From fd97cd2d6fde54d3ad8e738ca956dd89eb9665ad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: david Date: Thu, 6 Feb 2020 09:33:26 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] progress from today --- book-1/10.tex | 112 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 112 insertions(+) diff --git a/book-1/10.tex b/book-1/10.tex index b1f32bb..8910fc9 100644 --- a/book-1/10.tex +++ b/book-1/10.tex @@ -167,3 +167,115 @@ He wasn't able to pronounce the words, it was if his throat had been sown shut. Girl? \textit{Girl\textinterrobang} + + +``I told you'', said Katt, +facing her sister but without looking away from Andrew's face. +She looked as if she was awaiting a specific reaction from him. +No. +As if she was \textit{afraid} of it. + +``Bullshit'', hissed Ratt. +Her whiskers quivered like small nervous antennae as she shook her head intensely. +``He'sss playing usss!'' + +Andrew was far from overcoming his shock, +but he was at least able to look at the rat girl more closely. +Katt's sister wasn't really a rat, +at least not completely. +She was naked, +so he could see that she was nearly completely covered with thick brown fur. +Her build was more of a girl than a rodent: +She had hands, +her hind legs had turned into feet that were way too small on which she balanced with remarkable skill, +and she even had a long naked whip tail that was nervously twitching back and forth. +Her head was also a mixture of that of a human girl and that of a rat, +but the result was utterly astounding: +She was in no way ugly or even repulsive, +in the contrary she was cute in a way that was hard to explain. + +``Yeah, whatever you mean'', +said Katt and pulled a face that made any further explanation unnecessary. + +``Why don't you go and get something to eat for Andrew? +He must be dying of starvation. +And don't tell the others yet. +I want to talk to him first.'' + +Ratt nodded, but didn't move from where she was standing, +instead flashing a more malicious look at Andrew with her little black button-eyes. +Then she bared her teeth --- +just that they weren't rat teeth, +they were regular human pearly whites. + +``That's enough'', said Andrew. ``Now its enough.'' + +Katt just looked at him questioningly, +but Ratt puckered up disparagingly --- +at least that's how Andrew interpreted it. +He hadn't exactly had much experience reading the facial expressions of a rat. + +``You can stop with the theater now'', he continued. +``I mean: you've had your fun, but I'm good now. +You can take off your mask Ratt --- +or whatever your name actually is.'' + +Ratt stared at him with a murderous gaze and hissed threateningly --- +but Andrew had the feeling that none of it was real and that behind the staged anger in her eyes in actuality was only tediously ill-concealed mockery. + +``The soup'', reminded Katt. ``and put a good amount of meat in it, he has a lot to catch up on.'' + +Of course Ratt didn't leave without giving Andrew another angry look --- +but she left. +Andrew looked after her until the curtain had closed behind her, +and even then he stared at the direction she had disappeared in for a considerable time. + +``Everything okay?'', asked Katt. + +``Of course'', mumbled Andrew. +``I just had a conversation with a rat, but I'm fine \dots I think.'' + +He tore his gaze from the door with some effort and looked at the girl. +Katt's uncomprehending look made it clear to him that the irony in his voice hadn't been understood at all. +He nodded again and this time in a serious tone +``Yeah. I was just \dots caught off guard. I didn't figure something like this would happen.'' + + +Katt remained silent for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed with him +and laid her hand on his thigh with a strangely familiar gesture. +Her touch wasn't uncomfortable for Andrew, +in fact it was the opposite. +Even so he just barely could reign in his reaction to swat her hand away. +He was frightened and for the most part more confused than he had ever been before in his life. + +``You're really from outside, right?'', she asked. + +Andrew kept quiet. +He wasn't capable of thinking a clear thought, +much less \textit{answer} anything. + +``Ratt still doesn't really believe it, +but I know that its the truth. +You were talking in your sleep.'' + +``And?'', asked Andrew. +`` What did I say?'' + +``To be honest I didn't understand most of it'', Katt admitted. +She laughed unsurely, +as if confessing it were embarrassing. +She raised her shoulders. +``But maybe it was just pointless mumbling. +You had a pretty high fever. +For a time I wasn't sure if you were going to survive it.'' + +``If I was talking in my fever, +how would you know that it wasn't all just nonsense anyway?'', asked Andrew. + +``Was it?'' + +``How should I know? +I would have to remember what I had said.'' + + +