the era of calamities

I watched this rat, abnormally large, waiting for it to continue. Alas, it seemed to have lost all intelligence, merely wagging its tail like a stupid dog waiting for a bone from its master. Well then, what could a rat possibly be thinking about? I couldn’t decipher its facial expressions—if it even had any.

It stopped wagging its tail, lifted its snout to sniff the air, and that’s when Victor’s voice rang out.

"Hey, do you have any cheese?"

Squeak-squeak. That was the only sound echoing in the room as I sat there, facing a rat enjoying an old piece of cheese. I waited for it to finish its meal, hoping its attention would finally return to me.

"So, can you explain why I have to talk to a rat? Couldn’t you take the form of a more graceful animal? A cat would do."

Victor’s tail twitched slightly, as if in disgust. His snout lifted for a brief moment before he let out a small grunt.

"For the umpteenth time, I am not a rat. In fact, I’m not even here. The only reason we can talk is that I have a deal with this rat. I provide it with the food it wants, and in return, it does some errands for me. Like what it’s doing right now."

That at least explained why it was so huge. Poor rat... it must have gone through hell to earn its meals.

"Hmm, where was I?"

Victor’s tail twitched again, this time as if he were trying to focus before continuing.