Master Tompkins peered into the glass, inside which was a rat scurrying ‘mong mounds o’ woodchips. She adjusted her glasses.
“¿This is your witness?”
“Yes, Master,” said Orval. “I’m ‘fraid it was the only one who saw the car right as ’twas hitting the fox. But don’t fret: watch & see.”
Orval opened the cage as 1 o’ his assistants set an alphabetical board on the counter. Then Orval set a sesame seed on the counter. All watched as the rat picked up the seed, scurried o’er to the board, & set the seed onto the letter “W.” Orval’s other assistant scribbled the letter onto his notepad.
They watched as this continued, Orval setting a seed down, followed by the rat gathering it back to the board, setting it on a different letter. Master Tompkins’s eyes flicked up to the gentleman writing down the letters & noticed his expression becoming increasingly perturbed after each letter.
Finally, ‘pon setting down a seed, the rat wouldn’t move. Tompkins heard the sound o’ a clearing throat & looked @ the assistant with the notepad to see him slowly flip the pad round toward the rest.
All quivered @ the words they saw: “Whisky Woods.”