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Post by Mrs. Brisby on Feb 6, 2011 22:56:10 GMT -5
An ominous rumbling had been coming from the sky for some time now, however in spite of her best efforts Hope Brisby had only managed to get half way back to her home when the clouds burst, unleashing a deluge of rainwater down onto the world below. This occurrence would have been innocuous enough under normal circumstances, however when she had left the house that morning it had seemed like a bright and warm day, thus she had not taken the precaution of bringing anything waterproof to protect herself. Her eyes widened in alarm as the rain began to fall in thick droplets and she quickly changed course, darting beneath an abandoned wheelbarrow for cover.
“Oh my,” said Mrs. Brisby in a distressed tone as she peered up at the sky, “It looks like a full storm! I hope the children aren’t too alarmed.” The rain seemed to be growing in force with every passing second, however it was only when a flash of forked lightning fiercely lit up the sky above her that she was finally forced to admit that these conditions were too dangerous to travel in. She probably would have risked it had there been any sense of urgency to the situation, fortunately as far as she knew everything was fine back at home, so there didn’t seem to be any harm in delaying her return for safety’s sake. Besides, there was something oddly tranquil about the sound that the rain made as it hit the hard, wooden surface above her, even if every peal of thunder or flash of lightning shattered any sense of calm completely.
“To think that the rats can manipulate electricity,” she muttered to herself as a particularly large flash illuminated the stormy sky, “it seems so uncontrollable when it’s like this.” Of course, even though she wasn’t aware of there being anything wrong at home, she couldn’t help but worry about her children, so began to concentrate on counting the time between the flashes of lightning and the claps of thunder in an attempt to take her mind off it. Unfortunately for Mrs. Brisby this turned out to be a rather counterproductive choice of activity, for every time she counted it revealed that the storm was growing closer and closer.
“Oh I do hope it dies down before it reaches us,” said Hope nervously, “I don’t know how much protection this thing will offer me.” She glanced up at the wheelbarrow as she spoke, anxious eyes noticing the amount of metal fixtures there were holding the wood together; if just one of them were to attract the lightning then the whole thing could go up in flames!
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Post by Basil of Baker Street on Feb 7, 2011 7:52:58 GMT -5
Basil cast a glance around, but the rain water was coming down too heavily to avoid it getting in his eyes, even though the brim of his hat should have protected him. He sprinted along, forcing his way through the grass with gritted teeth, one paw raised to grip at his hat, so as not to lose it- some cover was better than nothing, and it was keeping the top of his head dry at least...
Suddenly a massive crack of thunder from overhead made him pause, trying to see amidst the brief flash of lightening which followed anywhere he could shelter. His ears flattened at the sound, which was like being in the barrel of a cannon as it fired. Swiftly he began to run again, and then, up ahead-
''Ah!''
An over turned wheelbarrow, already close enough that he could hear the metallic noise of rain beating down upon it, and he hurried to skid under it, gripping the edge of the thing to steady himself as he entered the only damp gloom of the shelter. He breathed hard for a moment, after the exertion, and straightened to neaten himself, pulling off the deerstalker and reaching up to try and rub some feeling back into his ears.
He suddenly became aware of a presence, catching sight of another mouse and peering across to try and see them better. It was a woman, who looked just as bedraggled as he was, but certainly more distressed...he cleared his throat gently.
''Hello? Madam- are you alright?''
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Post by Mrs. Brisby on Feb 8, 2011 18:38:19 GMT -5
Mrs. Brisby was so focused on the approaching storm that she completely failed to notice a second mouse scurry up to the wheelbarrow and join her in the limited protection that it offered from the elements. When he finally spoke up to announce his presence it took her completely by surprise, causing her to leap up in alarm at the noise, momentarily convinced that it was the farmer’s cat: Dragon.
“Oh I’m f...fine, thank you,” Hope stammered in response, holding one paw to her chest as beneath it she felt her heart beating at least ten times faster than usual from the stress of the situation, “I just wasn’t expecting this storm.” As if to emphasise her words, a fresh flash of lightning illuminated the sky behind her as she said this, and was followed by a peal of thunder only a second later; the storm was almost right on top of them. Fortunately this newcomer was quite a soothing presence, so in an attempt to calm her nerves Mrs. Brisby attempted to focus on him rather than the adverse weather conditions.
