Idol Missions 9: The Secret of NIMH

Chapter 4

The next morning, Maika and Ema went with Mrs. Brisby to find the rats. At the Fitzgibbons' farmhouse front yard, Mrs. Fitzgibbons was hanging out the wash. Unnoticed by her, a baby's baptismal gown suddenly came to life and headed off across the yard towards the rosebush. It pausec as it passes Dragon who was on his back, asleep. The figure pulled the hood back, revealing to be a certain clumsy crow, pausing to suppress a sneeze or two before continuing on. He paused to suppress a sneeze or two, and continued. "Mrs. Briz! Maika! Ema!" Jeremy called out, reaching to the rosebush and tripped over a low branch. "Oh, excuse me, pardon me." "Jeremy?" Maika whispered. "What on Earth?!" Mrs. Brisby added. "I'm in disguise!" Jeremy replied theatrically before cackling diabolically. "Jeremy, please, not now!" Ema told the crow firmly. "We're trying to find the entrance, and these thorns are very dense. "Here, let me help you-" Jeremy replied, sticking his head against the thorns, touching them, and so... "OW, YEOWCH!" Mrs. Brisby jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jeremy's beak, shutting him up, making him make muffled sounds. "Will you be quiet?" she scolded. "They'll hear you!" "We've got to find this Nicodemus before the farmer gets that tractor fixed" Maika added. "I'll keep a look-out!" Jeremy offered, trying to take off, but his disguise got caught on the bush, ending up hanging upside-down. "Ugh." Maika groaned. "Will you-!" Mrs. Brisby warned. "You're going to get us all killed!" "I don't see anybody coming." Jeremy said before falling to the ground with a thump. "If you really wanted to help us, you'd go away." Maika glared. "Why that's very brave of you, Maika, but I can't... I can't leave you here alone," Jeremy replied. "Why, if anything were to happen, think... Think of the children!"

Ema soon got an idea by the mention of the children. "That's it!" he then said out of inspiration. "Huh? That's what?" Jeremy asked out of confusion. "Jeremy, someone strong should be protecting Mrs. Brisby's children," Ema suggested as Maika soon caught on what was going on. "In case that tractor starts up again." "Oh, in case the tra-Hey! How 'bout me?" Jeremy replied. "Oh, would you?" Maika asked, fluttering her eyelashes at the crow. "Yeah, sure! That'd be terrific practice!" Jeremy beamed. "Girls can't resist a guy who's good with kids, you know, domestic type. Play games, help out, domestic!" "Exactly." Ema smiled. "Yes. Yes, domestic," Mrs. Brisby agreed. "Now whatever you do, don't tell them where I am." "My lips are sealed, Mrs. Briz." Jeremy promised. "Bye." Maika, Ema, and Mrs. Brisby told the crow. "Good luck with the rats!" Jeremy saluted sharply and pulled the gown back around himself. Mrs. Brisby turned back to the bush, but Jeremy came back one last time. "What?" Maika asked through her teeth. "Oh! Where do you live?" Jeremy asked the widowed mouse. "By that big stone in the garden." Mrs. Brisby replied. "Just stay out of trouble?" "Not to worry, Mrs. Briz. I love kids and kids love me," Jeremy replied before he rapped to himself. "Kids love me and I love kids, I a-love-a kids, and-a kids a-love-" Not watching where he was going, he tripped over Dragon's leg who was still asleep, until he immediately wrapped around him. "Come on, let's go." Maika told her best friend and the widowed mouse. "Agreed." Ema nodded. Suppressing sneezes, Jeremy tried to pull the gown out of Dragon's grasp. Finally, he sneezed, inflating the gown, and propelling himself into the air. "Dragon! You lazy kitty!" Mrs. Fitzgibbons complained, retrieving the gown. "Go catch some of those rats out in the barn!" Dragon opened an eye, then fell asleep again. "I've never seen a cat sleep so much." Mrs. Fitzgibbons then mused to herself. Mrs. Brisby watched this, then returned to her search with Maika and Ema.

Ema opened a small branch, which moved under her touch. A cleverly disguised door opened with a creak. The three mice went in before the door closed itself behind them. "Well, here we go." Ema said. "No turning back now." Maika added. Inside the rosebush, weird lights flickered and crackled. Electrical current s to seemed flow all around the three mice. They narrowly escaped being caught by some sort of animated vines that tangle together, drawing the thorns across the entrance tightly. Their escape was soon blocked. They can now only go forward. They proceeded through the bush, past sights wondrous and frightening, finally reaching a curtain across the way. Mrs. Brisby peered through it. On the other side, was a brightly lit space in the center of the rosebush, with an elegantly wrought footpath over a small pond, leading to an elaborate arch with a tunnel opening leading underground. The three mice entered the open space, looking left and right at the beautiful landscaping, when suddenly a massive metal object crashed down to the ground directly in front of them. Then they looked up into the eyes of an enormous rat with a battle ax! "H-Hey, now, buddy, we don't want any trouble." Maika gulped a bit. "Yeah, we're just here to talk with Nicodemus." Ema told the rat as she tried to look brave. The rat didn't say anything. "Erm... Are you Nicodemus?" Mrs. Brisby spoke up. The rat lunged, striking at the trio with his ax. "Please, we need help!" Mrs. Brisby cried out to the rat. The rat struck again, and again, chasing the three of them out the way they had come. He slashed the curtain behind them for good measure before turning back to the entrance before they ducked to a hiding place, but immediately an ominous shadow approached. "Please stop!" Ema begged while crying a bit.