The truth the rats told

Previous Part here: https://jordynsaelor.com/2025/08/07/blankets-with-the-vertebrae-still-on/

All parts here: https://jordynsaelor.com/cant-catch-me-now/

***

the truth the rats told

is not the truth I asked for.

I asked

why they didn’t stop the bullies

and if they were lying to me about the curse

but they just said

watch out for that codependent demon

in your arms,

they’ve got a spine

but not a stiff one

and they’ll cling to you

if you don’t let go now

but I didn’t

let go of the three blankets in my arms

because

these

rats

were

liars

who didn’t protect me from bullies

and sure,

the blankets hadn’t either,

they hadn’t even said they could talk

for weeks of sleeping underneath them

but hey

at least they said

they’d help

and then actually did–

“Rats,” I said, “let me out of that door,

right now.

You should’ve

stopped spitballs

and broken pencils

and the bruise on my head

and the crumbs on my face

and the ripped up assignments

if you wanted me to care about your problems

but you didn’t,

I can’t free you from your curse,

the blankets told me

I’m years away from speaking any spells

and I’m not staying here for years–”

“Wait,” a rat said, perching on the flickering door

high up on the wall–

higher

than last time,

high enough

I’d have to jump

just to touch the lowest hinge–

“we wanted to help you

but we got caught by the principal

when we were away from our cleaning stations

so we couldn’t guard you

like we said we would.

Please, we’ll do better,

we need you

to break our curse.”

I shut my mouth

and hesitated;

that made sense,

they were trying their best

but almost got found out–

“Wait a moment,” the blankets rumbled

from my arms.

“You

promised

to protect Ola

from bullies

but the moment

your skins were at risk

you ducked out

without a word

of warning

and no apology

until now,

when we’ve come

and cornered you–

how do you plan

to uphold your end of the bargain

with this sort of behavior,

rats?”

And I hesitated again,

oh no

they’d almost duped me

right after I’d demanded they let me through,

oh no

maybe I was predisposed

to getting duped

due to how my mother raised me

maybe

the blankets

were just defending me

so they could make me pay them back later,

maybe

everyone was a lair–

I wanted to run,

scream,

kick my way outside

but I knew

I’d never get past that many animals

so I gritted my teeth

and stared between the rats

and blankets

rumbling

over promises

and apologies

and punishments from principals

and doing the best with what they had–

“Why don’t you just free the rats?”

I asked the blankets.

“Then you just let us pass after that?”

I asked the rats.

“So then, everyone gets what they want.”

“Ola,” the blankets said, “I would,

but if I freed them,

would they attack us

or let us go?”

“Let you go!” the rats chimed,

but I no longer believed them,

they might tell the truth under spell,

but they could let me go

then chase me right after

and eat me or something–

no, I didn’t believe anybody,

not even myself

since whatever I did,

it might be

exactly what someone else wanted.

***

My published novel is available here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DHWH9JSR?tag=books2read02-20