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Chapter One. The Journey

As dawn was breaking on the railway yard and the first sound of the early morning trains being shunted from their overnight resting places filled the air - Ryland the rat awoke.

He lived in a broken down railway carriage on the siding at the far end of the yard. He was a railway rat, one of many who lived at the big rail depot and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of such a busy place. He had decided to go and visit his cousins on a farm in the country about an hours ride away.

The 6 30 am train pulled into the platform on time, Ryland slipped quietly into the guards van and settled down behind some large wooden boxes at the rear of the van.

The train arrived at Puddlewick at 7 25 am. On his way to the farm, he met Robert the River Rat.

"Well if it isn't my old friend Ryland, I haven't see you for ages. Off to see Richard and Rachel are you?"

"Yes, I made my mind up on the spur of the moment to come down today."

" I was talking to Richard yesterday," said Robert "and he told me that he and Rachel were taking the Rosie and Raymond their little ones to the fair today."

Ricardo and Ramon the Romany Rats were back at the village with their fair and this year they had a brand new attraction. The Wall of Death, with Ruska the Russian Rat the star of the show.

"I remember seeing the Wall of Death at a fair in town once." said Ryland. "How that motorbike stays up on the wall and the rider doesn't get giddy beats me."

"It's centrifugal force," said Robert, "but you're right. Rather him than me. Well goodbye for now."

Ryland then made his way up the lane towards Meadow Farm. Richard and Rachel lived with Raymond and Rosie their two little ones in the barn.

Chapter Two. Dangerous Decision.

After breakfast they all left Meadow Farm and made their way down toward the fair. Raymond and Rosie met their friends Desmond and Dora Dormouse. They told them they were visiting the fair with their parents and uncle Ryland.

They knew they were getting nearer the fair because the music was carrying up into the village from the common. As they approached the fairground it was a marvellous sight.

All the rides and roundabouts were going full swing, but dominating the whole funfair was a high round building with big letters painted on the outside. "THE WALL OF DEATH ".

"I can't wait to see Ruska the Russian Rat doing his stint on the motor bike."

Before going on the rides Richard said he would go and make enquiries what time the Wall of Death show took place.

He left the others and went to the paybox to speak to the attendant. While he was away Ryland asked Raymond and Rosie if they would like some candyfloss.

"What's that?" they asked.

"It's like pick cotton wool on a stick and it's made from sugar and is very sweet and sticky. It melts in your mouth when you eat it. I used to love it when I was your age."

"Ryland you know it's not good for your teeth, That's why they have never had any." said Rachel.

"Oh, please, let's try some once as Uncle Ryland has offered to buy some for us."

Ryland asked Rachel if she and Richard would like some as well? "No thank you" she said.

"Well come on you two, I'm going to have some I haven't tasted it for ages."

Richard returned and said that the Wall of Death show took place on the hour throughout the day. "Where are the others?" asked Richard. "Oh, Ryland has taken them to buy some candy-floss." They could see Ryland coming towards them eating a huge ball of candy-floss. Raymond and Rosie's faces were completely hidden by their candy-floss - they were so big.

When they had eaten the candy-floss they asked if they could go on the Big Wheel. "Well you know I can't take you on," said Rachel, "I'm afraid of heights. Perhaps Dad and Uncle Ryland will go on with you." " Alright then." said Richard, and the four of them walked over to the pay box.

Ryland went with Raymond and Richard went with Rosie. The wheel started to go up slowly and the two swing-boats stopped opposite each other right at the top of the wheel. Looking down they could see Rachel waving at them.

As they looked out over the countryside they spotted their house on the hillside outside the village, and they could see the station and the smoke of a train in the distance as it approached the village. They could even see Robert the River Rat repairing his boat at the side of the river.

They went on the Waltzer and the Dodgem Cars, soon it was time to go to see the show at the Wall of Death. When they got inside all the audience were sitting on benches all around the top of the well of the Wall of Death.

On the floor at the bottom of the well was Ruska the Russian Rat with his motorbike getting ready for his performance. He moved off at a slow pace and started circling the bottom of the wall. As the speed of the bike increased he started to get higher on the wall and eventually he was level with the audience. He then disappeared back to the floor of the well.

An announcement came over the loud speaker system. Ruska would be joined in his act by his assistant Relka the Romanian Rat. She was very beautiful and Ryland hadn't seen such beauty before. The lights dimmed and the spotlights came on and shone down on the two performers. Relka got on the shoulders of Ruska and he started up the bike once more. This time as he did his act - the two were whizzing around within inches of the audience. "Why don't they fall off?" asked the little ones.

Ryland answered by telling them it was Centrifugal Force or the law of gravity that was holding them up there. "It's a bit like the spin drier." said Rachel. "When the clothes are spinning fast they stick to the wall of the tub, as it slows down they fall to the bottom."

Everyone clapped loudly when the act finished. Then came the announcement over the loudspeakers. "If there is any member of the audience who would be brave enough to have a try at riding the Wall of Death with Ruska, please come down to the entrance at the bottom of the well straight away. This will be your chance to be a star, and I, Ricardo the Romany Rat will give £100 to the person who is willing to have a go." There was utter silence, everyone was looking at each other.

