The Madman and the Rat

Under the black of night, stars hidden from sight by fog and cloud, a hooded stranger rode quietly into town. His coming, though subtle, did not go unnoticed as blurred faces watched through the mould stained windows. Their intrigue justified on two counts, the first being that curfew had well been exceeded and the second being that this stranger’s demeanour was rather unusual. Upon the horse, hanging from one side, his satchel containing all the tools of his trade. On the other side, something metal rattled within a cloth sack. And upon the back of the horse sat the man’s pack containing the standard belongings to that of a traveller. He made his way along the mud-coated cobbled road which would not even be recognised as stone if not for the sound of hooves clacking upon it. He reached the monastery and as calm as he was, he noted an air of fear within this town, the body language of shifting shadows behind window and curtain conveyed a certain scared curiosity. He dismounted his horse and knocked on the monastery door which immediately began creaking open.

Waiting eagerly on the other side was a little man in a brown robe with a ring of hair around his head and a bald spot on top; a classic monk’s tonsure.

“Sir what is your business here?” asked the monk,

“I’ve come from Hertfordshire, I’ve been treating the sick but alas it is a losing battle.”

“Well, by all means, come in, there’s space, we have a room for you to rest while you stay. What is your name?”

“I am Godfrey Brooker, and your name is?”

“I’m Alistair. I have many questions for you but first I shall show you to your room and allow you to eat and rest, you must be rather tired, it’s a long ride. We shall continue our conversation come sunrise.”

Two more monks silently emerged, both with the same haircut and attire as Alistair. One retrieved the traveller’s belongings and carried them to Godfrey’s room while the other led his horse to the nearest stable.

Morning arrived and Godfrey entered the refectory where he found the monks eating their breakfast; dark bread and turnips. His face was no longer shrouded by his hood and so his features could be made out, small beady dark eyes that were closer together than normal and a long perfectly symmetrical aquiline nose, his physiognomy almost birdlike. His hair was short and black and formed a widow’s peak too. He lacked any facial hair and it was apparent that he was incapable of growing any either, his skin was smooth and pale white with concave cheeks which gave off a gaunt ghostly impression. This man appeared a learned man and not a man whose body had been tested in war.

“Godfrey! Come have a seat with me!”Alistair shouted out of his periphery.

And so Godfrey sat at the bench with Alistair and a few other monks who also seemed eager to hear news from the traveller.

“I trust you slept well doctor, here have some bread.”

“Ah yes thank you, and yes I did sleep well.”

“Okay, and so of Hertfordshire, what is the situation like there? If it’s as bad as you say then why would a doctor leave, would he not be needed even more in that case. Was not the potential of great profits enough to tempt you to stay?”

“Well, you see I became rather worried about my health. I had little luck in treating the sufferers of this black death and so I realised something. Should I begin showing symptoms, I’d not know how to treat myself.”

“I do not wish to judge your character for that is up to god, but I must say that to turn on the sick when they most desperately need help feels rather unholy to me.”

“If you saw what I saw there you’d understand, people bleeding from their nose and mouth, even from underneath their skin. Their fingers and toes blackened and rotted away. All while I watched and could do nothing to ease their pain. I’ve come here so I can perform some experiments regarding the cause of this sickness in safety. Is it true that this town is free of this disease?”

“Yes it is true and we’ve had many others flee from their homes to come here too, and each time we see a new face, the fear that they bring with them gods punishment overcomes us, but so far we’ve been graced with his protection. I hope you are not the one to bring it.”

Godfrey paused a moment after this comment, and Alistair who had a keen sense of character noticed.

“No, I’ve simply come to run some experiments on what may have caused it. You see back in Hertfordshire I could make no progress since I spent most of my time tending to the sick. They all had their own ideas on its cause and treatment, people rubbed frogs on their buboes and murdered cats and dogs, they believed this disease was gods judgement just as you do. But, be it as it may, I have my own theory on where this sickness comes from and how to avoid getting it.”

“Ah and so if it is not god’s will then please do tell me where you think this has come from?”

“I am a man of observation and I notice patterns, what I noticed in Hertfordshire was an abundance of rats and an abundance of sickness. There, walking the streets at night or day I’d see hundreds of rats but here I am yet to see a single one. That is very curious.”

“So you believe it’s rats then?”

“That is what I suspect.”

“I hope you haven’t brought any with you.”

Alistair noticed a little discomfort in Godfrey when he asked him this.

“No no, of course not, I’m trying to escape this sickness.”

