Tunnel Rat

Chapter 496: The Staff of Truth

Bert had found himself repeating a bit of advice his father had given him: "You'll have enough trouble with your own business, so don't get involved in someone else's business." He found himself saying, "Not my business," many times over the next two days. It wasn't his problem, but it bothered him. He knew how dangerous the cave ratkin could be, and all the ones that had escaped from Bloth were always a little crazy. Especially until they got their cravings under control. At some point, someone was going to get badly hurt and maybe die. He had seen the Sage foolishly volunteer to take a hardcore cheese addict into one of the caves, a stash of cheese in his pocket, and no one to save him when Sammi inevitably turned on him. The only question was if the Sage lived or died. Sammi's fate was pretty much sealed. In the state he was in, he might turn fiend, or just get close and go into a berserker rage as soon as he ate all the cheese and couldn't find more in the Sage's pockets. If that happened, the Sage was a dead man.

He'd have expected to see Sammi come slinking around again, hoping to break into his wagon. Or come rushing from the caves screaming, but no one had seen either the Sage or Sammi for the last two days. He was curious about what had happened, but once again just shook his head and said, "None of my business." He still had a lot to do. There was one last round of cheese rations to hand out, and then the three elders of the loose ratkin familiars would come to negotiate larger purchases that they would take back to their own caves and dole out slowly to their little tribes until the next time a cheese merchant came to Wide Spot in the Road.

So it was a complete surprise when he saw the Sage walk out of the cave entrance, with Sammi walking slowly behind him. At one point, Sammi tripped, and the Sage helped him up and steadied him until he could walk on his own. The ratkin was in pain and limping, but not crazed. The Sage escorted him to the back of the line, and left him there before walking to his own wagon.

Bert kept watching Sammi as the line advanced, and each of the wild ratkin took their cheese ration for the day. Sammi was still waiting patiently as he took payment from the ratkin in front of him, and then, curiously, stood silently. Bert stared at him, wondering what was up. Sammi was covered in bruises. One ankle was swollen and bandaged. He looked like he'd gone toe to toe with a couple of stone crushers and lived to tell the tale. After a minute, Bert said, "Do you need something, Sammi?"

"Yes. Yes, Sammi does need something. He needs to apologize. I was bad before. I didn't follow the rules. Rules are important. Very important. Sammi is sorry."

That little speech, said as sincerely as Bert had ever heard something said, astonished him. "Well, I accept your apology, Sammi. Anything else?"

"Yes. Sammi would like to buy a half ration of tasty cheese." He put a shiny gold nugget on the counter, and waited.

Bert considered. "The Sage said this was allowed?"

"He did. Allowed if you allow. You are the Cheese Master here. It is your decision."

"I'm not a Master, Sammi, just a Merchant."

"The Sage told Sammi many truths. So many truths. He said that each of us must work to master our own cravings, but it took a special person to take responsibility for others. He always calls you the Cheese Master."

Bert took a half ration of cheese, then picked up a fresh loaf of bread. "I was about to eat lunch. Fresh bread, right from the oven. Goes good with the cheese ration. How about we go behind the wagon and share this loaf?"

Eyes wide, Sammi nodded, "I would like that. That is another Truth that Sammi has learned. We cannot live on cheese alone, no matter how tasty."

Bert locked the front, stepped out the back, and locked that door too. He put the cheese and half the loaf on Sammi's side of a small table and sat down across from him.

Sammi sat, looking at the cheese. He did that for over a minute. Once he reached out and stopped himself. Bert saw that he was counting to himself. Finally, he took the cheese and took a bite. "One hundred and twenty-seven. Two longer than last time."

Bert didn't know what was going on. "What's with the counting?"

"Oh, it is a lesson Sammi was taught. Sammi tells himself not to eat the cheese, and counts. The higher I can count, the better. Sammi is stronger than the cheese, and needs to deny the tasty morsel with all his soul. Only then can he be the master of the cheese, not the cheese be the master of Sammi." He said it like a speech he had rehearsed over and over.

"You learn that from the Sage?"

