The clash of two cousins.
By Nicholas

Digit sat on the floor holding a model airplane. “Voommm…” She cried happily as she spun the little toy over her head and down to the floor for a perfect landing.

“Missiles away!” A yell suddenly erupted and two small salvos of ball bearings leaped up and crashed down on the little biplane. Gimcrack smiled, and it was a winning one at that, as Digit’s small yellow plane collapse into a broken heap. One of the wings was snapped in three parts and the fuselage of thin basal wood her daddy had painted was snapped into two. Tear welled up in her big blue eyes and her brown hair flung to the side as she regarded her cousin across the room. The boy was a little older, a little bigger but she was not the least intimidated.

“You did that on purpose!”

“Yes, land lubber. Now fear the wrath of Captain Hackwrench!” He rearmed the small catapult he had designed. By a long slow process of trial and error Gimcrack had found the settings to shoot a target at any distance he had so desired.

“I’ll tell my mommy on you!” The little girl threatened.

“The plane had a bad landing ma’am. There was nothing I could do. No one would believe you.” Which had a certain hard ring of truth to it, Gadget was just too nice a person to think ill of anybody let alone a cute family member.

“My daddy will. He’ll see that the plane broke because of your ball bearings.”

“Hmf!” The boy added with a fearless bluff and a whip of his tail, but calling her dad would be bad. Even his mom respected the chipmunk. “Blow up another plane if you do.” And took aim of the little airport Digit had laid out.

“No you won’t!” She got up and crossed the room to his corner.

“What are you going to do to stop me?” He mocked, also standing up and he was a head taller then the little girl.

Several minutes later came the cries of defeat and pleas of mercy that were being offered liberally.

“This is called the Deadman Lock!” Digit said as she held Gimcrack’s head firmly in unyielding grasp. The boy was pinned to the ground and for all his life was worth, couldn’t shake her. His cousin was strong like no mouse. In fact, she wasn’t a mouse, her father was a chipmunk and her mother his aunt. So what would that make her, half a mouse? But that would imply she being weak, and clearly by the strain on his struggling limbs that was incorrect. So was it a mouse and a half? His thoughts were oddly clear at this point. Must have been all that blood rushing to his head.

“Aggh… give up. Let me go.”

“Not until you’re sorry.” She cried. Such a bad mouse had to be sorry before she let him go. Uncle Dale’s lessons and the television he let her watch when mom and dad weren’t around helped a lot.

“Bah.. Captain Hackwrench never says..”

“Ahh!!” The pressure increased a notch and the pain shot up geometrically. It was the end! Then he saw a figure clad in the darkest of black. One who’s been said to have rode with the four horsemen of apocalypse. Whose face struck fear amidst the toughest sailors of the high seas. Her steel hand could crush the life out any that crossed her. Snap the spine of the bravest mouse. And her smile if there was one too be seen, droved every sane thought from the soul itself. Gimcrack was saved! “Mom!!” He cried with jubilee.

Widget Hackwrench stopped and peered into the woollen padded nursery her sister had build. Ah.. the wonders of space. Something that life on The Albacore was so lacking in. Although the submarine was by far one of the largest built with more automation then most, space was something you treasured and not wasted on little follies. And this room in her mind was just that, Chip and Gadget had so far only two children and not the two-dozen this room could fit in military bunk beds. Her sister, she suspected, had gone over the top again.

In any case she had been walking to Gadget’s workshop to get a replacement fuse after the Ranger’s television set had blown. Back in the main room, Gadget was going over the wiring of the newly installed satellite dish that Widget has brought as a gift, still wondering why her signal booster modifications had failed.

Back to the moment, Widget’s albino pink eyes regarded the two combating children. It was a cold searching stare that would have bored into the souls of men and wrenched out their inner most secrets but on the children it merely bounced like water off a lily pad. She cocked her head as quizzing adults do. And was immediately bombed by accusations, counter accusations and explanations of the usual kind. Some of which sounded rather interesting, one concerned a no fly zone and right for a first strike initiative. Which was balanced by ‘Evil mustn’t go unpunished,’ something she vaguely remembered being spouted by a wrestler on television. Did Gadget allow her daughter to see violent programmes of crude and tasteless nature? Chip, and certainly her sister didn’t seem the kind. But then her sister always was a surprise, Digit’s birth being nothing less. A mouse chipmunk hybrid!

Of course the real story was plainly seen. Bombed out biplane, Gimcrack’s missile launcher minus two shells, a dishevelled blue ribbon bow, and much tousled hair on both parties. Widget didn’t think her sister would appreciate the scene and neither did she. Her son; in a vice grip on the floor of mercy. He had gotten in a fight with somebody small and petit. What more it was with Gadget’s little girl who was two years younger. Where had she gone wrong!

Her son a beaten heap! She expected better. Widget had hoped her son was made of sterner stuff, not a crushed slug in the mud. After all, she did kick her sister’s tail across the floor when last they fought at Fat Cat’s casino, nearly breaking the slighter mouse in two. And she had somehow expected Digit to be a little more… breakable like the sunny disposition she shared with her mother, not the possessor of superior upper body strength. Yet on reflection, Chipmunks were natural climbers, ‘must have been the genes.’

