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“Diamond in the Rat” by Roan Rosser (part 2 of 2)
A larcenous team of animals must break into an antique store to steal a set of diamond figurines and trap the creature trapped in the rat.
Today’s story is the second and final part of “Diamond in the Rat” by Roan Rosser, author of Red Pandamonium, and you can find more of his work on RoanRosser.com.
Last time, Pog, the red panda, and companions planned a heist of the antique store, where Pog found out someone is trapped in a diamond figure kept there. Now the group is on their way to the store, but will the heist go as planned?
Read for you by Khaki, your faithful fireside companion.
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https://thevoice.dog/episode/diamond-in-the-rat-by-roan-rosser-part-2-of-2
Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,
Speaker:and Today’s story is the second and final part of
Speaker:“Diamond in the Rat”
Speaker:by Roan Rosser, author of Red Pandamonium,
Speaker:and you can find more of his work on RoanRosser.com.
Speaker:Last time, Pog, the red panda, and companions
Speaker:planned a heist of the antique store,
Speaker:where Pog found out someone is trapped in a diamond figure kept there.
Speaker:Now the group is on their way to the store,
Speaker:but will the heist go as planned?
Speaker:Please enjoy “Diamond in the Rat”
Speaker:by Roan Rosser, Part 2
Speaker:of 2 The walk over there seemed a lot longer without Max carrying me.
Speaker:Especially clutching Ynes’ purse in my mouth. My paw
Speaker:pads ached by the time we arrived.
Speaker:This walking business was for suckers.
Speaker:Maybe I would let them push me around in a stroller.
Speaker:As the raccoon had predicted,
Speaker:barred metal shutters criss-crossed
Speaker:the front of the store now.
Speaker:Those hadn’t been there earlier today.
Speaker:Deots led us down the alley
Speaker:that ran behind it.
Speaker:A big dumpster sat in the center of the block,
Speaker:and trash had accumulated along each side.
Speaker:The smell back there had me wrinkling my nose,
Speaker:though no one else seemed bothered by it.
Speaker:“This is the back of the antique store,”
Speaker:Deots said, and scrabbled up the brick side of the building,
Speaker:disappearing over the line of the roof.
Speaker:Her three silent helpers followed her.
Speaker:I walked over and put one paw against the bricks,
Speaker:trying to figure out how they’d done it.
Speaker:“Like this.” Barnabas stuck his claws into the texture of the brick
Speaker:and scampered up like it was nothing.
Speaker:Next to me, Clatter had already started up,
Speaker:though she moved slower than the others.
Speaker:I jammed my claws into the depressions in the bricks
Speaker:and took it one paw at a time.
Speaker:At first it was awkward,
Speaker:but it became a more natural movement the higher I climbed.
Speaker:By the time I pulled myself over the lip of the roof,
Speaker:I felt like I’d been climbing all my life.
Speaker:Clatter came over right behind me.
Speaker:Deots was over in the corner,
Speaker:messing around with a big metal box that sat there.
Speaker:She had a panel opened on it,
Speaker:and her head and front paws were inside.
Speaker:I could hear machinery,
Speaker:like a fan, blowing inside of it.
Speaker:There was a ping.
Speaker:The sound of the fan whirred to a stop
Speaker:and smoke rose from the corner of the box.
Speaker:“That’s our way in,”
Speaker:she said as Clatter and I joined them.
Speaker:Her three helpers were already peeling away the wire mesh top
Speaker:that covered the stopped fan blades.
Speaker:Once the hole was big enough,
Speaker:they wriggled through the gap
Speaker:and disappeared. The rest of us followed.
Speaker:As we climbed down through the mess of wires and pipes,
Speaker:I noticed the others gave Clatter a wide berth.
Speaker:Clatter was aptly named;
Speaker:her quills clattered against everything.
Speaker:I came last, still feeling awkward crawling around through the dust up here.
Speaker:At one point I got close to Clatter’s back and accidently poked my nose into one of her quills.
Speaker:I yelped and fell back,
Speaker:a drop of blood falling where it had pricked me.
Speaker:No wonder Clatter was so confident that she could scare off any human guards.
