The Secret of the Ginger Mice

The Secret of the Ginger Mice by Song of the Winns Page A

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Authors: Song of the Winns
hesitated. “But didn’t we agree it would be more sensible to go by road?”
    â€œSensible!” scoffed Alex. “We don’t need sensible—we need speed! I bet the kidnappers go by road, right? So we take this shortcut over the mountains and come out in front of them.”
    â€œThat does sound like a good plan,” Alice conceded. “You carry the rucksack.”
    They turned onto the narrow path, which wound between straggly, unkempt bushes and twisted rough-barked trees. Huge rocks jutted into the sky above them like enormous tombstones. Some small hardy shrubs and dry grasses clung stubbornly to the steep sides, but the higher reaches were bare, exposing steep crevasses and sheer drops. One lone mountain with a snowy peak towered above the rest, piercing the sky like a claw: Mount Sharpnest.
    They trudged for hours, barely speaking, up and upand up until the sun was sinking in the sky. Alice, whose steps had become slower and heavier as the hills had grown steeper, declared: “I’m exhausted. I think we should try to find somewhere to stop for the night.”
    â€œStop? We don’t have time to stop,” replied Alex, though he was puffing slightly.
    â€œWell, presumably the kidnappers will need to rest too,” Alice reasoned. “And they’ve got Alistair with them, maybe tied up, so that would slow them down as well.”
    â€œOh, all right,” said Alex. “How about we go as far as that cave up there?” He pointed to an opening in the rock face at the top of the next hill. “That’ll give us shelter and a good view of the valley.”
    â€œIt’d be nice if it gave us a feather pillow,” muttered Alice. “I don’t know . . . What if there’s something in there?”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œSnakes. Spiders.” She shivered.
    Alex rolled his eyes. “Or scaredy-mice,” he said. “Come on. I’ll check it out first.”
    They walked on, and though Alice was sure her legs wouldn’t be able to carry her up yet another hill, the thought that every step forward was one step closer to Alistair spurred her on. When they reached the cave at last, Alex went in first, as promised, and althoughit was dank and dark, it was also silent and completely free of snakes and spiders. So they sat inside the entrance of the cave and looked over the valley as they ate an unsatisfactory dinner of dry bread, then they lay down.
    â€œDo you think we’ll find Alistair tomorrow?” Alice murmured sleepily after a few minutes, shifting to find a comfortable position on the stony ground.
    But her brother was already asleep.
    The two young mice slumbered undisturbed as sunset turned to twilight, but as the moon rose, the cave was suddenly filled with flapping and beating and hundreds of shrill cries.
    â€œEeek!” cried Alice in terror, covering her head with her arms. “Bats! Alex, wake up! Help!”
    â€œI’m awake,” came Alex’s muffled voice, almost indistinguishable above the shrieks of the bats. “Run, sis—yikes!” He ducked as a wing brushed his neck. “Stay down.”
    They wriggled forward on their bellies, trying to avoid the mass of dark shapes surging toward the night sky.
    As they reached the mouth of the cave Alice dived forward, only to find her progress arrested by Alex’s hand grabbing her tail. “Alex, let go,” she began, turning to scold him, but in the dim light she saw that he had his finger to his lips. Then he let go of her tail and pointeddown the path they had climbed earlier. There, bathed in moonlight, were two mice—one silvery gray, the other coal black.
    Alice and Alex shrank into the shadows at the side of the cave as the pair drew closer.
    â€œIf we hadn’t stopped for a meal in that last town there’d be no need for this ridiculous shortcut,” said the black mouse. His voice carried clearly in the still

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