Location: Nimh-Beta Uplands, west of Rosebush City.
Sol 2Despite the seemingly endless adrenaline rush pumping through his veins, Josh knew he couldn't keep going much longer; even all the adrenaline in the world couldn't keep his heart from eventually exploding from fatigue. He had been on the go for nearly 12 hours already, with only minimum rest periods, desperate to put as much distance as possible between himself and those savage humanoid rats.
Assuming that the Rats only inhabited the green region where he'd landed, he figured he would stand a better chance of evading them out in the desert. Making sure he wasn't being pursued, like a soldier in hostile territory – which, in effect, was precisely his situation –, he had set off into the sunset, leaving the hospitality of the green valley behind him.
His trek had taken him across a seemingly endless desert, seeing nothing but a desolate landscape of barren, reddish-oxide rock formations. His troubles hadn't taken long to start; no sooner had the suns gone down, than the greenhouse effect that kept the planet warm during the day had ceased, quickly turning the desert bitter cold.
Although his space suit was thermally-insulated, with his visor plate now open, to breathe, he was venting out most of the suit's warmth, allowing him little protection against the cold. Finally, he had resorted to wrapping his space blanket around his head and neck like a balaclava and duct-taping it to the open neck ring, to insulate the suit. This way, he was able to trap his body heat within, making it somewhat bearable.
Under the bluish twilight of the nebulous Nimh-Alpha gas giant, he had finally found refuge in an alcove on the side of a rock face. Sealing up the entrance with stones to block out the cold best he could, he curled up inside his makeshift shelter, hoping to survive the first night. He would have gladly made a fire, but he had nothing he could use for fuel.
So far he had seen no other vegetation or water sources of any kind. Did this mean there were no other green pastures to be found for hundreds of miles? What then? But he was too tired to dwell on such grim thoughts and soon drifted off into the deepest sleep of his life, wondering what kind of death he would eventually meet on this strange, godforsaken planet he was stranded on…
It seemed like an eternity before Josh finally opened his eyes again to the beauty of daylight; the cold of the night had passed and the air was warm again from the planet's greenhouse effect, the desert landscape blazing with light under the rays of Nimh-Beta's twin suns. The faint trickling sound of thawing permafrost which had accumulated on the rocks overnight could be heard inside his shelter, leaking down through cracks in the stone walls.
His muscles all stiff and aching from the cold, as well as from his long trek the other day, Josh stretched and yawned, only then realising just how hungry he was. He hadn't had anything to eat since leaving the NIMH-One, save for a few sips of water from his suit bottle, intent on extending his meagre emergency rations for as long as possible. But, on the other hand, he'd need his full strength, if he were to keep going.
Intent on not letting that gold go to waste, using his poncho, solar blanket and some duct tape, he improvised a solar still and used it to collect some of the melting permafrost to top up his dwindling water supply. With this, he was able to collect about 10 extra centilitres of muddy, foul-tasting, but positive-testing, water, which he purified and stored away. Fat lot of good it would do him. At the minimum requirements of half a litre a day, he'd need five times that amount just to stay alive. Likewise, he had no way of knowing whether this alien water was contaminated with any parasitical alien microorganisms. But it was all he had.
After a crummy breakfast of a single ounce of protein-paste to relieve his hunger pangs, constantly reminding himself that these rations were meant for his survival only and that he couldn't afford to waste them on a single hefty meal, he gathered up his equipment and continued his trek out west.
Despite his joy of having survived the first night on the planet, Josh now knew he couldn't survive in this alien wilderness long term. After having observed the planet's full day cycle, he realised he was a worse fix than he thought.
Remembering what Dr Stetson had said, he realised he had the misfortune of having arrived here sometime around mid-autumn, according to the Nimh-Beta's calendar. Given the planet's elliptic orbit around its sun, the cold would only intensify, as Nimh-Beta entered its winter season. It was probably only a matter of weeks before the whole planet froze in earnest, at which point survival above ground would be virtually impossible. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about that but hope that the NIMH-One would haul arse.
Then, there was the question of food. Even with the strictest rationing, his kit's emergency supplies would only last him a few more days at most. With no way of knowing how long he would be stranded here, he would need to find proper sustenance from the surrounding environment, in addition to air, water and shelter. And that meant he had to find another green pasture before his kit's emergency rations ran out – one completely deprived of the hostile, humanoid rats of this planet.