Speaker:Eventually we reached a grid of metal with dusty white squares.
Speaker:Between the clay the raccoons had rubbed on me, and the dust up here,
Speaker:my fur was grayer than the raccoons.
Speaker:“Be careful to keep your paws on the frame,”
Speaker:Deots said as she climbed down off the pipes
Speaker:onto the grid. “The white tiles aren’t as sturdy as they look.” The raccoons chewed a hole through the corner of one,
Speaker:showing them to be made of cardboard.
Speaker:We all gathered around the hole and peered down.
Speaker:We looked down over one of the other aisles,
Speaker:but it still impressed me how close Deots had gotten us based on my crude map of the layout.
Speaker:The grates across the windows blocked most of the light from the streetlights,
Speaker:and I could barely make out the glass case to one side.
Speaker:The top of the closest shelf was about five feet below us.
Speaker:A door creaked open somewhere out of sight,
Speaker:and then the beam of a flashlight bobbed around in the darkness.
Speaker:“The ceiling alarm went off,”
Speaker:a male voice said, sweeping the flashlight up and along the ceiling.
Speaker:We ducked back as it flashed over the hole,
Speaker:left, and then came back to shine up through the hole.
Speaker:“That wasn’t there earlier,”
Speaker:he said. “And I think I saw some yellow eyes.”
Speaker:“Probably just raccoons,”
Speaker:a second human said.
Speaker:This one had a higher-pitched voice.
Speaker:The light dropped away.
Speaker:“We’ll have to call an exterminator in the morning.” “Clatter, you’re up,” Barnabas said.
Speaker:Clatter gave a nod,
Speaker:her quills clacking quietly together.
Speaker:She jumped from the hole
Speaker:and landed on the top of the nearest display.
Speaker:The rack wobbled, and some things fell off,
Speaker:landing on the carpet with a quiet thump.
Speaker:“What was that?” The light swung back around our way and settled on Clatter,
Speaker:climbing slowly down the side of the display shelf.
Speaker:“That’s not a raccoon!”
Speaker:The man’s voice raised an octave.
Speaker:I couldn’t see them from this angle, but I snickered as Clatter reached the floor
Speaker:and puffed out her quills.
Speaker:She hissed and charged sideways at them,
Speaker:quills bristling.
Speaker:One human screamed and dropped their flashlight.
Speaker:It rolled into view under the hole,
Speaker:illuminating the shelf with the creepy dolls that I’d knocked over earlier.
Speaker:The other human’s light bobbed wildly around as Clatter chased the guards around the store.
Speaker:Eventually the back door banged again
Speaker:and Clatter called up,
Speaker:“All clear!” The four raccoons disappeared through the hole,
Speaker:then Barnabas. Carrying the bag,
Speaker:I was the slowest and last out.
Speaker:The display shelf was not as porous as the bricks, and I ended up sliding down,
Speaker:leaving long claw marks in the wood.
Speaker:By the time I got to my paws on the carpet, the raccoons had already formed their tower
Speaker:with Barnabas on top.
Speaker:Deots supervised from the side,
Speaker:holding the guard’s dropped flashlight towards the lock
Speaker:to give him light to work by.
Speaker:Clatter was keeping guard at the back door,
Speaker:in case the humans tried to come back in again.
Speaker:There was a loud click
Speaker:and the display case door swung open,
Speaker:almost knocking over the raccoon tower.
Speaker:The bottom raccoon tottered around,
Speaker:the tower swaying, until Deots and I ran over and steadied them.
Speaker:I set the bag on the floor and unzipped it.
Speaker:“Toss them down,” I called up to Barnabas.
Speaker:He nodded and climbed off the raccoons
Speaker:onto the shelf. The statues were half his size, but using his entire body,
Speaker:he pushed the closest one,
Speaker:a diamond horse, off the edge.
Speaker:The top raccoon caught it and passed it down the line to me.
Speaker:The figure weighed more than I expected.
Speaker:I stuffed each one in the bag as they came.
Speaker:Tiger, monkey, goat,
Speaker:snake, pig, rabbit…
Speaker:what an eclectic collection of animals.
Speaker:I hadn’t been paying attention earlier, focused as I’d been on the rat.