“And you said you know how to avoid it also?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And?”

“You run from it. Like I have.”

“Well, maybe I should take up your profession because I could’ve come up with that. So prove to me you have more knowledge than I in the field of medicine. What are these experiments you intend to run?” Alistair asked as his suspicion grew.

“There would be no point in explaining to you, the concepts and baseline knowledge are beyond your understanding. It would simply be a waste of time.”

“Ah so be it then, I shall leave the physician to his work and pry no further. By gods grace, I wish you well in your endeavours to cure this sickness.”

Alistair took his leave and settled in his chamber.

“I want you to follow that man and watch his actions, I am weary of his intentions and god help me, I have a feeling in my gut that he’s trouble.” The young monk, Bertaut, nodded as he received his instruction from Alistair.

Godfrey arrived at the hospital with his satchel and the rattling item within his cloth sack.

“Are there any here who require treatment? I am a physician and I offer my services free of charge?”

An old lady, Eva, who seemed to be in charge of the comings and goings of this crumbling building responded enthusiastically, “Of course, there are always some who need treatment, alas we’ve been fortunate lately, for the sick are few here. But I’ll gladly accept the help of a physician. I don’t recognise your face, however.”

“I’ve just arrived from Hertfordshire just last night. I am staying at the monastery under Alistair’s care.”

“Ah Alistair is a good man and cares for this town and its people deeply, a friend of his is a friend of mine. Come then I’ll show you to Mad Albert, he is most in need of help.”

“Perfect,” muttered Godfrey under his breath and unheard by Eva.

They made their way through a dimly lit corridor to the room where Mad Albert resided, curiously the door had been locked and required Eva to unlock it to allow Godfrey entrance.

“Hello hello hello, is that you Eva? Why do you bring me trouble?”

“No this is Godfrey, he’s here to help you, to help cure your madness. Do not fear him.” she ushered Godfrey into the room and hastily closed the door on him but left it unlocked. Clearly, she wanted as little to do with mad Albert as possible. He was surprisingly muscular and intimidated the poor woman. While the door was closed, the only light that could enter the room came from a little barred window around head height in the form of a beam of dust.

“Do not listen to Eva, I am not mad. I simply haven’t reached my true state yet. You may see me as a man but I am a prophet. God speaks to me truly, and not like the way monks pretend.”

“My friend, that is rather blasphemous to say. Keep this between you and me, but I also tend to agree that they exaggerate their communication with God.”

Relaxing a little upon hearing this, Mad Albert started again.

“God told me someone would come, that they’d cause great suffering. That they’d come claiming to be a saviour. I must say that you fit that description.”

“How can I claim to be your saviour if there’s nothing to save you from. You seem sane to me.”

“Well, that’s what I tell them too, I am fine. God speaks to me and they envy that so they lock me up here. Not only does God speak to me, but so do the birds and the rats and the squirrels. They warn me about the shadows who stalk me, the shadows who want me silenced. They all conspire to lock me up here because I know the truth. There’s a shadow right outside the window spying on me as we speak.”

Godfrey stopped a moment and thought to himself, he couldn’t help letting a little grin slip before quickly covering it with his hand in an attempt to feign the gesture of thought.

“That you do, that you do. I must confess that I also have seen these shadows and I am experimenting with a way to vanquish them.”

“So what is your plan then?”

“You told me the rats speak to you; amongst other creatures. I have with me a rat, I’d like you to speak with it for me. I believe it knows the truth of the shadow men who pursue you.”

“Of course, but they don’t ever speak to me while others are present.”

“That is fine, I shall leave you two alone and come back in a few days. Farewell.”

Godfrey pulled a little wooden cage with metal bars out of his cloth sack. Within the cage, sat a plump black rat who showed no desire to escape, it’d come to terms with its undesirable accommodation. He placed the cage on the floor and tossed the key to Mad Albert as he quickly backed away, turned and opened the door to leave. Eva was waiting on the other side ready to lock the door again.

“So what do you think?” she asked.

“The man’s delusional and paranoid, I’ll be back in a few days to check on him. I gave him some medicine. Don’t enter the room until I return. Leave his food at the door while he sleeps if you must.”