Unlike Hope, who only ever wore her old, ragged cloak (and even that was only because her husband had insisted that it suited her), this mouse was fully clothed, rather like the rats of NIMH. His formal tones reminded her of them (and her husband of course) as well, in fact had she not known that only two mice escaped she’d almost have believed that this stranger was another survivor of the experiments.
“It’s nice to meet you sir,” she added politely, “I’m Mrs. Brisby.”
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Post by Basil of Baker Street on Feb 9, 2011 7:57:28 GMT -5
He saw her jump, quite badly in fact, and the way she gripped at her chest as though she could slow her heart beat just by pressing against it...he gave a kindly smile and stepped a little closer, still wringing out his hat. She was evidently a country mouse, for her lack of clothing, but he had paid enough visits to the country side that it didn't throw him off kilter, thankfully.
''Terribly sorry, I didn't mean to startle you...'' He said, looking down at her before he gave a polite little bow. ''A pleasure, Mrs Brisby....I am Basil of Baker Street.''
He offered her his paw in a gesture of reassurance, as her wide eyed expression made it apparent she was worried- and not about him, nor even perhaps about the storm itself, even though it was quite a vicious one for having materialised from a brighter sky.
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Post by Mrs. Brisby on Feb 9, 2011 22:13:35 GMT -5
“It’s quite alright,” murmured Hope, finally beginning to compose herself somewhat in response to his calming presence, “this storm just has me a little on edge. My children are all alone at home, and bad things tend to happen when I’m not there...” She stopped, aware that she was beginning to babble out of nerves. Taking a deep breath, she was pleased to find that the air already seemed cleaner (which in her opinion was the only positive effect of storms such as this).
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, “you don’t want to hear about my problems.” Mrs. Brisby smiled sheepishly, quickly casting around her mind for an alternate topic of conversation. Judging from the other mouse’s demeanour he didn’t seem to be from around here, so it was this she chose to focus upon.
“I’m not familiar with Baker Street,” she admitted, “is that anywhere near Thorn Valley?” This was the furthest away from her home that she’d been.
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Post by Basil of Baker Street on Feb 10, 2011 6:28:39 GMT -5
''It is rather far- in the City of London.'' He replied, watching her curiously for a moment. He had been trying to ascertain if she was a Mother, and his thoughts on the matter were confirmed when she stated that her children were indeed waiting for her at home.
He had heard only vague references to Thorn Valley himself, from a few older mouse in the nearest town, and was intrigued to meet someone who resided there. He reached up to rub at his ear again, still cold, and shook his head a little.
''My dear Mrs Brisby, other peoples problems are something of a job for me...I happen to be a Detective. I- I'm sure they're just fine.'' He added, hesitantly, because he wasn't always very good at these sort of things.
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Post by Mrs. Brisby on Feb 12, 2011 20:17:51 GMT -5
“I hope you’re right,” replied Mrs. Brisby quietly, glancing back in the general direction of the cement block she lived in as she did so, “though I’ve never met a... detective was it? I’ve never met a detective before.” She hoped that by ‘other peoples’ problems’ he meant helping to deal with them rather than causing them. At the very least, he didn’t look like the type of person who’d go around causing problems for other people.
“I have heard of London,” added Hope, thankful that there was some detail about this man that wasn’t a complete mystery to her, “it’s very from here, right?” Offhand, she couldn’t think even of anyone she knew who had visited London. It just wasn’t in the nature of the people who lived on this farm to travel very far away, especially not ones with children, such as her.
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Post by Basil of Baker Street on Feb 23, 2011 18:06:50 GMT -5
Her curious repetition of his title intrigued him, and he wondered if she had ever even heard the term 'Detective' before...however, he was not one to be rude enough to announce such a thing, for it might appear that he thought her simple.
Evidently she was not, and had seen plenty of sense in taking cover in the storm rather than risking the journey to her children unnecessarily.
Basil nodded in reply to her query, flattening and neatening his fur enough that he expected he now looked presentable again, and he turned his attention instead to pulling at his jacket cuffs instead.
''Oh, indeed, it is quite a distance...might I ask where you live in these parts...?'' He was unfamiliar with the area, after all, and could see nothing about her which would give him much of a clue without being told.
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