Finally, after many hours of trekking through no man's land, he came to the edge of a large crater, housing another green pasture – much smaller than the one he had left behind at the crash site, but still hospitable. Situated around a large, distinctively curved rock formation in the centre of the crater and about eight square miles in circumference, the place was a sight for sore eyes for Josh. At last, he had found a safe haven! But was it indeed as safe as it seemed at first glance? What if there were more of those monstrous humanoid rats lurking about somewhere in those trees?
Venturing cautiously through the trees, gun in hand, he found a pristine forest of the same temperate flora he had seen earlier. Aside from the familiar vegetation, only enlarged way beyond its terrestrial counterpart, making him feel like Nils Holgersson, this place was filled with a number of familiar creatures, including birds, snails, worms, hedgehogs and insects, also enlarged just like the flora, yet definitely terrestrial.
Having grown up on his uncle's farm in England as a boy, Josh had some good first-hand knowledge of plants and animals. This obsolete, handed-down knowledge, combined with some rough guesswork and experimenting, would now enable him to tap into the Nimh-Beta's environment for food. Like a castaway stranded on a desert island, he would have to rely on the flora and fauna of this alien world, to satisfy his needs.
First, he had to find shelter. A hollow in the side of an ancient willow tree caught his eye. Scaling up the tree trunk using his pickaxe as an anchoring tool, he entered the hollow. Probably once the den of a giant squirrel, now long gone, the hollow was spacious and dry. Using his poncho as a makeshift curtain to cover the entrance with, blocking out the rain and cold, and some dead leaves for bedding, he soon turned the hollow into a cosy shelter, which, although not exactly posh, would serve its purpose.
Removing his spacesuit, which he wouldn't be needing for the moment, but keeping his space boots on, which would be better for scouting around in this wilderness than his sneakers, he grabbed his kit and gun, preparing to go out to gather supplies. Now that he had found shelter, he needed to find food and water. Sliding down the side of the tree on a harness he had installed for that purpose and leaving a landmark in the form of a painted arrow at the foot of the tree to help him find his way back, he set off.
Josh found that the 'terrestrial' flora and fauna of Nimh-Beta, although unnaturally gigantic, and with absolutely no logical explanation as to how it came to be here in the first place, had its advantages, the greatest of all being the abundance of food. He soon discovered some blackberry bushes, their tennis-ball-sized fruit hanging from their thorny branches looking most delectable. Trying one eagerly, he found it to be wholesome and filling. Soon, he had completely satisfied his hunger, his body flowing with renewed energy.
Fashioning a carrier bag out of his space blanket and some duct-tape, Josh eagerly gathered as many berries as he could carry and set off to return to his shelter, feeling mighty pleased with himself. So far he had fared marvellously; like Robinson Crusoe, he was now king of his own little domain – a domain, he would soon realise didn't belong to him alone.
As he stopped for a drink at a nearby stream, he was suddenly caught off-guard by a rustling in the bushes behind him. It seemed he was not alone here after all; his heart skipped a beat as he found himself staring face-to-face with a giant mouse girl, staring at him through the foliage with wide eyes. In contrast to the savage rats, this one was an innocent-looking youngster, with tan fur and wearing a ribbon-like tunic. The creature was only visible for a split second; at the sight of the human staring back at her, she turned and bolted, terrified out of her wits.
"Oh, damn!" Josh cursed, furious at himself for letting his guard down and allowing himself to be seen, "Hey, you there, wait…!" he called, frantically giving chase. Although dreading to think what he might be forced to do when he caught up with this little bugger, he couldn't risk letting her giving him away, otherwise those rats would be back on his trail in no time.
Hurrying over to where he had seen the mouse, he found something lying on the ground which she had dropped it seemed, whilst fleeing from him. He picked up a hand-knitted rag-doll, not unlike a teddy bear he used to own as a child back on Earth. Shoving it in his pants pocket, he tore through the thick foliage, following the mouse's trail.
It wasn't long before he came to the edge of a plantation, situated at the foot of the large rock overlooking the pasture. The final touch to finding the unthinkable on an alien planet – civilisation – unfolded before Josh's eyes, as he gazed at, what appeared to be, some sort of small farming community.