A hooded figure who’d been standing with his back against the outside wall and next to the window of Mad Albert’s cell finally stirred. He drew in a heavy breath once his target fell out of earshot and then twisted his body around to peek through the barred window. He felt a shiver run up his spine. What he saw repulsed him. Lord have mercy on this man’s soul. A wide grin with teeth stained by blood, light blue bloodshot eyes staring directly into his own and a hand holding out a headless black rat. “Would you like a bite Mister? You know it’s rude to spy?” Stunned into silence, the spy shook his head and turned to run, and as he did he felt a blow to his ribs. Facing him was a birds head. Well, that’s what he thought initially before realising it was a mask; a plague doctors mask with glass eye holes. The muffled words, “You know it’s rude to spy, Bertaut,” came from the masked figure and before he could respond his vision began to blur. He looked down and saw that in the blow that struck him, his heart had been pierced, a blade had been slipped keenly between his ribs. Blackness. Bertaut the young monk fell to the ground and a pool of blood formed around his body as the masked man fled into the shadows of an alley. All the while, Mad Albert’s laughter could be heard echoing from the hospital.

One Week Later

The town had been alerted to the murder soon after the body had been found. Brother Bertaut was well-liked and his corpse had instantly been recognised by a passer-by who noticed some rats feasting on his body. The townspeople who were already on edge by the fear of disease spreading, now had one more thing to worry about, a murderer on the loose. Some suspected it to be Mad Albert. They claimed he’d escaped his room and committed the crime, then locked himself back in so he could claim he’d been locked away the entire time. But this was contested with counterarguments asking why he would be laughing about the murder if he wished not to be caught, they also claimed it would not have been possible to escape the locked room in the first place. Eva confirmed that the door had been locked too and also that she’d have seen him if he left. The last person she saw leave was Godfrey. Now, this was the prime suspect, all who resided in the monastery believed Godfrey to be the murderer. These claims were spearheaded by Alistair who told all about his impressions of the physician. That God had warned him that this man was influenced by the devil. Alistair had a great deal of respect from the people of this town too and so they put their trust in his judgement also. The problem however was that Godfrey had not been seen by anyone since his visit to the hospital despite the entire town keeping a watch for him. They even sent parties out into the outskirts of town to search for places he may have made camp, but all this was to no avail. He’d completely disappeared.

Night fell and locked away inside his room, Mad Albert writhed around on the stone floor. Boils had formed under his skin and his fingers had turned black. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he fell in and out of consciousness.

Down the hall, a hooded figure dressed in a black coat and donning a black top hat and plague mask stepped over Eva’s body, blood leaked from her neck where it had been slit open.

Mad Albert heard footsteps coming down the hall though he did not know if he were dreaming or not. Then he heard the turning of the lock and the door began to creak open. The masked man quietly entered holding a candle in one hand. “Shh, do not stir it is I, Godfrey I’ve come to check on your health, the shadows have been keeping me from you because they suspect you’re onto them, that is why I’ve had to sneak in at night.”

“I am very ill, my body is corrupted boils grow on my skin and my fingers rot, fatigue and fever sap my will, I feel the great shadow closing in.”

Under his breath, Godfrey muttered, “Ah so I was right, it is rats.”

“What was that?”

“Oh do not worry, our experiment worked, rejoice. Now tell me, what did you do with the rat?”

“I ate its head, of course, that is how it speaks to me. Then I dropped its corpse out the window onto the body of that spy.”

“I must leave this town, I believe things are going to become a lot worse around here now. I must spread my findings so that all can know this disease’s cause.” That headless dead rat will no doubt have been eaten by others and death shall soon spread everywhere, the physician thought to himself. But before he could leave he heard the door slam and lock behind him and a familiar voice called out from behind the door. “I knew you were up to no good Godfrey. From the moment I saw you, I knew. You’ve murdered innocent people.”

“Alistair you fool, if you’d not sent Bertaut to spy on me he’d still be alive. If I did not have the whole town looking for me I’d need not kill Eva to retrieve the results of my experiment.”

“So you blame me for the blood you’ve spilled. Well, what of this poor man who’ve you’ve purposely infected.”

“This man is a lost cause regardless, his mind is mangled, why not make use of his body though?”

“Is that true?” asked Mad Albert with a crazed look in his eye as he gathered the strength to stand up and approach Godfrey.

“Let me out, Alistair! I must spread my findings, for the greater good!”

“Do not worry,” Alistair responded, “I heard everything and I shall do it for you. Farewell.”

Screams echoed from mad Albert’s room as Alistair left.

A month later

Alistair walked amongst the children and elderly who were packed together on the hospital floors. He blessed them as they picked at their boils and coughed out their lungs while they groaned in pain and sweat. Some were already dead but who would notice?