The Lonely Rat

Faint sounds reach me in my sleep. Louder and louder they become as light begins to break through to me. I wished this would have been my final sleep. I dreamt again of an open place, playing with others like me. Golden sticks all around me. But once again, I wake. I wake to this little grey box I have been put in. I wonder what they will do to me today.

I hear them speak, I understand them although my brothers and sisters don't. Sometimes I want to speak to them, but my mother warned me not to. She knows of my gift, my curse. She has told me that if I speak it will draw attention, and one thing you want to avoid at all costs, in a place like this, is the giant's attention.

There is something different about today. Tiny gods have come to visit this place. These must be the offspring of the giant gods who work here, they must be. Small chance of me being noticed. The little ones like seeing the monkeys, dogs, birds, cats, and rabbits. I don't mind though, at least today I'll only have to do a few tricks, they won't hurt me in front of their young.

Unlikely, but it happens. A young female god and I have caught eyes as she walks over holding the hand of a tall male god.

"Why is this one alone, Daddy?" she asks

"Well this rat was a little naughty so we had to put him on timeout." he replies while looking me in the eye.

Another tall god approaches and pulls the father god to a corner of the room. The little one comes up to my cage.

"You don't look naughty to me, you look sweet." she puts her finger towards me.

I can't help it, I need to be heard, I need to be seen.

"Help me." I whisper back, instantly regretting it.

"Whh...what?" she replies, eyes as wide as sky.

I thought she would scream and leave, but she stays.

"I...I can understand you, do you understand me?" I nervously ask.

"You...you can talk?" she gasps.

"I can, but never have." I utter.

"Does my dad know you can talk?" she enquires.

"No, no one does, please don't tell him." I beg.

"Why not? You're amazing, this would change everything." she assures me.

"Best I keep myself small, quiet, and ordinary, or they'll never let me leave." I say.

She seems surprised, but not afraid, perhaps she needs me as much as I need her.

"I guess I know what you mean. I try to be good for my dad too, he doesn't always like it when I speak." she shares.

"I never thought one of the gods would listen to me if I spoke" I admit.

"Gods? Wait, you mean me? I'm not God, He's in Heaven." she explains.

"What's 'Heaven?' Where is that?" I ask her.

"That's where God watches over us and someday when we die we will be with him forever." she smiles.

I am confused. A bigger god? A god that the giants obey? This conversation has me shaking.

"Why can't I see him? Can he hear you?" I ask her.

"My dad told me He's in our hearts so we can't see Him but He can hear us when we pray." she answers.

"Pray? If I pray will my god listen to me?" I ask, confused.

"I don't know if He hears animals, I'm sure He does though." she says.

"Does He punish you and put you in a cage if you don't do things right?" I ask nervously.

"Well He tells us not to sin, but He died for us, He loves us." she reassures me.

"So if your god doesn't hurt you, or punish you, or make you do things for Him, then why does the big god do these things to me?" I ask. She might tell on me now, but I need to ask, I've come this far.

"Hurt you? I don't understand, aren't you helping my dad understand science?" she asks, seemingly confused.

"What is science?" I enquire.

"My dad says it's what helps make people live better. He says that animals help us find ways to live better." she responds.

"So this is why I am in pain, why he hurts me? So that him and the other gods can live better?" I ask angrily.

"Sorry sweetie, daddy needed to go talk with uncle Sammy about something. You want to go see the monkeys?" the tall god says walking up to the little one.

She takes one more look at me, I can see she is sad, I am terrified she will give me away.

"Ok dad, yeah let's go see the monkeys." They walk away.

Is this one of my dreams? It doesn't seem real. If it is, surely I will soon wake, if not, then my truth is out there, and now I must wait.