He was standing on the edge of a ploughed field with crops, including corn and kale, towering forty feet high, just like the rest of the planet's gigantic flora. Beyond the plantation, he could see smoke rising from a rocky outcrop, indicating the presence of some sort of habitation, possibly a farmhouse. There was no sign of the little mouse girl he'd been pursuing.
Josh's first impulse was to turn on his heels and get the hell out of there before he was noticed. But his curiosity overpowered and he crept closer through the cornfield, brandishing his gun in case he ran into any trouble. He could hear two feminine voices conversing nearby. Chancing a peak the corn plants, he saw two giant, humanoid mice at work on the field, loading ears of corn onto a cart.
The first one was a sweet-looking lady mouse with stunning blue eyes and a rather timid expression, wearing a ragged, woollen red cape. The younger mouse with the patchy, sleeveless dress helping her, judging from her similar chocolate-brown fur and blue eyes, had to be her daughter. Like the rats, while they retained many of their normal mouse characteristics, they stood upright, wore clothes, and seemed to have developed simple human skills like growing crops or building carts, making them very human-like in nature.
"…Here, Teresa dear, that's the last one. Come on, let's go get cleaned up and then we can have lunch," said the red-capped mouse mother, panting in exhaustion, "Have you seen Timmy anywhere?"
"He said he wasn't feeling too well, Mother," replied the younger mouse called Teresa, "I think he might have caught another cold from swimming in the pond yesterday. I told him to go and lie down…"
"Not feeling well?" asked her mother with concern, "Teresa, can you please go help your Auntie Shrew, while I go and check on your brother?" Leaving her daughter to finish loading up the ears of corn for their winter storage, the mother mouse hurried away, towards the rocky outcrop on the edge of the plantation.
Meanwhile, Josh was watching the whole thing with interest, considering his options. In direct contrast to the rats he had encountered, these mice seemed friendly enough. Although it sounded like nothing less than a foolhardy, not to mention risky, idea, it could be his best chance of finding refuge out here. He couldn't hold out in his tree shelter for long, not with the approaching winter. Maybe these mice could help him? On the other hand, how would they react to his presence if he dared show himself? What if they saw him as a threat and turned him over to the rats? The odds seemed to hang in a balance…
Just as he was considering taking his chances and making his presence known, for the second time in one day, Josh was caught off-guard by a rustling behind him; he spun round just in time to see a mean-looking, fat old female mouse with a face like a shrew, swinging a hoe at his head. Before he could dodge, the hoe struck him hard on the temple. He was thrown to the ground and then everything faded to black…
Teresa Brisby had just finished loading the last of the corn onto the cart, aching from all that hard work, eager for her chores to end. Teresa was twelve years old, a farm mouse all her life, who lived in this remote province called the Lee of the Stone, not too far away from Rosebush City. Left fatherless since the disappearance of her father Jonathan a few years back, she lived with her mother Elizabeth and her siblings Martin, Timothy and Cynthia on their farm.
Their only neighbours were her mother's aunt, Auntie Shrew, a mean-tempered, eccentric old mouse with no sense of humour or fun, and with absolutely no patience for children, constantly getting on her brother Martin's nerves and vice-versa; also, there was Mr Ages, an elderly, pompous healer mouse and amateur inventor, with just as little patience for children as Auntie Shrew, who lived in another part of the forest. In other words, a dull life for the children.
Being the eldest, Teresa had taken the responsibility of looking after her younger siblings alongside her mother after their father had gone, working hard to maintain their small farm. Thanks to their patient and hard-working mother, the family managed on their meagre means. There was no school at the Lee of the Stone; her father, who had been an archaeologist, a brilliant and educated mouse, used to teach his eldest children (Timmy and Cynthia had been toddlers when he died), as well as his wife how to read and write – knowledge which Teresa now passed on to her siblings.
Following Jonathan's disappearance and presumed death on one of his expeditions to a faraway place called Thorn Valley, in search of the legendary Temple of the Great Owl, Mrs Brisby had assumed leadership of the family with the help of Auntie Shrew, working hard to support them all, particularly through the long, bitter winters of their planet, when food was scarce and life was hard. It was during those long, cold months, when they'd all be cooped up in their little home for weeks on end that Teresa and her siblings would sit around the fire, thinking of their late father and the gap it had left in their poor mother's heart, as well as their own, wishing it would someday change…
Finished with her work, Teresa was about to go check on her brother Martin, who was supposed to be collecting firewood with Auntie Shrew – only he often tended to negate his work once everyone's back was turned and wonder off –, when she heard a commotion over by the fence. Hurrying over, she saw her Auntie bending over a curious-looking stranger on the ground, the hoe she'd used to clobber him still clutched in her withered hands. Beside her trailed a trembling Cynthia, pointing fearfully at the stranger. Something was up.
