Fallowing Pan's Song
Denise Landry
It was a crisp September day in the countryside. Just cold enough for Ratty to put on a sweater while helping Moley hang up rugs and beat them clean outside his burrow. As they beat, dust danced up to the sunny sky. Moley and Ratty coughed a little. And birds chirped in the trees deciding whether to settle in for the winter or fly south.
After some time passed, Ratty said "I'm feeling peckish."
"I'll put tea on," Moley offered, going into his burrow.
Suddenly their friend, Toad roared up in a new fancy sports car, road dirt flying behind him.
"Ah Toad, not another car…" Ratty sighed beating dirt off the rugs. Don't get into trouble with this one."
"This toy is nothing." Toad laughed check out my new iPhone!" Toad shoved the device in Ratty's face."Now I can call people, text, play the internet. Ha ha!"
Being country creatures Ratty knew very little about such things, but knew what Toad was saying was not quite right. "How do you work this in the woods? Don't you need to be technically linked somewhere?" He looked at the phone curious. "We barely have electricity around here."
Toad laughed, "I signed up for wi fry when I got the phone in Nouvelle City. The men will be here in a few days hook me up." Ratty looked at Toad doubtful as the amphibian rambled on. "Do you like my phone? Otter wasn't very interested in it while we looked for missing Portly…"
"What? Portly's missing?" ask Ratty interrupting Toad.
"Oh, yes. The lad has been missing over night, almost a full day now."
"That adventurous boy. Always off to where no one can find him. He always comes back. I'm sure he's fine." Moley said,stepping outside.
"But missing over night! Otter and his Mrs must be worry sick! Ratty got concerned. "We, Otter's friends have to go help him. Toad, can Moley and you and me squeeze into your car and race to Nouvelle City to find our friends?"
The friends squeezed into the car with Toad yelling, "Oh how fun, another jaunt to the city! Oh my! Hold on friends,we'll be there soon!" Then he stepped on gas and sped down the road.
As they approached Nouvelle City, Moley yelled, "Slow down Toad! You might run down someone, run through a light or get into trouble with police again!"
Toad slowed down and soon let out Ratty and Moley onto a street. "The last time I saw Otter he was in farmer's market, a few blocks that way on the right." He pointed out in the direction. Then he wondered off, "I'm off to talk with the guys about my iPhone again. Later gentlemen."
Ratty and Moley were alone in the crowded street. Moley looked at the crowd, the many buildings and street lights. He panicked. "I'm afraid to move Ratty."
"C'mon," Ratty said,grabbed Moley's hand.
They marched through the crowd. People, city animals walked into them several times, not looking, busy with whatever. Moley yelped when a person stepped on Ratty's tail. And it took a couple of times to figure out how the signal lights work. But finally Ratty and Moley reached the farmer's market.
"Where are you Otter?! Portly?!" They yelled. They searched all over the market, fruit, vegetables, meat and crafts stands. They found Otter's fish stand with Otter not far, darting around, obviously still looking for Portly.
They quickly went to him. "Still can't find little Portly huh?" Moley asked.
"No! It has been almost a full day now and sign of our dear Portly!" fretted Otter. "He used stay close to our fish stand,or just inside the park across the street. But a few weeks ago he made friends city animals,boys and a bulldog with green hair on top. They took Portly to the arcade. He liked getting 'High Score' on the games so he started going every day. I checked the arcade yesterday. Nw Portly! No green hair bulldog to ask! The park, too big to search alone." Otter looked sorrowful. "I don't know what to do."
"Don't worry Friend Otter." Ratty said confidently. "Moley and I are here to help. Together, I am sure that we will find Portly in no time." Otter cheered up, and continued his search. Ratty and Moley decided to look outside the market.
Moley rubbed his stomach thinking, "I know it's not right time, but I'm hungry," he said. Ratty was too. They needed to organize their search plans anyway. So they found a franchise coffee shop and ordered tea and sandwiches.
A waitress with a nose ring asked, "Would you like to try our hummus fennel, and olive pocket; or our chilli and lime green tea?
"That sounds weird. I just want plain tea and egg sandwiches please, Moley moaned.
