There was more pounding on the roof. Dishes clattered. The boy thought maybe a window might shatter. The husband was shouting, but the boy could not understand any of it.
The little lady rubbed her temples. She pulled the blanket off him and tugged at his shirt. She brought him outside leaving the riffraff behind.
“Come, come. Come and see. You must see the barn.”
The barn was dark at first. The boy could hear little sounds, movement on the floor, and then his eyes adjusted. He looked and before him was a barn full of rats. They covered the entire floor, on the bales of hay, and up above, in the rafters, looking down on him. Rats everywhere watching him, silently, as if they were waiting.
The woman was gleeful. She could barely hold in her excitement. “Oh, isn’t it wonderful!”
The boy was speechless. Who would keep this many rats? One rat with big black eyes walked briskly up to the boy’s foot and peered at him curiously. Maybe it was waiting for him to do something nice, like pet it. The boy wasn't sure.
Perhaps to cajole the boy into paying closer attention the rat placed its two front feet on the boy’s barefoot. It tickled the boy so much that he gave an involuntary jerk, “Owwweee!”, which sent the place into hysterics. The rats stood on their hind feet and filled the barn with squeaks and hisses.
The woman laughed with glee, “Oh little ones settle down. He’s not used to you, not yet. But you’ll see he will be quite a useful little boy to us.”
The rats calmed down and resumed their gazes at the boy. The boy tried to conceal his terror: thoughts of a violent act against him consumed his mind. He did not trust rodents.
“So,” said the lady. “What do you think of your new home?”
“Home? This?” the boy was horrified.
“Don’t worry. I guess most people find rats to be temperamental, but believe me boy, these rats will protect you and soon they will even obey you,” she said this and stared at him intensely. “You will sleep on the empty hay bale. After three nights with them you will no longer fear my exquisite rats.”