Free The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

weren’t real tails?” asked Keith.
    â€œI’m a cat. You think I don’t know what rats’ tails look like?”
    â€œSurely people would notice!” said Malicia.
    â€œYeah?” said Maurice. “Do you know what an aglet is?”
    â€œAglet? Aglet? What’s an aglet got to do with anything?” snapped Malicia.
    â€œIt’s those little metal bits on the ends of shoelaces,” said Maurice.
    â€œHow come a cat knows a word like that?” asked the girl.
    â€œEveryone’s got to know something ,” said Maurice. “Have you ever looked closely at the rat tails?”
    â€œOf course not. You can get the plague from rats!” said Malicia.
    â€œThat’s right, your legs explode,” said Maurice, grinning. “That’s why you didn’t see the aglets. Your legs exploded lately, Sardines?”
    â€œNot today, boss,” said Sardines. “Mind you, it’s not even lunchtime yet.”
    Malicia looked, well, grim.
    â€œAh- ha ,” she said, and it seemed to Maurice that the “ha” had a very nasty edge to it.
    â€œSo…you’re not going to tell the Watch about us?” he ventured hopefully.
    â€œWhat, that I’ve been talking to a rat and a cat?” said Malicia. “Of course not. They’ll tell my father I’ve been telling stories, and I’ll get locked out of my room again.”
    â€œYou get locked out of your room as a punishment?” said Maurice.
    â€œYes. It means I can’t get at my books. I’m rather a special person, as you may have guessed,” said Malicia proudly. “Haven’t you heard of the Sisters Grim? Agonista and Eviscera Grim? They were my grandmother and my great-aunt. They wrote…fairy tales.”
    Ah, so we’re temporarily out of trouble here, thought Maurice. Best to keep her talking.
    â€œI’m not a big reader, as cats go,” he said. “So what were these, then? Stories about little people with wings going tinkle-tinkle?”
    â€œNo,” said Malicia. “They were not big on tinkling little people. They wrote… real fairy tales. Ones with lots of blood and bones and bats and rats in them. I’ve inherited the storytelling talent,” she added.
    â€œI kind of thought you had,” said Maurice.
    â€œAnd if there’s no rats under the town, but the rat catchers are nailing up bootlaces , I smell a rat,” said Malicia.
    â€œSorry,” said Sardines. “I think that was me. I’m a bit nervous—”
    There were sounds from upstairs.
    â€œQuick, go out across the backyard!” Malicia commanded. “Get up into the hayloft over the stable! I’ll bring you some food! I know exactly how this sort of thing goes!”

CHAPTER 5
    R atty Rupert was the bravest rat that ever was. Everyone in Furry Bottom said so.
    â€”From Mr. Bunnsy Has an Adventure
    Darktan was in a tunnel several streets away, hanging from four bits of string attached to his harness. These were tied onto a stick, which had been balanced like a seesaw on the back of a very fat rat; two other rats were sitting on the other end, and several other rats were steering it.
    Darktan was hanging just above the teeth of the big steel trap that completely filled the tunnel.
    He squeaked the signal to stop. The stick vibrated a little under his weight.
    â€œI’m right over the cheese,” he said. “Smells like Lancre Blue Vein, Extra Tasty. Not beentouched. Pretty old, too. Move me in about two paws.” *
    The stick bounced up and down as he was pushed forward.
    â€œCareful, sir,” said one of the younger rats who crowded the tunnel behind the Trap Disposal Squad.
    Darktan grunted and looked down at the teeth, an inch away from his nose. He pulled a short piece of wood out of one of his belts; a tiny sliver of mirror had been glued to one end of it.
    â€œYou lot move the candle this way a bit,” he