Author:
Chrysanthemum Glenwell of Irresistable Imps
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Date Posted: 02:56:00 02/02/07 Fri
Chrysanthemum Glenwell—or, rather, Santha--sneaked on tip-paw across the Abbey lawn, trying not to giggle. A sack containing various sweet food items from Redwall’s kitchens was slung on her shoulder. She reached the east wall gate and set down her sack. She put her paw on the bolt and pulled it back; then she tried to push it open, but it wouldn’t open. She didn’t see the wedge under the gate, placed there to stop Dibbuns from leaving.
She gate down on the grass with her back to the gate. She scowled at the full moon and said, “Shoopid gate. Won’ open. What I do now?”
She looked around, not liking the prospect of going back up to the dormitories, and running the risk for a second time of being seen by an Elder. Her eyes lit on a rowboat lying, keel up, on the ground next to the Abbey Pond. She grinned mischievously, lining out her plan to herself in a whisper:
“I hides unner dere ‘til mornin’, den I pretends I’d been wiv de odder Dibbuns when dey comes out t’ eat breffist. And while I’m unner dere, I eat ‘n’ eat ‘n’ eat!” Satisfied, she sneaked to the boat and climbed under it.
She lay down under the boat, which, as it was in the process of being built, conveniently did not have seats in it yet. “‘S comfy unner here. I thinks it be a good hidin’ place.” She opened the sack, pulled out a pawful of candied chestnuts and started eating them happily.
“Oww, me stummick!” Santha groaned, coming awake the next morning. It took her a moment to realize that she had probably slept through breakfast, which wasn’t bad in the way of eating but was bad in respect to Mother Mellus’s temper. She huddled under the boat, moaning, “Muvver Mell’s is goin’ ta kill me.”
She could hear two Elders conferring worriedly nearby.
“The little scamp, she’s such a troublemaker at times.” said an elderly female hedgehog, a great worrier. She was twisting her apron fretfully about her paws as she spoke.
“Yurss, but she bees a gudd liddle ottermaid at heart, boi okey she does. We’ll foind ‘er sooner or later, oi reckons. She carn’t’ve gone far, now they’ve started wedgin’ yon liddle east wall gate at noight,” he said confidently, patting her on the back with his large digging claws.
Santha couldn’t suppress another groan. Her stomach hurt from the feeding she’d given it last night.
Skipper, searching the reeds nearby, froze. He held a paw to his lips and stared pointedly at the hogwife and Foremole. They stopped talking, getting his point. He came over to them and whispered, “Ye can’t see ‘er but I think I’ve found ‘er, mates. Come lend a paw with this boat, Foremole.”
Foremole complied and the two lifted the boat away from a sullen Santha.
“Miss Santha, we have been worried sick about you. Never mind another beast, do you! You rascal, we have searched the entire grounds for you,” said the hogwife. “Mellus! Deliah, Matthew! We found Santha!” (Deliah and Matthew were her parents.)
Santha crossed her paws and glared sullenly around at the Elders.
Santha stood in the middle of the infirmary, duster in paw. She scowled. As a punishment, she had to dust the infirmary, the chore she hated most. She reluctantly ran the duster over a windowsill. A minor dust cloud erupted, right into her face. She sneezed several times in a row. “A’right! Tha’s enuff! I’m not gonna take any more scoldin’s offa them! I’m goin’ t’ DAB, I shoulda before.”
And that is why Santha came to DAB.
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