Speaker:As the rat statue passed through my paws it said,
Speaker:“Thank you for coming back for me.”
Speaker:I paused and looked down at it, turning it over.
Speaker:It vibrated in my paws as it spoke.
Speaker:“You’re welcome, but don’t thank me yet.
Speaker:We still have to get out of here.” I stuffed it in the purse with the others.
Speaker:By the time all twelve were there,
Speaker:the bag was overfull and wouldn’t close all the way.
Speaker:It was also heavy.
Speaker:I could barely move it, dragging it along the carpet.
Speaker:There was no way we were getting this back up through the hole like this.
Speaker:Deots saw the problem and came over.
Speaker:“Maybe we can carry them one-by-one?”
Speaker:I handed her the top figure that was shaped like a dog.
Speaker:“Try it.” She put it in her mouth and tried to climb,
Speaker:but she couldn’t keep a grip on the heavy statue and dropped it before she was more than a few feet off the ground.
Speaker:“We’ll have to go out the back door,”
Speaker:I said, putting it back in the bag with the others.
Speaker:“The humans are waiting on the other side,” Clatter said, coming up to us.
Speaker:“They’re talking on the phone to someone.
Speaker:I think they’re calling for help.”
Speaker:“Shit. We’re not going to be moving fast carrying this,”
Speaker:I said, kicking the bag.
Speaker:The raccoons could carry one each in their front paws,
Speaker:but like me, they had trouble walking on just their back legs.
Speaker:And it would mean we’d have to leave a bunch of the animals behind.
Speaker:“I found something that could help,”
Speaker:Barnabas said, poking his head around the corner.
Speaker:“This way.” I reluctantly left the purse on the floor and followed him.
Speaker:Deots told her three helpers
Speaker:to guard the bag and came with us.
Speaker:Barnabas led us around the furniture area to the back corner.
Speaker:My eyes widened and I let out a scream of joy
Speaker:as I dashed over to what Barnabas had found.
Speaker:A line of Pog-sized electric toy cars.
Speaker:There was a jeep,
Speaker:a black sedan, and a two-seater sports car in an eye-searing orange.
Speaker:I climbed into the driver’s seat
Speaker:of the sports car, my dirty fur leaving black paw prints on the paint,
Speaker:and put my paws on the half-moon steering wheel.
Speaker:My back paws touched pedals that matched the ones on Sunny’s car
Speaker:when she’d been teaching me to drive.
Speaker:I bounced up and down with joy in the seat for a moment before I got a hold of myself.
Speaker:I wasn’t here for fun,
Speaker:I had a rat to rescue.
Speaker:There was a red button that had the words “Start” printed on it in the center of the console.
Speaker:I slapped it with a paw
Speaker:and the car purred to life.
Speaker:“Get in!” I told Deots and Barnabas.
Speaker:Deots sat in the passenger seat next to me,
Speaker:and Barnabas perched on the trunk behind my seat.
Speaker:When I pushed the gas,
Speaker:the car rocketed forward and crashed into the side of the dresser a few feet away.
Speaker:It took me a moment to figure out how to reverse,
Speaker:then we were off again.
Speaker:My stops were jerky as I fumbled with the unfamiliar pedals.
Speaker:I’d only ever driven video game cars with a game controller.
Speaker:But I knew the general idea from Sunny’s instructions.
Speaker:Left was stop, right was go.
Speaker:Steer with the wheel.
Speaker:After maneuvering around the furniture to where the raccoons waited with the loot,
Speaker:I had fairly good control. We had to
Speaker:lift the diamond animals into the car one at a time.
Speaker:The trunk turned out to be fake, so we put them on the floor around the passenger seat.
Speaker:Once it was loaded up,
Speaker:the three raccoon helpers exited back out through the roof.
Speaker:Barnabas sat on the truck,
Speaker:holding onto the back of my seat as I roared off to the backdoor
Speaker:whooping with excitement.
Speaker:Okay, maybe I was enjoying myself AND rescuing the rat.
Speaker:I could multi-task.
Speaker:The back door was one of those heavy-looking metal things that I’d seen Max struggle to move.
