Chapter Five: Family Vacation
When we arrived at our hotel, Mother announced that she was going to rest.
"Above all, don't leave the hotel," she instructed. "The world can be a dangerous place for mice, especially those who are no longer in their native country. Memorize each other's room numbers so you'll know where to go if you need anything."
Flo's room was across the hall from Cora's. At the other end of the hall were Margie, whose room was next to where our parents were staying. Beth's room was next to Flo's, and mine was near the staircase.
I shuddered at the thought of families who have to share hotel rooms on holiday. They must annoy each other to no end!
I hoped Mother would finish her nap soon. I was eager to explore this new country.
The knock at my door surprised me. I hadn't been expecting company.
"Come in!" I invited.
Margie entered the room. "How are you doing, little brother? Tired from the trip?"
"Just excited," I answered.
She sighed. "Why are pillowcases always white in hotels? They look like bandages!"
My sister wrapped a pillowcase around her ankle and held another to her arm to demonstrate. She then hit me with a pillow. Of course, I returned the favor. When Cora and Beth came to check on us, we engaged them in our war too. Realizing she was missing out on the fun, we decided to take our pillows to Flo's room and ambush her. After we were exhausted from fighting with pillows, Flo suggest we stand on the bed and bounce.
"Is everyone's room comfortable?" Cora asked, taking a seat in a nearby chair after we were all too tired to play anymore.
"Very much so, but I wish mine wasn't next to the staircase," I responded. "I have this unusual phobia."
"Tell us!" begged Margie.
"We won't laugh!" Beth promised.
"I keep having this feeling that my death bell rings after I fall down a flight of stairs," I confessed.
Cora frowned. "You break your neck when you fall?"
"Not exactly," I replied. "It's more like something evil comes at the bottom of the staircase. I fall unharmed, but then the bell for my funeral tolls, and…I don't know how to explain it."
Flo took my hand. "Come with me."
We descended the stairs together.
"Do you see anything evil, Bart?" she inquired.
I shook my head.
"Do you feel dead?"
"Not at all."
"Then don't worry about it! There's nothing here that's going to harm you, so forget your fear! Don't let it ruin a perfectly wonderful vacation!"
"You're right, Flo. It's a completely foolish anxiety. I should just enjoy being on holiday with my family."
"This is going to be great!" Beth remarked. "We get to visit Ratty Castle!"
"It was named 'Ratty' because for years, it was where the rulers of Ratdom lived," Cora explained.
"Rats are strange," commented Margie. "They think that just because 'rats' spelled backwards is 'star,' they're this great gift to society. I don't mind rats, but all the ones I've met are pompous and arrogant. I say if they want to be accepted as equal members of mouse society, they've got to stop acting like they're above our laws. If they want treated like mice, they should act like mice."
"We have so much to see before we return home!" exclaimed Flo. "The castles, the beautiful landscapes, the nation's capitol city…!"
"We'll see it all," Beth assured her. "We're here for more than one day, you know." She sighed happily. "It's so beautiful here! It's like a fairy tale!"
"Did you know there are no snakes here?" I mentioned. "The changing climate caused them to leave eons ago."
"Any place without snakes is the perfect place for a mouse to visit!" Margie remarked.
Flo agreed. "I've been looking forward to this all month!"
Finding a phonograph in the lobby of the hotel, we decided to dance. The receptionist and other hotel guests stared at us like we had lost our minds, but we didn't care.
"Tourists make mistakes," Father had often told us. "When you're in another country, you're sure to make a fool of yourself in some way, no matter how careful you are. The thing to do is learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself for them. There's no room for pride. Just remember that the rodents you meet while traveling won't remember you, and you are unlikely to see them ever again."
Using that logic, we supposed a little dancing was harmless. After all, no one in the hotel would ever remember we even existed, let alone how ridiculous our behavior was.
After about an hour, our parents came into the lobby. Father smiled and shook his head when he saw what we were doing.
"Are you ready to visit Ratty Castle?" he asked.
We certainly were! Like all children, we were eager for any chance of adventure we could get.
When we arrived at the castle, Cora stared at a red chair. "This looks like something a king, duke, or judge might sit in!"
"Why don't you?" Beth asked.
"I don't think it's allowed."
"Those other mice just sat there."
"Well, alright!" Cora seated herself. "This is incredible!"
Margie stood under a window. "This is so lovely! It's like a scene from a novel, the stained glass windows in the castle."
"This window doesn't have any glass at all!" Beth stuck her arm out the window and waved at the rodents outside until one of them finally waved back.
"The dungeon is awesome!" Flo exclaimed. "It's just like this deep hole in the ground! Nothing else! And it's so dark!"
Cora laughed. "Of course it's dark, Flo. Dungeons weren't made to be places where anyone would want to spend a lot of time!"
The stairs were difficult to climb, but we finally reached the top of the castle. The view was amazing beyond all description. I gazed at the river and the trees, wondering what this place must have looked like centuries ago.
"Are you going to kiss the special stone?" Margie asked, gesturing to show which one she meant. "Legend has it that if you visit this castle and kiss the stone, you will be blessed with eloquence."
"I'm afraid of heights, so I don't think I'll be kissing any stones," Beth responded. "Besides, you have to kiss it upside down, or it doesn't count."
"Well, I for one didn't haul my carcass up goodness knows how many flights of stairs without a railing just to gaze at a rock!" Flo replied. "I'm not leaving until I kiss that stone!"
"There's nothing to fear," Mother informed Beth. "Mice have been kissing the stone for decades. We won't let you fall."
Being a gentleman, I let my sisters go first, but after all four of them had kissed the stone, I took my turn. My parents held me and gently tilted me until my face was near the stone. I accidentally scraped my nose against it a little, but I managed to kiss the rough surface. As soon as I was on my feet again, I kissed my hands.
"Why did you do that?" inquired Margie.
"If there was any eloquence on my lips, now it is on my hands too," I answered. "Now perhaps I will be a good writer as well as a good speaker."
Cora tousled my hair. "Who would ever read anything you've written, little brother?"
"I don't see why Bart needed to kiss the stone," Beth commented. "He already knows just what to say to calm others when they're angry. He never slips up and says the wrong thing that would upset somebody. He can talk his way out of trouble and convince anyone of anything. If he gets any more eloquent, he'll have to be a politician!"
My other sisters laughed.
"Bart will never make a politician!" Flo remarked. "He's cunning enough, but he wants to do what's best for others more than what's best for himself."