“Mom, aren’t you going to help me?” He spoke after the long pause his mother was giving him.

Widget glanced at the struggling boy, whose pelt colouring he had inherited from his father. She held the philosophy of a balanced childhood. She won’t candy coat the harsh cruelties of the world, where people stole your food if not watched. Took advantage of you every which way they could. Where the strong oppressed the weak and the cruel and sadistic ruled. It was a sad loveless place that they inhabited and he had better learned that. “Mommy won’t always be around, Gimcrack. You’ll have to find your own way out. Evaluate the options available to you,” she said.

“You,” Digit analysed for him. “Can say sorry to me.”

“Never! I have the honour of great submarine captains to defend.”

“You broken my biplane! That was mean!” Digit sounded the entire victim that she was. “Or I can show you Triple G’s Grip of Pain!”

The way Digit pronounced the last word brought a repressed tear to Widget’s white fury face. There was definitely some of her in that little girl. And it made Widget all the more regret the decision she made. No more children, permanently she had convinced herself. Not another high-risk pregnancy. Couldn’t risk dying and leave her husband, Juerger a second time widow. It’ll kill him with melancholy she was certain. Couldn’t leave her Gimcrack and a second child, motherless with no one to show them the ills of this world. She had made her mind up, but watching Digit caused her to falter. It would be nice to have a daughter.

“Ackk!” The grip tightened like a steel constrictor. There must be a third option. In every situation you always had a third option if you looked hard enough. Then he had an idea, his third option. Quick as a flash his drew his tail around Digit’s leg. But quicker still her tail which was shorter than his due to her mix heritage, clamped down with the skill of a hundred demonstrations by big sweaty rodents. If Digit had been any less like her mother, a flashed of disdain would have settled on her face, an arrogant, deriding expression that would have twisted her appearance beyond recognition. What fool would think, she, Digit Maplewood would be conquered so easily.

As it was, Digit could only think how silly to fight with just four limbs as Gimcrack had done. If you have five limbs use all five. And his trick was the oldest in the book, at least from what she had seen on World Wrestling Federation of Fur (WWFF). She certainly wouldn’t allow herself to be taken down like The Mortician in the ROAR match series.

“Ouch!” Was there not a weak spot, a chink in his cousin’s armour? His thoughts were desperate. Was every delicate limb clad in nothing but the purest essence of brute strength?

“Prepare your soul for the flames of eternal defeat! Let your mind wallow in its error as your body.. ”

“Ekk” That was something his mother would have said in one of her rants. Gadget would have instantly disapproved and hunted down the source of such language. Probably resulting in the murder of one Dale Oakmont by a blunt instrument. In fact Digit who was six and seven months, had already developed quite a vocabulary. Only that she rarely felt like using it, cause it was bad and hurt people’s feeling. And rarer still, did she feel the occasion require its need. But when she did, her imitation of those who had first spout the sentence was repeated in a pitch perfect way. Delivering every bit of menace the words could conjure. Despite the corny sentence structure which some of the phrases came in. So it was only blissful parental ignorance that Gadget was saved from this appalling developmental horror in her daughter.

Widget cooed. And idyll wondered if her operation could be reversed. It would be a long talk with Juerger. But it had been eight years now. Surely she could…

Would she do it? In front of an adult, his own mom! Would his mom allow it?! Gimcrack considered, and concluded as long as it didn’t cost too much blood or lost of an essential body part, which seem to be everything but his head. Clearly he had made a major tactical error. How could he have known beneath that cute chirpy sunny bright exterior, beat the heart of a cruel merciless psychopath? Digit looked nothing like his mom. She didn’t even wear black. Only the pastel colours his aunt so favoured.

The pair of large adorable mouse ears, mouse like tail, not to mention the clothes she wore that hid the tell tale three black strips on her back, only served to create and reinforce the illusion of a sweet defencelessness mouse. Her grip tightened again with what seem like the cold heartless drive of an iron press. A mouse and a half…. No scrap that, his cousin was a chipmunk! And he had wandered into a game that chipmunks excelled at. There was only one thing left to do, and Gimcrack chocked and gasped at the thought.

For a second, Digit grew in alarm. She didn’t want to hurt her cousin, only to make him sorry. Should she run to her Aunt Widget for help? The force she held him with was carefully measured to restrain not cut his airway. Monty had spent months teaching her, as he put it ‘a thing or two’ since her 6th birthday. Cause, “A lass must learn how to protect herself. It’s a strange world out there.”

“Ack.. I.. I’m.. I am sorry.” He managed to squeak out. It was hard and it was painful but somehow he’ll survive. “I’m sorry I broke your plane.” And he felt his vary soul flow out with that admission. What would his father say? He had been defeated and forced to apologies for the matter of war.

