Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Uncanny Collared Rat

Those of you who have owned some of the more basic pets may not understand the situation of which I find myself in. Indeed, there are dogs and cats who are among the most basic of animals that keep us company. And I should say that there are those who keep the type of the rodent variety, ie. the mouse, rat, or miscellaneous gerbil. One of the latter belongs to me, but he is of the uncanny sort of rat and I am here to explain why.

I called him Corky the Collared Rat. I capitalize his entire identity because he seems to me to be more than the commonplace variety rodent. There is a spark of yearning in those eyes when he looks into mine. And, indeed, he does look into my eyes quite much. It's a sort of look that speaks of untethered eagerness with a foundation of love. This recipe is garnished with the ever minute dash of what may perhaps be sentience, but I could never be perfectly sure.

Yes, I did collar him. It's a bit more than a ring around the neck, but also extends to a sort of harness that encompasses his entire body, yet the collar is quite present and seems to have given him a variety of pride, I suppose. He stares at me with maw agape and seems to be thinking words that I cannot hear. If I were to interpret the silence, I fancy words such as, "I'd do anything for you, master."

To this I would ask, "Why would you do anything for me, Corky?"

And he would perhaps reply, "Because you gave me this beautiful collar. This collar makes me love you more than anything."

In what may have been a self-induced stupor, I heard these words within the silence of my own mind. I pass him his tiny meal, and my imagination fills with humble thanks that still seem to originate from Corky's quiet. A sort of dedication of feeling strikes me when I peer down at him. I often do it closely. I look into those red orbs and wonder if the rat notices as he feeds on these specially made pellets.

"Thank you," I think. "Thank you for this wonderful food," I think again. And as I think, I am certain they are really being thought by Corky himself.

I sleep alone at night. I keep Corky in what was originally intended as a cage for birds. He spends much of his time crawling about the golden structure admiring his royal entrapments. "Like a king," I once thought he told me. "I live like a king." And I suppose he must have loved it while I was sleeping.

But then I began to notice that he was looking at me from across my room. Upon opening my eyes at a chance, I saw the two red dots staring at me, and so I switched on a light. To my surprise, he was not there, for the light had put the rat's eyes away at the moment they had come about. It must have been my imagination, and, thinking that Corky had moved to the other side of the cage, I decided to go back to sleep.

Upon switching the light off, I soon began to realize that there was a presence quite near my head. The rise and fall of pillow was soon perceived. Movement was assured. I rose my hand to touch my lamp for a second time, before I heard my own thoughts speak to me with these words, "Oh, don't wake up on my account, master. I only wish to be near your wonderful head. I'll sleep much more soundly close to the one who gave me this gorgeous collar."

And just as I heard these thoughts, my arm bore the weight of a large stone. I remained in darkness as something furry pressed against my left ear. Breath became a labor, but there was nothing I could do but listen to my own thoughts tell me, "I love you, master. I love you more than myself. I'll never let you go. Never. Never. Never."

Upon waking the next day, I was alone. I found Corky sitting up quite pleased in his cage. As for the incident I experienced the night before, I do not know if it was real or simply a dream, but I have sat down to write about it regardless. Even as I do, I am being carefully watched and somehow loved by Corky. His dedication and conviction to love and serve me could be real, and, if it is, what could be the consequences if the wall that lies between animal and men becomes broken? And if not that, what possesses a rat to think with the brain of his possessor? These are questions that I have yet to answer.

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This blog was written on December 11, 2022.

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