Speaker:“How are we going to get the door open?”
Speaker:I asked as I stopped next to Clatter.
Speaker:She stared at the car in wonder,
Speaker:eyes wide. “What if we get the humans to open it for us?” Deots said. “How?” I looked at her, twisting my ears back.
Speaker:“Curiosity, of course.
Speaker:Does this thing have a horn?”
Speaker:she said. “Let’s see…”
Speaker:I pressed the center of the steering wheel like Sunny did when she drove.
Speaker:A loud beep sounded.
Speaker:To make it really authentic I yelled,
Speaker:“Learn to drive, jack-ass!” just like Sunny always did
Speaker:as I pressed the horn a second time.
Speaker:“What the heck was that?”
Speaker:a human said from the other side.
Speaker:“Sounded like a car horn,”
Speaker:the other replied.
Speaker:“But it came from inside.
Speaker:Is there a car in there?”
Speaker:“Keep pressing it,”
Speaker:Deots said. “Be ready to go as soon as they open the door.
Speaker:Clatter, get on the hood.”
Speaker:She nodded, seeing where Deots was going with this idea.
Speaker:Clatter climbed onto the hood,
Speaker:holding onto the windshield with her front paws.
Speaker:Her butt poked over the front of the car,
Speaker:quills quivering.
Speaker:I had fun beeping the horn in patterns. Beep. Beeeeep. Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beeeeeep. The door cracked open,
Speaker:and a human face appeared in the gap.
Speaker:I slammed down my paw on the accelerator and the car jerked to life.
Speaker:Clatter’s quills headed straight for the man’s legs.
Speaker:The man shrieked
Speaker:and stumbled backwards,
Speaker:pulling the door open the rest of the way as he fell.
Speaker:“What…?” the woman said,
Speaker:eyes wide as we shot out the door,
Speaker:bouncing a little as we went over the threshold.
Speaker:“Is that a raccoon driving a tiny Bentley?”
Speaker:We zoomed out into the alley.
Speaker:I yanked on the steering wheel,
Speaker:expecting to drift like in my games, but the car just made a smooth turn.
Speaker:The pavement here was bumpy,
Speaker:and I could see Clatter struggling to hold on.
Speaker:I glanced in the rearview mirror.
Speaker:Neither guard was chasing us.
Speaker:The woman stared after us,
Speaker:her mouth gaping open,
Speaker:too stunned to move,
Speaker:and the man lay on his back in a puddle.
Speaker:So I slowed down.
Speaker:We reached the end of the alley
Speaker:and I turned out onto the sidewalk, flooring the gas pedal again,
Speaker:whooping again with excitement
Speaker:as we zoomed off
Speaker:down the road. # I was almost disappointed when we reached Deots’ tree.
Speaker:I stopped the car and turned it off.
Speaker:Clatter slid backwards off the hood
Speaker:with a sigh of relief.
Speaker:“Thanks for your help,”
Speaker:I told Deots as I helped her unload all the diamond animals, except for the rat
Speaker:that I placed in the passenger seat.
Speaker:“Anytime, boys, anytime,”
Speaker:Deots said as she arranged her haul in a circle around her.
Speaker:I wasn’t a boy, but I didn’t bother to correct her.
Speaker:She lifted the dragon
Speaker:and admired the way it glittered in the light from the streetlight.
Speaker:“Best haul I’ve ever gotten.
Speaker:So shiny…” Staring at it, she seemed to forget we were there.
Speaker:“Don’t forget to give one of those to Clatter,”
Speaker:Barnabas said as he climbed over into the passenger seat
Speaker:and sat next to the rat.
Speaker:“I’ll take this one.”
Speaker:Clatter picked up the smallest one,
Speaker:the snake, posed in an undulating slither.
Speaker:She tucked it away into her quills where it
Speaker:glittered and glinted as she moved.
Speaker:“Thanks, that was a lot of fun,”
Speaker:she said, before turning and waddling away.
Speaker:She disappeared into the bushes.
Speaker:“We should get going too,”
Speaker:I said, looking east.
Speaker:The sky was that deep dark it got close to sunrise.
Speaker:I started the car again and drove back towards Sunny’s condo.
