Chapter Twelve (part d)

A slight, yet distinguished muskrat was standing on the small pier that appeared just ahead. A smooth leather briefcase was by his side on the dock. He was holding an umbrella in the air and waving it at the rowboat. The beaver landed the boat bow-first, shaking the pier, but the muskrat seemed unconcerned. He lifted his briefcase carefully into the boat and stepped in beside it. He sat down with his umbrella planted firmly between his legs and placed his paws carefully on the handle.

"The lady here says you can share the boat," the beaver told him. "But you still gotta pay your own fare too so don't get ideas about giving me the miss."

The muskrat sniffed and looked away up-river as if unconcerned with the whole affair. But everyone else suddenly felt very concerned indeed. They had all just realized they'd need money to pay for the ride.

"It's a taxicab!" whispered Jamie.

"Taxiboat you mean," whispered Rachael.

"Whatever it is we better get off right away," whispered Jennifer. "If taxiboats are anything like taxicabs, the farther you go the more you pay, and I already gave all my money to the porcupine!"

They all looked over at the beaver nervously.

"I don't suppose you'd take an I.O.U?" asked Jennifer.

"You want to I.O. me?" said the beaver and he scowled. "No way. I just take cash. Same as the trolls."

Rachael grimaced and Jennifer frowned. Jamie stood up.

"I think we'll be getting off here," he announced.

"Sit down!" growled the beaver. "You'll tip the boat!"

Jamie sat down. "But we don't have any money," he said.

"You doughnut! " hissed Rachael. "Now you've done it!"

"Shhhh!" whispered Jennifer but it was too late.

"No money?" growled the beaver and he pulled in his oars and scowled at them. It looked for a moment as if something might happen, but luckily it never quite did.

"That's enough of that now," said a calm quiet voice.

Everyone turned to look. It was the muskrat. He had been sitting there so silently they had all forgotten.

"You got something to say, muskrat?" asked the beaver.

"There's no need to trouble over the fare," he informed the beaver quietly. "I'll pay their share myself."

The beaver was quite surprised. He stared in disbelief.

"Now let's get this straight, muskrat," he said as he balanced his belly on the side of the rowboat to ease his load. "You're going to take care of the entire fare?"

"Certainly. I intended to from the very start."

"It's gonna cost ya," the beaver warned.

The muskrat waved a paw disdainfully in the air as if to dismiss the whole affair.

"Money is not a concern," he said quietly.

The beaver grunted and started to row downstream again.

"Thank you very much," Jennifer told the muskrat. 'We'd sure be in trouble if it wasn't for you."

The muskrat smiled and gave a little bow in return.

"My pleasure," he assured her. "I saw your pendulum was a new-moon stone and I knew where you were going. We're all fellow travelers traveling together to that same secret somewhere all of us share."

The children nodded in agreement. So did the pendulum.

"The place where the new-moon stones appear isn't all that far from here," said the muskrat. "You'll be there very soon."

As the muskrat spoke everyone smiled at each other, and the boat sped along down the slow rolling river into the golden sunlight of bright afternoon.