The Nauther

I           Darkness pushes in solemnly through the gaps in the buildings. Very soon it would be dark, and he will stir as a shadow of the night. About him he hears the footsteps as they sprint by in haste, unaware of his presence. He is just out of sight, carefully hiding between the wall of a building and a rectangular cement-made manhole cover resting against it, waiting and counting time. One Run*, Two Runs, Three Runs, and so on he counts involuntarily as our heartbeat, for quarter to eleven. He is patient and watchful. His eyes gleam in the twilight, and his mustache twitches as his nostrils unfurl to the scents about him. He is the Bandicota Phantom – a burglar of the Rattus kin. Pre-coded to do what he does best – to loot, to scare, and to disappear into nothingness. His current mission has been defined. He worked it in his mind and calculated a detailed map from his last night’s scout. The target has been chosen. It is only a matter of hours when the ...