Speaker:The car’s maximum speed wasn’t as fast as in Sunny’s car game,
Speaker:but I was still having the time of my life.
Speaker:The problem made itself known as we puttered up to the condo’s entrance.
Speaker:The front desk guard had been easy enough to sneak past when it had just been Barnabas and me,
Speaker:but even the most inattentive guard would notice me driving by in a bright orange toy car.
Speaker:“You’ll have to leave the car,”
Speaker:Barnabas chittered,
Speaker:apparently coming to the same conclusion as me.
Speaker:I whimpered and tightened my paws on the steering wheel. “But…
Speaker:but… I love it!
Speaker:Maybe I can hide it somewhere and bring it in tomorrow.”
Speaker:I made a three-point turn on the sidewalk
Speaker:and drove back the way we’d come.
Speaker:Nothing but stark brick walls and scraggly brushes came into view as I circled the block.
Speaker:The entrance down to the basement parking garage,
Speaker:where Sunny had parked her car,
Speaker:had a metal door blocking it off.
Speaker:Not ready to give up yet,
Speaker:I came to stop near the front door,
Speaker:out of view of the guard,
Speaker:and tried to think.
Speaker:I didn’t want to send Barnabas up to wake up any of the humans.
Speaker:I knew from the movies that what we’d done was frowned on by the human authorities,
Speaker:and I didn’t want them mad at me.
Speaker:“Pog?” I jumped and twisted around in the driver’s seat to see Sunny strolling up behind us.
Speaker:“You’re filthy.” She shook her head, smirking.
Speaker:“But that’s a sweet ride.”
Speaker:“Thanks.” I puffed out my chest
Speaker:and ran a paw along the steering wheel.
Speaker:“Should I even ask where you got it?”
Speaker:She chuckled. “Probably not…”
Speaker:I said, then remembered the rat.
Speaker:I glanced over, but Barnabas was faster on the uptake than me
Speaker:and had the statue hidden under his fluffy tail.
Speaker:He gave me a thumbs up when he saw me looking.
Speaker:“Ah huh.” She turned, putting a foot on the hood.
Speaker:“Pog, did you steal it?” she asked,
Speaker:leaning down to look me in the eye.
Speaker:“Define steal,” I said, shrinking down in the seat.
Speaker:“It’s when you take things without permission.”
Speaker:She glanced at Barnabas with one eyebrow raised.
Speaker:“Given that it’s four thirty in the morning, and Barnabas is hiding a diamond rat under his tail,
Speaker:I’m going to assume you stole it.”
Speaker:“I had to go back to save the rat, and we needed a get-away car.”
Speaker:“You really believe the rat is asking for help?”
Speaker:she straightened back up
Speaker:and took her foot off the hood.
Speaker:“Yes.” I cocked my ears in the rat’s direction.
Speaker:“It’s not talking now, but it was.
Speaker:I know stealing is bad,”
Speaker:total lie, this had been a blast,
Speaker:“but I know what it’s like to be trapped and lonely,
Speaker:and I couldn’t leave it there.”
Speaker:Sunny blew out a breath.
Speaker:“Alright, I believe you.
Speaker:Let’s get you inside before someone sees you.
Speaker:We can hide the rat and the car in my room for now.”
Speaker:“Thank you, Sunny.” She moved to the side,
Speaker:and I turned the car around,
Speaker:following over to the parking garage entrance, which she opened with a pass from her wallet.
Speaker:Once we got back in her condo,
Speaker:I parked the car by her bed.
Speaker:She helped me to take a bath,
Speaker:scrubbing all the dust and clay from my fur,
Speaker:then sent me off to bed.
Speaker:I only got a few hours of sleep before Max shook me awake. I rolled over and gave him a bleary look. “Go away.”
Speaker:I pulled my tail over my face.
Speaker:“It’s important.” Max didn’t wait for me to answer,
Speaker:but sat down next to me and set Sunny’s laptop on his lap.
Speaker:He grabbed me by my scruff and lifted me up to show me the screen.
Speaker:On there was a picture of me driving the little electric car
Speaker:with Deots, Clatter, and Barnabas.