Suddenly without warning Ryland shouted, "I'll have a go. I'll have a try."

Chapter Three. Ryland The Brave.

Rachel told Ryland not to be so daring. "It's alright." he said. "I rode on the Wall of Death a few years ago when the fair was visiting the town and I had some money then too."

Ryland left his seat and went down the staircase where Ricardo was waiting for the person who had volunteered to come down and have a go on the motorbike with Ruska.

Ricardo opened a door in the side of the Wall of Death and he and Ryland stepped through to the delight of the crowd watching from above. Everyone gave a cheer as Ryland got on to the motorbike behind Ruska. The bike started to rev up at the bottom of the well . Ricardo took hold of the microphone and announced that this brave person who going to ride the Wall of Death with Ruska. He and Relka left and came up to the top with the crowd. He gave a signal to Ruska to commence the ride. Ryland was a little scared but as he had done it before he knew what to expect.

The onlookers went silent as the motorbike started to circle round the wall climbing higher and higher towards them.

They did three laps of the wall and as they were nearing the floor of the well the engine of the motorbike cut out. It fell to the bottom with a sickening bang on to the floor of the well. Ryland luckily fell away from the bike and landed safely, but alas as Ruska hit the floor the bike landed on his leg. Everyone gave a shout and Richard and Rachel thought Ryland had been hurt as well.

The audience went quiet. Ricardo rushed down through the entrance in the side of the wall and found Ruska with a broken leg. He made an announcement that the show would have to be cancelled for the rest of the day. Ryland then spoke up, "There is no need to cancel the show, I will ride the bike for you."

"If you will do this for me," said Ricardo. "I will not only give you the £100 for volunteering to take part in the show but another £100 also for saving the show."

All the audience applauded loudly. Everyone started to leave and Richard and Rachel met Ricardo with Relka and Ryland at the bottom of the wall. An ambulance arrived to take Ruska to the hospital and Ryland took part in the show for the rest of the day as promised.

He got into the gear that was worn by Ruska and the punters really couldn't tell the difference. Relka thanked Ryland for saving the day and as promised Ricardo paid Ryland the £200 at the end of the day.

Ricardo thanked Ryland again most profusely and everyone left the fairground in high spirits.

Richard asked Ryland if he would like to stay the night as it was getting late. Ryland thanked him but said their goodbyes as they came to the cross roads, Ryland turned toward the station and the others made their way back up the hill to Meadow Farm.

Chapter Four. The Journey Home.

The last train arrived on time and soon it started its journey back towards the town, Ryland this time was unable to get into the guards van so he scurried under the seats in the third coach of the train. The clitter clitter clack of the wheels on the track soon sent Ryland to sleep.

Suddenly he awoke, he could hear a strange sound coming from beneath the coach.

Instead of regular "clitter,clitter, clack. there came a different sound, clitter clack,clack clitter. This didn't sound at all right to Ryland, he sensed that something was wrong with the wheels of the train. How could he stop the train?

He thought for a minute, ladies are always frightened of rats, they scream. So Ryland came out from under the seat and ran over the young lady's foot. She screamed and jumped up on the seat and pulled the communication cord. This slowed the train down immediately.

Finally it stopped and the guard came into the compartment to see who had pulled the communication cord. As he did so Ryland darted out between his legs and ran down the corridor out on to the platform between the next coach.

The young lady told the guard what had happened and he started to chase Ryland along the corridor. When the guard arrived on the platform between the coaches he could see Ryland edging his way along the wooden rim which runs underneath the doors of each of the coaches. He jumped down on to the track and started after Ryland.

Ryland stopped underneath the door of his compartment above the wheels of the train. When the guard came near he could see the two nuts which held the wheels on to the chassis of the train had fallen out, and the wheel was just about hanging on with the other two nuts. This is why the wheels were making the strange noise. The guard could now see that stopping the train had adverted a serious accident in which many people including himself might have been killed if the train had jumped the tracks.

The guard went to the front of the train to tell the driver, he then asked everyone to leave the train and walk up the track to the next station. They would phone from there for a replacement train to be sent to take the passengers on to their destinations.

Ryland by this time had left the train and was making his way up the line on the other side of the tracks toward the town. He eventually arrived in the depot very late indeed. He entered his old carriage and was soon fast asleep.

When he awoke the next morning everyone was talking about how the train was saved by a young girl pulling the communication cord and stopping the train.

Just at that moment there was an announcement over the tanoy system, in the main station. "Would Ryland The Railway Rat please report to the station masters office at once please."

Ryland went to the office when he heard them calling his name. As he walked in the station master told him that it was he who saved the train from crashing not the young lady who had pulled the communication cord.

Ryland asked " How did you know it was me?"

" It was the way the young lady and the guard described you." said the station master. " I have seen you many times on my rounds around the depot, and said to myself,- it must have been Ryland. There is no other rat that knows the sound of the trains better than him."

Ryland then told the station master why he had frightened the young lady to make her pull the communication cord. "I heard the different sound coming from beneath the coach and knew something was terribly wrong."

The station master told Ryland "From now on you will have the run of the depot and yard, and as from this day you will be moved into the pullman car as your new home."

His own pullman coach is now always joined on to the train when ever he wants to make a journey on the railway.

.........................The End