“...Soft, like a woolen blanket, darkness descended from the sky, got entangled in the tall grass and reliably covered the stacks of fresh hay in its far part. That’s why Henry could not see them. But I heard the patter of many small feet. Interested, Heinrich stopped. Someone was approaching from the river. Children loved to play in the meadow, if only because they were forbidden to do so. But it was already very late. The little naughty boys would have to pay dearly for their disobedience upon returning home. Or - Heinrich licked his lips - on the way home. They appeared from the grass. At first it seemed to Henry that a gray shaggy carpet was approaching him, devouring the light body of the road. Then he heard a discordant squeak. A large rat, walking in the vanguard, stopped and rose on its hind legs. Her long nose moved. The rat let out a joyful, triumphant cry. And it jumped straight onto Henry’s stomach...”