Speaker:The picture had been taken from a high angle
Speaker:and was grainy. “What did you do?”
Speaker:he said through clenched teeth.
Speaker:“It says a bunch of trained animals stole a dozen diamond figurines!”
Speaker:He tapped the driver’s picture on the screen.
Speaker:“That’s you, don’t deny it.”
Speaker:“Okay, I stole the animals.
Speaker:But only to save the rat.
Speaker:It’s in Sunny’s room, along with the car,”
Speaker:I wiggled against Max’s grip.
Speaker:He dropped me and put his hands over his face.
Speaker:Max screamed into his hands
Speaker:and then lowered them with a sigh.
Speaker:“Okay, here’s what we’ll do.
Speaker:We’ll return all the diamond animals and the car with an apology—” “No,
Speaker:only the rat’s here.”
Speaker:Max stared at me.
Speaker:“The news says you stole the whole set.”
Speaker:“Yeah, but I had to pay the rest of the team.”
Speaker:“The team being… A porcupine, a raccoon, and?”
Speaker:He squinted at the screen.
Speaker:“And a squirrel that I’m guessing is Barnabas.”
Speaker:I nodded. “You paid…
Speaker:raccoons…” he worked his mouth, barely able to force the words out,
Speaker:“with a bunch of diamond animals worth a small fortune?!”
Speaker:he was yelling by the end.
Speaker:“Why would raccoons want diamond animals?”
Speaker:“Because they’re shiny, duh.”
Speaker:I curled back up in my dog bed.
Speaker:“Now, if you’ll excuse me,
Speaker:I’m tired. I was up late.”
Speaker:“They’re shiny, eiy says,”
Speaker:Max muttered. “Goddamn it.
Speaker:I’m going to get a call from the police. I know it.
Speaker:I was in there yesterday with a red panda and then that night they get robbed by one.
Speaker:What the heck am I going to tell them?”
Speaker:“Nothing,” I yawned.
Speaker:“Don’t be a snitch, Max.
Speaker:Besides, I had on a disguise.
Speaker:See, even the laptop thinks I was a raccoon.”
Speaker:“Yes, officer. It wasn’t me, it was my pet talking red panda—”
Speaker:“Not a pet!” I yelled.
Speaker:Max stood up and stomped out of the room.
Speaker:But before I could fall asleep again,
Speaker:he was back, holding the diamond rat.
Speaker:Roderick was with him.
Speaker:“Pog’s right, though.
Speaker:The disguise worked.
Speaker:The news only mentioned raccoons, nothing about a red panda,”
Speaker:Roderick said as they came in.
Speaker:“Better not to come forward with it and connect yourself with the crime.”
Speaker:Max sighed and settled down cross-legged on the floor next to my bed, holding the diamond rat.
Speaker:“So how is Sunny involved?” he asked.
Speaker:“She’s not. We just ran into her coming home.”
Speaker:I bit back a yawn. “Good,
Speaker:I’m glad you didn’t drag her into this.”
Speaker:He frowned at the rat, turning it over.
Speaker:“Is it saying anything now?”
Speaker:Roderick sat down on the carpet next to Max
Speaker:and regarded me. “No.”
Speaker:Realizing I would not get any sleep until I helped them,
Speaker:I sat up and held out my paws.
Speaker:“Let me see it.” Max handed me the statue.
Speaker:I clasped it between my two front paws
Speaker:and stared at it.
Speaker:“Hi there. So, I have two mages here with me.
Speaker:How can we free you, rat?”
Speaker:“I’m not a rat, I’m a lamassu,”
Speaker:the statue said. The oil slick sheen moved across the surface.
Speaker:I knew a lot about the supernatural world from listening to the witches who’d lived in me when I’d been a house spirit,
Speaker:but that word was unfamiliar to me.
Speaker:Maybe some kind of fae?
Speaker:I glanced up at Max and Roderick.
Speaker:“Did you hear that?”
Speaker:Both of them shook their heads.
Speaker:“What did it say?” Roderick asked.
Speaker:I translated, “It says it’s not a rat. It’s a lamassu—” Roderick slapped my paws, making me drop the statue.