"Auntie Shrew, whatever's going on here?" gasped Teresa, alarmed by her great aunt's fury towards this stranger. Although Auntie Shrew would often break out into one of her bad tempers after a long day of work, such a demonstration of violence was very unlike her. What had happened? And who – or rather what – was this stranger?
"Perfect timing Teresa, dear," huffed Auntie Shrew incredulously, "It seems Cynthia here was out walking in the woods and got chased by this ruffian. And now this thieving hoodlum tries to sneak in here, to steal food!" she growled, nudging the unconscious Josh with the tip of her hoe. He turned him over so they could get a better look at him. Teresa gasped as she laid eyes on the stranger's face. This was no mouse and no Rat either.
"Goodness, this is a…a human!" she gasped in surprise, remembering all the old stories her father used to tell her when he was still alive. Although a delicate taboo in rodent religion, the legend of the humans of Nimh was a very popular tale amongst youngsters, including the Brisby children, "Daddy used to say so much about them…"
"Never mind your father's ridiculous tales Teresa!" snapped Auntie Shrew. Unlike the children, the old mouse had little interest in anything outside the little realm of their simple lives, not to mention highly distrustful of strangers, "I don't care if this...this hooligan is King Nicodemus himself! He's still a trespasser and a thief and I intend to fix him proper! Go fetch me some rope." Teresa hesitated, curious to find out more about this stranger.
"But, really Auntie Shrew, shouldn't we…?"
"Right now girl!" barked Auntie Shrew furiously, grabbing Josh by the scruff of his neck and slamming him against the nearest corn plant. Taking the rope, she bound Josh's hands securely together behind his back, tying him to the trunk.
"Now…" She grabbed Teresa's wrist and roughly pulled her over, "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on this riff-raff, while I go and get some help! Make sure he doesn't get away! And don't you touch that thing Cynthia!" she barked at the little mouse, who was pawing through Josh's discarded survival kit, fascinated by its strange texture and logos, "I don't want you touching this hooligan's dirty loot!"
Leaving the children to keep an eye on the apprehended intruder, Auntie Shrew hurried away towards Mr Ages' house a short distance away in the forest, to get help. At that moment, another young, chubby mouse, handsome like his late father, emerged from between the corn plants, his jumper stained with woodchips and looking real sulky indeed.
"That bossy, loudmouth bullfrog," he groaned, looking furious, tapping his knuckles with a stick, "Ordering us around, as if she's our own mother…!"
"Martin!" Teresa scolded her brother for his bad language, who took no notice as he suddenly laid eyes on Josh. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of this strange-looking creature.
"So who's this bozo then?"
"Martin, language!" Teresa scolded him again, who only pulled a face at her for lecturing him, while Cynthia giggled in amusement at their arguing. The sibling rivalry was cut short however as, at that moment, Josh uttered a loud, painful groan, regaining consciousness. The mice drew back, alarmed, unsure of how to treat this human, now wide-awake.
"Ow, bugger…what…where am I?" he groaned, his eyes opening wide at the sight of the three humanoid mice children staring at him, realising his hands were tied. He could recognise the two girl mice, including the one he'd chased back here, but the boy looked unfamiliar. There was no sign of the old mouse he had glimpsed before he'd been knocked out, probably having gone to fetch help. Any minute now, every mouse in this place would know he was here. This time, he had really done it!
Managing to retain his calm and think, he winked at the children, trying to humour them, "Hallo there…"
"Eh, hallo," replied Martin dumbly, unsure of how to treat this stranger. His sisters seemed pretty uneasy themselves as they goggled at the human with peculiar expressions.
"He can talk!" squealed Cynthia, shyly peeping from behind her big sister's dress, where she'd been hiding, afraid of getting too close to this strange creature that had been chasing her only minutes ago.
"He looks like a loony," muttered Teresa, gawking at Josh's appearance, with his strange clothes and gadgets, all bearing the NIMH-One logo, all completely unfamiliar to them. Martin however was quickly becoming intrigued as he fearlessly approached Josh, curiously running his small hands all over him, fascinated by the soft texture of the man's overalls.