"Yes, one of many Truths the Sage taught Sammi."

"Do tell. I'm curious now. What was the first lesson?"

Sammi sighed, "The first lesson was that Sages are not easy to steal cheese from, even when attacking from behind. Sammi did not learn that lesson the first time."

Bert grunted, trying not to laugh, "So the Sage isn't defenseless, and you tried to tackle him and take the cheese the first chance that you got?"

Sammi nodded. "And the second. And the third. The harsh lessons continued, taught by the Staff of Truth. It is a very hard staff, and the Sage told Sammi that the Staff of Truth was a great teacher. The bruises it left would help him learn not to attack him. And it was true. Whenever Sammi tried to steal cheese or run away, the Sage was quicker, and the Staff of Truth showed Sammi the error of his ways. Sammi wished he was a better learner. It took many, many lessons before Sammi learned to sit still and not try to steal cheese."

"Interesting. What other great truths did the Sage impart to you with his Staff of Truth?"

Sammi thought for a moment, and then began to tick them off on his fingers. "Truth number one: Don't attack the Sage; the Staff of Truth is mighty and leaves many bruises. Truth number two: When you are thinking of attacking the Sage to steal cheese, see rule one. Truth number three: The Sage doesn't sleep, even if his eyes are closed, and he is snoring." Sammi sighed. "I was not a quick learner the first day. Every time the generous Sage gave me a little cheese, my soul screamed for more, and I would forget my lessons. But each time, the Staff of Truth reminded me of them. Sammi liked the next day better." He looked down at his plate, forced himself to eat a slice of bread, and then half of his cheese ration, sighing deeply.

Bert ate his own bread. He'd brought no cheese, not wanting to trigger Sammi's cravings. "What happened on the second day?"

"On the second day, the Staff of Truth began to teach Sammi about being patient, and the Sage told him stories. They were good stories about hamsters and evil spiders and best of all, a mighty Hero that beat the bad guys. The Larry stories were the best."

Bert knew Limburger Hollow had a Cheese Fiend they foolishly kept around called Larry. "Larry the Cheese Fiend?"

"No. Yes. A Cheese Fiend, but also a Hero. Larry saved Limburger Hollow from General Gangrene and his army. And he saved many people from the Spiders and drove them away. Larry is a Hero now, and very handsome. He even knows how to dance! They were good stories. Sometimes, Sammi even forgot he craved cheese while he listened to the stories. We played the counting game next, and then it was Sammi's turn to tell stories." He dropped his gaze, shaking his head. "Sammi had many stories locked up inside of him, and the Sage helped him tell them and feel better. The Sage listened to how Sammi and his tribe escaped on sewer cleaning day, and rode the great flush to stinky caverns. Some of Sammi's friends did not make it, pulled down by Tentacle Beasts, or they could not swim well and drowned. Some were too big to fit through the hole in the metal netting and had to stay behind to make it larger. This was bad because the big ratkin are the best fighters and the stories about mutant alligators were true. Sammi should have died there with the rest, but he scurried through a narrow pipe and crawled to the next caves. The Sage listened to Sammi all day while Sammi got better at counting." He looked up, a little defiance in his eyes. "Sammi promised the Sage that he would get better at counting and become the Master of Himself. And then, Sammi will help the next person who escapes from Bloth, and teach them to count." He took the loaf of bread and ate the rest of it as Bert watched him.

Bert could tell Sammi was exhausted, and in pain from his lessons. "You look like you need a nap. Why don't you crawl under the wagon and I'll toss you a blanket."

Sammi stood up, a half smile on his face. "Sammi would love to have a nap. Thank you, Cheese Master Bert."

Bert didn't correct him. He knew he wasn't a Master. He'd always thought he didn't have enough patience in him to be a Master and teach the young whelps. Maybe he should start learning how. He looked at the sleeping Sammi. It would be nice to have another person to help with the lizards and the chores. He'd have to be careful. If Sammi got into the cheese, it wouldn't be Sammi's fault, but his. He made his decision and went looking for his old copy of 'It Takes a Hollow..'