Given the time and the way I was summoned."
"It is but people won't stop dying even if the Turtle stopped floating in the Universe. In fact I think they would die in greater numbers. Anyway, cookie?"
"Thank you."
Susan decided not to bother with the Turtle's floating but looked at Quoth who was flying around and seemed very anxious.
"Don't mind me, I'm just looking for that little rat. He hid an eyeball I want to eat. Something to do with cheese. The rat thinks I ate his cheese. Sometimes I wonder if there's any brain inside its tiny skull."
Albert turned around and looked Susan with a guilty look.
"I made some delicious fried cheese yesterday. I couldn't recall though when I had bought that cheese in the fridge."
Susan laughed. "I suppose you want to keep this between us."
"Of course my dear" he said and rolled a cigarette.
The death of Rats entered the kitchen shaking its scythe at Quoth. Susan leaned at him "You wouldn't be interested in some fried cheese, would you?"
The death of Rats didn't have the chance to answer since Death entered the kitchen too.
"Susan, glad you made it. there is something i need to show you. follow me to the anthropomorphic personifications' room."
Susan knew well enough that tone. Her grand father would seem very upset if he actually had a face instead of a skull.