A Rat's Nose: Chapter 7: Off

The next day however, Cheddarnose’s luck is better, and he spots the topaz glistening in an orange tree. He decides to put his plan into action straight away. He sniffs out the strongest leaves, and fashions a sort of pack out of them, putting the topaz and some bits of foam inside. He then finds a vine, and ties some more foam together into a kind of vest, to help him stay on the surface of the water. He set off. Pack over one shoulder, he paddles over the surface of the water to the now-not-so-tiny speck that was his island. That night, he brings out a spare bit of leaf and sticks it straight up from his vest as a sail, to make sure they don’t go off course while he doses on the water. All the time, the little leaf bag containing the topaz floated next to him, clutched in one paw. He is almost there, he can tell by the sounds and smells of the beach. Cheddarnose is beginning to warm towards the water, and decides that when he gets home he is going to sign up for swimming classes. Finally, he lands and brings the topaz up the path, and knocks on his front door.