Ratty nodded at the waitress. She left then Ratty thought yelling, "To…go please."
He hoped that was the right phrase. Being his first food order. To his delight, the waitress soon came with their tea and sandwiches wrapped up. Ratty and Moley started eating.
While they ate, they saw a bulldog with "Green Hair!" Ratty and Moley shouted.
They grabbed their food and raced out. They approached the boy and his friends.
"Excuse me Son, do you know Portly Otter? Ratty asked the green hair bulldog. "He's missing and we're here to find him."
"Ah, yeah," The dog nodded. "We got bored at the arcade.so we went to the park. We saw a pond under some construction and betted Otter that he couldn't swim the pond. We lost sight of him half way, got bored and forgot about him, until now, sorry."
Ratty and Moley thought 'Oh God!' and ran into the park.
Otter was right, the park was huge. Full with yelling, playing kids. Their parents running after them. Teens together rapping songs and a group doing exercises. Moley didn't like the noise as he and Ratty searched. They saw construction workers standing around,'working '. Machines roaring beside them. But no pond yet. Ratty and Moley kept walking. Suddenly, under all the noise, they heard beautiful. faint, pan music coming from somewhere.
Moley asked, "Do you hear that?"
"Pan music? Barely." Ratty answered, wondering where it was coming from.
They fallowed the music around the construction, with no workers noticing, until they saw a half built bridge and gazebo over the "pond"!
They ran on the bridge put down their food, and searched everywhere, calling, "Portly,"
A few seconds later, they heard a weak, "help me," from underneath.
They looked under and saw poor Portly half in water, trapped by stones and boards. "We're coming, Portly!" Ratty yelled..
He and Moley drove down, shirts off in the water, and started moving boards and stones until they freed Portly. As Ratty moved the last stone, Portly happily swam into his arms!
Thank you for finding me, Portly cried
"That's all right," said Ratty said. "How are you lad?"
"I was scared when my friends left me under there. And no one heard me calling out all day.."Portly hugged him. "Okay I'm now. But I'm cold and hungry."
Oh yes. Here,"said Moley helping Portly take off his wet shirt. Portly shook fur dry, and put on Moley's vest as Ratt received their food.
Portly enjoyed fulling his tummy with sandwiches and cold tea.
"We never found where the pan music came from, I'm glad it led us to Portly." Moley laughed, watching him.
"Indeed," Ratty said looking around. He found someone wondrous. "Look Moley, it's our lord, Pan with his flute! The music must've had come from him!"
Moley adjusted his glasses approaching Pan. "It's just stone statue of him." Moley knocked on the stone. "Music can't come from it." Moley looked at Ratty doubtful.
Who else would play a quiet tune into all this city noise only us country gens seems to hear to find country Portly? The great god of wild, forest creatures, Pan; that's who!"
Still doubtful, Moley sighed, "I'm just glad we found him." he stood Portly up. "And it's about time we took him to his father."
"Yes," Ratty agreed. He and Moley walked Portly out the park; where they met Toad quite sad. He whined, "Oh my gosh, I had a bad day indeed. I mashed my car and dropped my iPhone on the street. A trunk crashed it into pieces. I spent a lot of money for no car, no iPhone, and men are still coming for the wiFry! What shell I do?!"
"We'll deal with that tomorrow." Ratty said. "Right now we need to take Portly to his father."
"Found the lad? Good." Toad said fallowing. "Glad something grand happened today."
In the market, Portly ran to Otter.
Otter had happy tears in his eyes hugging him, saying "Thank you,"
Portly promised he "wouldn't run off never again…"
The others smirked,'sure.' Then they all packed up Otter's horse and cart and had a lovely ride home to the forest.
At Otters, they had a fine fish dinner. Ratty walked Toad to Toad Hall, still whining.
Then to Moley's burrow, rugs still waiting. Ratty said good night to both until tomorrow.
He went home with Pan's song playing in his head. He whispered, "Thank you My Lord for you song today. It helped us find our way. And it reminded us that cities and machines may be great. But simple, clean living in the wilds is far better for us forest creatures." With that, Ratty smiled making his way back home.