Although Josh didn't like being stared and prodded at like some petting animal in a zoo, he couldn't get mad at this youngster, carefully thinking of how to worm his way out of this pickle. He knew it was only a matter of time before the word spread and then he'd have it. He had to escape before that old hag returned!
Trying to appear inconspicuous, he struggled to free his hands but found the old mouse had done a pretty good job with the rope. And his pocketknife was in his trouser leg pocket, just out of reach. He should be able to loosen the knot eventually but it would take several minutes, which he probably didn't have. Unless he could somehow talk the children into letting him go...but how?
"Who…I mean what are you?" asked Martin, staring at Josh, "Are you really a human?" Like his sister, the eldest Brisby son was also familiar with the tales of humans and the idea of actually meeting one really intrigued him. Although still unsure of the wisdom of engaging in any conversation with them – careless talk could easily be passed on to the rats hunting him down –, Josh realised he had no choice. Better humour them and maybe you'll get out of this without anybody getting hurt, he thought.
"Yes, I come from planet Earth…from the stars," he explained, figuring these mice weren't familiar with the concept of space travel. Indeed they weren't, as the three siblings stared back at him, utterly dumbstruck with amazement.
"From the stars? Are you saying you can fly? Like an owl?" gasped Martin in amazement, gesturing at the owl logo of the NIMH-One knitted on Josh's overalls, probably thinking this human could magically transform into a bird and take flight. Whoever this stranger was, he had definitely caught his interest, "Could you show us…?" Teresa, however, being older and more mature than her carefree, child-minded brother, although likewise curious about their mysterious visitor, still wasn't sure whether he could be trusted or not.
"What were you doing here?" she asked, trying to figure him out. Although this human, or whatever he was, didn't seem to mean any harm, his story sounded a little too farfetched. A traveller from the stars? Could he be lying, to conceal the fact that he had been trying to steal from them? Then again, he hadn't actually been caught with any stolen corn on him... And how could they explain his strange appearance and gadgets?
"Good question, honey, I was just asking myself the same thing…" said Josh cheekily, freezing in mid-sentence as he suddenly noticed Cynthia pick up his discarded gun, curiously sniffing the nuzzle, her tiny hands caressing the barrel as if it were a toy, about to squeeze the trigger – and the safety catch was off! He wanted to shout a warning but what would happen if he revealed to these children, who were already suspicious of him, that he had a lethal weapon, the likes of which they had never seen before, in his possession? Time was running out and fast.
"Eh, do you mind untying me? This is getting rather undignified, wouldn't you think…?"
"You still haven't answered my question, mister," replied Teresa, crossing her arms, her voice cool and stern, "Auntie Shrew said you were chasing Cynthia, were you not?" Martin rounded on Josh, barring his front teeth in childish fury.
"You big buzzard, what were you doing to our little sister?!" he snapped, tapping his knuckles in a threatening manner with his stick, "You'd better tell me or I'll...I'll beat the living snot out of you!" But Josh wasn't particularly dreading the prospect of finding himself on the receiving end of this youngster's wrath, who was too small to do him any real harm, as he was of little Cynthia still toying with his loaded gun. The time had come to speak plain.
"Nothing kid, I wasn't trying to hurt her! We sort of…bumped into each other and I followed her here. I…I need your help. I'm on the run from the Rats…" At this, the children's expressions softened as they listened to his story.
"My friends are expected to come for me soon; but the Rats mustn't know I'm here. If your Auntie turns me in, they'll kill me! Please, you have to let me go…" Even though Josh always kept his calm, even in the direst of situations, the sense of urgency in his eyes didn't go amiss by the children. The regarded him for a few more minutes.
"Oh well, guess we better untie him," Martin said finally, kneeling to gnaw through the rope binding Josh's hands. Teresa, however, was hesitant.
"Martin, wait a minute. Are you sure about this? Maybe we should talk to Auntie Shrew first…?" But Martin only rebuffed her.
"Since when does Auntie Loudmouth listen to anybody?" he scoffed, "Besides, why pass on the opportunity of seeing the look on her face when she comes back and finds him gone?" Even Teresa and Cynthia couldn't suppress giggles at the thought; they both liked their Auntie very much, but seeing her explode in one of her temper tantrums was something they couldn't possibly resist. And, indeed they had developed a great interest in Josh, to let conservative Auntie Shrew have her way just like that – and much to Josh's relief.
