ILLUSTRATION BY BETTY CARSON

Rudy's Dream

     The small brown rat curled up in a fur ball at the bottom of his cage.   Piles of shredded paper provided a cozy retreat.  His owner, Miss Prudence, had given the rodent, Rudy by name, a fresh ear of corn to munch for breakfast, and his tummy was quite full.  Rudy had gnawed the cob for some time.  Miss Prudence, a pudgy, gray-haired first grade teacher, had received Rudy as a good-bye gift from one of her students.  She had never intended to own a rat, but when little Rodney Riley tearfully had stated he wanted her to have Rudy because she was his favorite person, she agreed to provide the rodent with a good home.  Rodney said he would write to Rudy after his family moved to their new home in Iowa, and Miss Prudence promised to read all messages to the rat.  

     The aging hand of the kind woman gently lifted Rudy from his cage and gave him a cuddle before she went off to school for the day.  She scratched Rudy behind the ears, and the pleasure of the moment had all but put him to sleep.  Placing two feather light kisses on top of his furry head, one for herself and one for Rodney, Miss Prudence placed the young rat back in his cage. With one last look about the room to see that all was in order, the seasoned schoolteacher left the warm little cottage laced with the fragrance of her morning's toast lingering behind.

     Outside the tiny house, a large garbage truck banged along the curb, picking up trash.  Undisturbed by the clatter, Rudy yawned and began to drift off into dreamland.  As the little rat slept, the dream fairy, her whiskers long and golden her coat a striking color of a new copper penny, appeared to Rudy in a dream.  As she spoke, she twitched her nose sending gold sparkles into the air.  Her voice was quite squeaky, as are all rat voices when they choose to use them.  

     She said, "Rudy I am here to give you your hearts desire today. What will it be?  Tell me quickly now!"  Rudy stirred in his sleep.  "Oh great dream fairy with magic whiskers for one day I would like to be able to go safely out into the streets on the fine white truck that eats garbage with the great garbage collector.  I should like to see where he goes and look at all the wonderful trash.  I have seen his marvelous truck from the windowsill on an occasion when my mistress permitted me to play outside my cage and have pondered the splendor of it many times.  It appears to be a treasure trove of wonderful things that should delight any rat.  It should be a superb adventure to assist the collector with his efforts, a dream come true."

     The dream fairy looked at Rudy and twitched her whiskers her beady eyes glistening.  "Very well Rudyard", she mused using his Christian name.  "You shall escort the garbage collector on his rounds". As she twitched her whiskers and her nose, she sent sparkles floating in the air toward the little rat.  Just before she vanished, she swished her long golden luminous tail, leaving a trail of rainbow colors in the air. Rudy squeaked with disbelief at her magic.

     All at once there was a knock on the door it opened.  In stepped a big man wearing a white sanitation worker's uniform.  "The garbage collector", thought Rudy, his little heart racing within his chest.  The big man walked over to Rudy's cage, opened the little door, and picked the rat up by the scruff of his neck.  

     "Hey watch it!" squeaked Rudy.  

     "Hmmmpp!  Sorry about that!" the man stated.  He then went on to say, "My name is Mr. Gonzalez.  You must be Rudy.  Put this on!" he said matter of factly. 

     Mr. Gonzalez gave Rudy a little white sanitation worker shirt and a cap to fit over his ears. "If you are to be my partner today, you must dress for the occasion."  After putting on his official little work suit, Rudy scampered over to the door mirror to have a look at his reflection.  He was so excited he accidently dampened the carpet.  He would have to be careful about that today.

     Rudy scampered in a circle around Mr. Gonzalez, who quickly picked him up, this time in a more proper manner, and placed him on his shoulder.  

     "Hold on Pal", stated the big man.  

     With that, Mr. Gonzalez walked out of the little house toward the large truck full of trash parked by the curb. Rudy's whiskers began to twitch and his nose pointed toward the heavens, catching the drift of the wind from the strong shoulder of the garbage collector.  The perfume of garbage was in the air.  Rudy caught himself short from dampening the big man's shoulder with the joyous anticipation that beat within his little heart.

     "Gotta empty Miss Prudence's trash bin here Rudy. "First job",  Mr. Gonzalez winked with a smile toward the rat on his shoulder. "Yes Sir",  squeaked Rudy.  His beady little eyes appeared to be popping out of his head.  Mr. Gonzalez lifted the bin and tossed its contents into a hodgepodge of paper, tin, glass, vegetation and clutter in the back of the mammoth truck.  Mr. Gonzalez pulled a lever and a big compressor pushed the garbage to the recesses of the truck.  Rudy ran across the back of Mr. Gonzalez's neck to his other shoulder.  He stood up on his sturdy hind legs, balancing and stretching his little neck and body for a closer peek.  "King Tut's cats!", Rudy exclaimed with  a squeak.

     Mr. Gonzalez put the green garbage receptacle belonging to Miss Prudence back on the curb and walked, with Rudy riding on his right shoulder, toward the cab of the big truck.  Opening the door, he carefully placed Rudy on the dashboard where he could look out the wide windshield.   Rudy reached up with his petite fingered paws and adjusted his white garbage collector's cap.  As he did, he glanced toward Miss Prudence's window and saw a sprinkling of gold fairy sparkles.  The dream fairy was perched on the windowsill, waving to him from inside the cozy cottage.  

     Rudy tipped the little white cap her way to thank her. Today was a day of all days and a dream of all dreams.  She returned his gesture with a rainbow swish of her tail.

     Rudy ran back and forth on the dashboard of the big truck in anticipation. Mr. Gonzalez smiled at Rudy and placed him on his shoulder once more.  

     With a mighty roar of the garbage eating truck, Mr. Gonzalez and Rudy drove down the winding street to a little rat's dream come true.

       By Jenny Grant