Speaker:It bounced off the side of my fluffy bed
Speaker:and rolled onto the carpet.
Speaker:“Hey!” Max and I yelled at the same time.
Speaker:“Don’t listen to anything it says, Pog,”
Speaker:Roderick said, his eyes glued to the glittering statue.
Speaker:Max frowned at his brother.
Speaker:“What’s wrong, you sound worried.”
Speaker:Roderick pursed his lips.
Speaker:“Lamassu… they’re a type of djinni.
Speaker:Or a genie.” “Fuuuckkk…” Max drew the word out.
Speaker:“Like Aladdin?” Roderick nodded.
Speaker:“Max, you said this was one of twelve?
Speaker:What were the other animals in the set?”
Speaker:“I don’t remember,”
Speaker:Max said, and looked at me.
Speaker:“The animals were, uh, snake, horse, rabbit, chicken, tiger, goat, monkey,
Speaker:a dog…” I paused, trying to remember the others.
Speaker:“Chicken? Do you mean rooster, like this?”
Speaker:Roderick showed me a picture on his phone.
Speaker:“Yeah, like that.” I nodded my head.
Speaker:“It had that thing on its head.”
Speaker:“That sounds like the animals of the Chinese zodiac,”
Speaker:Max said. “Yes, it does.
Speaker:The Zodiac is powerful symbolism,”
Speaker:Roderick said. “Until I’ve done some research to figure out the identity of this particular djinn,
Speaker:I think it’s better if we don’t free it yet.”
Speaker:An aura swirled up and out of the statue,
Speaker:coalescing into the form of a white rat hovering in the air.
Speaker:“But this one already has,
Speaker:when they separated me from the rest of the pieces of the spell that bound me.”
Speaker:Max and Roderick yelped and scrambled backwards.
Speaker:I guess they heard the lamassu this time.
Speaker:“Then why are you still here?”
Speaker:I asked, curling my tail around me and meeting the ghost rat’s eyes.
Speaker:“I owe you a debt that
Speaker:I intend to repay by guarding your domicile,
Speaker:as I once did before I was imprisoned in this statue,
Speaker:until your mortal form has passed.”
Speaker:The ghostly rat swirled around my head
Speaker:and back into the statue.
Speaker:“That’s why Pog could hear it, but no one else!”
Speaker:Max said, pointing at me.
Speaker:“You must be wrong, Roderick.
Speaker:A lamassu must be a house guardian spirit,
Speaker:like Pog used to be,
Speaker:not a genie.” Roderick frowned, his expression pensive.
Speaker:“I’m not so sure…”
Speaker:“You don’t have to stay in the statue,”
Speaker:I told it. “Although don’t make yourself too at home here. We’re moving in a few days.”
Speaker:“I am aware. I could feel the transitory nature of your imprint on this place.”
Speaker:The statue shimmered with what I now realized
Speaker:was its aura asserting itself over the diamond.
Speaker:“I am used to the statue.
Speaker:I will stay here for now
Speaker:until you inhabit your new domicile.”
Speaker:“I guess we’re keeping the rat,”
Speaker:Max said, picking up the statue
Speaker:and putting it on the nightstand.
Speaker:“And the car,” I added.
Speaker:“And the car,” Max agreed with a sigh.
Speaker:Roderick massaged the bridge of his nose with one hand.
Speaker:Max shrugged. “Like you said, we can’t exactly return it without implicating ourselves in the robbery.”
Speaker:Roderick stood up with a growl
Speaker:and stalked out of the room.
Speaker:Max crouched down next to me as I curled back up,
Speaker:determined to finally get some sleep.
Speaker:“Pog, I’m glad things worked out this time,
Speaker:but promise me no more stealing.”
Speaker:“I promise.” I yawned and put my tail over my face.
Speaker:“Or if you do,” Max said under his breath as he stood up,
Speaker:“don’t give most of the profit to raccoons.”
Speaker:I snorted and snuggled into my bed.
Speaker:This was the second and final part of
Speaker:“Diamond in the Rat”
Speaker:by Roan Rosser, read for you by Khaki,
Speaker:your faithful fireside companion.
Speaker:As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.