“Golly, you really mean it?” She looked over her cousin and her blue ribbon bow, which had come halfway undone, dangled into his face. Her black nose met Gimcrack’s brown in her unyielding embraces.

“Yes I do.” He schooled all the smoothness in his voice. Removing anything that hinted dishonesty or the utter sense of defeat. “I’ve learned the errors of my way.” Which he admitted was in true in many senses of the word.

Digit, greatly impressed by his show of emotion, released her cousin who slow dropped to a sore mass on the nursery’s carpeted floor. Gimcrack believed he could feel his toes again. Broken bones? He didn’t think he had any.

“I’m sorry too.” Digit gushed with such a sweet voice that Gimcrack thought he’d die of sugar poisoning. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just want to you to apologies.” And she hugged the two-tone wild coloured mouse. It was a picture perfect moment of children coming together after a scuffle. Adults would have ‘ah’ at the sight and Gadget taken that instant to blind all and sundry with a snap from her high intensity xenon flash camera. Gimcrack on the other hand could only shuddered as Digit’s arms came circling around him. It was a hug, nice, comfortable, friendly, something that a mouse of her size should produce. He wondered if anybody knew how strong Digit actually was.

“Friends?” She asked, her liquid blue eyes looked up at him. It would have melted glacier-covered hearts with its loveliness. The cruel made sympathetic and the indifferent filled with concern, such were the jewels she had inherited from Gadget Hackwrench.

“Yes. Friends.” Gimcrack answered calmly. It took every bit of self-control not to say that too quickly. Having the World Wrestling Federation Under 12 Champion’s arms wrapped around his chest was a guaranteed way of securing his friendship. He had no doubt that somewhere in his cousin’s repertoire of moves was one with the banal name of ‘Bone Crushing Bear Hug’.

“But my plane is still broken. There aren’t any spare parts to fix it.” The little girl said at last as she walked over to her corner. The plane sat where it had been stuck, appearing all but beyond repair. And the six year old was almost moved to tears.

Widget walked up to Digit and tapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll make you a replacement.”

“Another airplane?” She asked hopefully as Widget re-tied the ribbon in young Digit’s hair returning it to its plump perfection.

“If you want. Or I can build you a communication blimp. That’ll add to your collection.”

Digit considered a moment. And looked over the airport. She still had four planes and a helicopter in her collection. “I’ll have the blimp.”

“Well good. Put the wreckage away and go see what’s your mommy is doing.” The little girl nodded her head and obediently did as she was told, walking away from the nursery with a few small skips.

Widget turned to her son, who was still trying to remember what standing was like. “What have you learned from this encounter?”

“Don’t fight Digit.” He murmured and rubbed his sore shoulder. If his body were covered in blue black spots the next morning, he wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. At least he didn’t have a black eye. That would take some explaining to do.

“A more general lesson.”

“Don’t fight anybody stronger than you..” and after a moment of reflection. “Unless you know that you’re going to win.”

“Anything else?”

And the boy shook his head.

“Why did you think, you could beat Digit?”

“Because she was smaller so I assumed..” Then he caught himself. “Don’t assume what your opponent can or can’t do.”

“Know yourself and know your enemy.” Widget quoted from the Sun Tzu’s art of war. “If you know yourself but know not your enemy, victory will come as often as defeat.” She continued. “Digit knew how strong she was and correctly estimated your strength. That was why she wasn’t afraid to challenge you.”

Grimcrack nodded his head, a painful lesson well learned.

“Anything else?” Widget drilled him.

“I don’t know mom, is there anything else?”

“Yes. Why didn’t you just apologies once you found yourself pinned to the ground and unable to break Digit’s vice hold?” She bent down and gave her son a quick look through. Maybe a little bruising but nothing a boy of his age couldn’t handle. “Never let pride and principle get in the way of practicality.”

“ But mom! Vater says the principle, which an action is based on IS important. More so then the action itself”

“Well that is for you to judge. Where did principle get you today and what did practicality do? ”

Gimcrack kept silent, thinking. He didn’t know what to say. And after a moment Widget gestured him to come closer. “I’m going to your aunt Gadget’s workshop. Do you want to follow?”

Her question was answered by vigorous nods. On any visit Gimcrack liked looking at the tangle of metal and odd bits that were the centre of his aunt’s work. It certainly was different compared to the well-ordered machine shop in the Albacore. Aunt Gadget’s workshop had the air of hidden wonders waiting to be found if only somebody was persistent enough.

“Okay. But remember..”

“Don’t touch anything. Because her devices don’t always work as stipulated by their design plan.”

“Good boy.” And Widget smiled, inducing nightmares in any child save her own.

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Juerger, Widget Hackwrench and Gimcrack belong to John Nowak, used without permission. Digit Maplewood is also used without permission. I don't can't remember where met that character originally. I read her name somewhere during my wonderings in RR fanfiction.

I've tried to keep portrayal of the above characters as best as I can.

Ain't it odd, RR fanfiction has grown so much it can support fanfiction of fanfiction.

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