Thank God for childish innocence and curiosity, long may it reign…
Pulling his hands free, Josh got to his feet, moving as slowly and gently as possible, weary of frightening the children. The instant the ropes had given way, they had hurryingly backed away, undoubtedly questioning the wisdom of setting him free, his immense height and built, which far surpassed their mother's or Auntie Shrew's, much less their own, making them feel real uneasy.
Josh knelt before them, to meet their gaze. Reaching into his pocket, he took out Cynthia's doll and presented it to her, "You dropped this back there, sweetie."
Cynthia, still cowering shyly behind her big sister and clutching Josh's loaded gun protectively under her arm, at the sight of her favourite doll was finally coaxed into coming out. Slowly approaching the human, she retrieved her doll, while Josh retrieved his gun, which he safely tucked away in his belt, breathing a sigh of relief that it hadn't gone off.
"Cynthia, what do we say?" said Teresa, as her little sister lovingly cuddled her doll, all interest in the gun or the human entirely forgotten. The little mouse shyly looked up at Josh.
"Thank you, Mr Human."
"You are welcome, sweetie pie," replied Josh calmly, reaching out to stroke her hair but the young mouse quickly backed away, too wanting to be touched by this stranger. Although they had definitely reached a certain level of trust between them, the children weren't fully accepting of him yet. Maybe it was just as well, because at that moment a familiar voice was heard nearby.
"…Come on then, you old flim-flam! I've left the children all alone with that ruffian!" It was Auntie Shrew, returning with help. It was time to say goodbye. Hastily retrieving his kit, Josh turned to the children.
"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye," he said, "Thank you for listening to me. Maybe someday I will repay the favour…"
"Wait, you don't have to go," said Martin, looking kind of sad that their once-in-a-lifetime visitor was leaving so soon, "We can explain to our mother. I am sure she will be happy to let you stay…"
"I'm sorry kids," said Josh, feeling just as sad by having to leave himself. But he couldn't risk those rats tracking him down here and maybe landing this nice family in trouble for hiding him. No, it would be best if he went his own way now and the quicker they forgot about him the better, "It's for your own good that I must leave without any further introductions. Remember, if anyone comes here asking about me, you've never seen me. Got it?" They nodded in understanding. Satisfied, he turned to leave.
"Wait," Teresa called after him, as Josh hurried away, "What's your name?"
"Josh," called the astronaut over his shoulder, before disappearing into the woods from where he had come. Martin turned to his siblings, who were looking just as bewildered as he was.
"What was that all about?"
When Auntie Shrew arrived, accompanied by a very irate Mr Ages, both carrying ropes and harnesses, she was outraged to find the 'thief' had gotten away. The children had of course denied any part in the escape, much to Auntie Shrew's disbelief. Mr Ages, on the other hand, was furious at having been dragged all the way here on account of a children's hoax. When Auntie Shrew had furiously reprimanded him, pointing out that she had seen this human too, Ages had rounded on her instead, accusing her of wasting his time with another of her paranoid fantasies.
The argument between the two adults quickly heated up, until a hysterical Auntie Shrew chased the red-faced Ages away with her walking stick, after he had called her a rather offensive name, while the children looked on, overwhelmed with laughter.
At dinner that evening, Mrs Brisby couldn't figure out what was causing all this excitement amongst her children, which were constantly whispering to each other across the table. When Cynthia, always the chatterbox, had tried explaining to their mother of their encounter with the 'human from the stars' (Martin had hastily clapped his hand over her mouth, threatening to tickle her senseless if she said anything more), Mrs Brisby had simply dismissed it as some game her children were playing.
Following her husband's death, it always pained her to see her children growing up without the support and company of a fatherly figure. Seeing them happy, even by living in their own little magical world of make-belief, was just fine with her. Her main concern at the moment was her youngest son Timothy, who had been feeling unwell all day and still showing no signs of getting better, his fever rising rapidly.
Little did Mrs Brisby realise that day that her son's illness would soon lead to an encounter, resulting in a chain of events, that would ultimately change their lives forever…
Author's note: My sincere apologies for the long delay but I have been battling a severe case of writer's block. Believe me when I say that I have been stuck with this chapter for nearly two weeks! Coming up next, Josh meets Mrs Brisby for the first time and the story continues with canon events. ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW!