The Picture on the Wall

By Cybra

Disclaimer:  The Great Mouse Detective belongs to Disney, and the Basil of Baker Street mysteries were written by the talented Eve Titus.  The original name "Sherringford" for Basil's first name (this name has been widely used throughout GMD fandom) was first used by Mademoiselle Irene Relda.

The picture on the wall mocked him.

Or rather, the smiling face in the middle of the picture on the wall mocked him.

He could still remember his own words now:

"Now, you will remember to smile for the camera won't you?"

That question had been a jeering question of his.  There was no way that the detective Sherringford Basil could have escaped to smile for the camera.

And yet, there he was, smiling broadly with his arms around the little girl and the chubby mouse he had been with.

The large rodent snarled.  It should not have happened.  That picture should have simply been a picture of the anvil that was to drop on the irritating detective and his unknown friend.

When he had last left those two, Basil had been staring straight forward, not really seeing anything.  There was no way that insufferable pipsqueak could have been thinking about escaping!

Yet, the evidence was all around the large rodent.

The largest piece of evidence being the picture on the wall.

Even now, he could see how the detective must have done it.  The mousetrap closing down on the metal ball.  Part of the mousetrap flying loose and hitting the gun.  The gun going off and hitting the crossbow.  The arrow from the crossbow taking off the axe head; the axe head slicing the mousetrap perfectly down the middle without harming either of his prisoners; and the anvil falling between them.  The force of the anvil hitting the ground probably popped the girl loose in the process.

Only a mind like Basil's could've conjured up that escape, but the last time the large rodent had seen him, Basil had been in no state to make such an escape plan.

The large rodent snarled once more, ready to rip the mocking picture to shreds but not quite being able to do it.  This picture marked his biggest failure, and until he corrected that failure, there it would sit on the wall.

His greatest enemy had been right in his claws…and the detective had gotten away.

Twice.

The first time had been when the picture had been taken.  The second time had been on top of Big Ben.

If Basil had not gotten his paws on that stupid piece of his balloon…!

The large rodent fought to control his raging temper as he glared at the picture.

The one the picture mocked had been lucky to survive the fall.  A chance landing on a tugboat filled with garbage had been a foul-smelling lifesaver but a lifesaver none the less.  Now, he had the time to correct his mistake.

But for now, Ratigan would simply sit glaring at the picture on the wall, boiling in his failures and plotting his revenge.