What happened between them overnight – Chester’s story (2)

* Chester’s perspective

“Rapunzel! Rapunzel!”

“……”

I called out to Rapunzel until my voice went hoarse, but there was no answer.

A few hours earlier, I’d left her by the rock near the pond to go hunt mice around the nearby castle. We’d agreed that when the stars began to appear, she would sing so I could find her… but instead of her voice, all I could hear was the unnerving croak of toads starting their mating calls. It grated on my nerves.

“Rapunzel! Wherever you are, I’ll find you!”

I shouted into the night, hoping my voice would reach her, wherever she was.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Oh, right—the mouse I’d caught. I’d nearly forgotten about it. Just as I was about to pop it into my mouth, a swarm of mice appeared from nowhere.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak-squeak-squeak!”

“Squeak!”

“Squeeeeak—!”

There must have been at least fifty mice, maybe a hundred.

‘Did they come to get revenge for their friend?’

This was a tricky situation. Even if I transformed back into a cat, I couldn’t take on over a hundred mice all by myself. Still, I had my pride—I wasn’t going to flee.

So I shifted back into my cat form, keeping a tight grip on the mouse’s tail with my paw, my fur bristling as I prepared for an attack.

“Wait!”

The leader of the mouse swarm—a chubby one with a big belly—stepped forward and spoke.

“We’re not here to attack you. We’re here to make you a proposal. Squeak.”

‘A proposal?’

I was intrigued, especially since I wasn’t exactly confident about taking on all these mice. I lowered my defensive stance and looked at the leader, signaling for him to continue.

“The friend you caught is none other than our Prince Gus! And we noticed you’re looking for someone… We can help you find your friend. But in return, you must release Prince Gus and promise never to hunt in our castle again. Squeak-squeak.”

Gurgle.

The sound came from my own stomach.

After carrying Rapunzel on my back all day, my energy was depleted. I was so hungry that even the sight of Gus’s wiggly, chubby bottom and plump belly made my stomach growl louder. But there was no way I could abandon Rapunzel.

Seeing my hesitation, the mouse leader seized the moment to persuade me further.

“Your friend was captured by the toads. Our castle’s sewers are connected to their lair, so we overheard them talking. It seems that lovely golden-haired young lady they took will be marrying the toad prince tomorrow! There are easily a hundred toads in that place… You’d never rescue her alone, squeak!”

He was right.

“So you’re saying you mice could actually help me rescue Rapunzel?”

“Yes. We mice can sneak into the toad’s lair and gnaw through the mud pillars. That’ll bring the whole place crashing down, and during the chaos, you can save your friend!”

There was nothing to think about.

‘If these mice can help me save Rapunzel… a bit of hunger is a small price.’

I let go of Prince Gus’s tail.

“Squeak-squeak! Thank you!”

As soon as I released him, Prince Gus quickly scurried back to the group of mice waiting for him.

“All right, take me to where Rapunzel is!”

At my urging, Prince Gus and the mice beckoned for me to follow as they led the way to the toad lair where Rapunzel was held captive.

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“Ra… Rapun…!”

“Shh! Quiet!”

When I arrived at the toad lair, I saw Rapunzel in a blindingly white wedding dress, with her long, dazzling blonde hair trailing behind her, being led away by a toad soldier.

“Calm down! I know you want to rescue your friend, but you must wait here silently until we give you the signal. This toad house is made of mud, which makes moving around difficult for a cat like you… And if fifty toads gang up on you, you’ll be completely overwhelmed, squeak!”

‘This mouse sure has a way with words.’

“See that platform where the wedding officiant is standing? Once that starts shaking, you’ll know it’s time. That’s when you rush in, grab your friend, and get out. But if you waste time on revenge, you’ll just end up buried here along with the other toads, squeak-squeak.”

I nodded at Gus’s advice.

“Well then, good luck to you. Squeak-squeak.”

With that, Gus gave his final farewell and scurried off to join the other mice gnawing away at the pillars supporting the toad house.

“Hey… Gus?”

I called out, stopping Gus just as he was about to leave.

“Yes?”

He turned back, looking at me with his tiny mouse eyes.

“Th-thank you!”

Gus gave me a smile, as if to say it was nothing, and then hurried off again.

Imagine that—a day where I actually felt grateful toward a mouse. Just goes to show that life is full of surprises.

‘Now, all I have to do is wait for that wretched platform where that rotten officiant stands to start shaking, just like Gus said.’

Because once that platform begins to tremble, I’ll know it’s time to save Rapunzel from marrying that horrible toad.

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Thud… thud thud thud!

The platform began to shake.

Just as Gus had said, I darted out from my hiding spot among the bushes, heading straight for the platform where the toad was gripping Rapunzel’s hand.

“Rapunzel!”

“Chester!”

Rapunzel looked startled at my unexpected appearance. She reached her tiny arms out toward me, hopping impatiently on her little feet as if urging me to hurry up and get her out of there. I quickly scooped her up with my tail, setting her on my back.

“How did you get here? And how did you know where I was?”

Perched on my back, Rapunzel sounded incredulous as she asked about my sudden arrival.

“Later, Rapunzel! Just hold on tight!”

“A cat is kidnapping the toad prince’s bride!”

As I tried to make my escape with Rapunzel on my back, the toads launched a fierce attack. One latched onto my front paw, another onto my hind leg, biting and clawing at me.

“Ack!”

A cry escaped me as the toads’ teeth sank in.

“Are you okay, Chester?”

“I… I’m fine. Let’s just get out of here quickly.”

But things were getting dire. Despite what I said, one of the toads had managed to latch onto my tail, biting down painfully.

“Eek!”

That was Rapunzel’s voice.

“You’re not going anywhere! You’ll stay here and marry my son!”

Looking back, I saw a fierce toad woman clutching Rapunzel’s hair with her large, grotesque hand, trying to drag her back to the lair.

‘What do I do? If I shake off the toad on my back, Rapunzel might fall too… But if I try scratching blindly, I could hurt her.’

Boom!

At that moment, a loud crash sounded from somewhere nearby.

Startled, we both looked toward the noise. The pillars that held up the toad house were beginning to collapse one by one.

Boom! Crack!

The ground started to shake violently as the pillars continued to give way.

‘If we don’t get out now, Rapunzel and I will be buried here in the mud along with the toads. I’ll have to hope the toad on my back lets go somehow…’

With the thought of being forever entombed in this muddy prison, I prepared to make one final, desperate dash.

“Hold on tight, Rapunzel! We have to get out now! If we don’t leave, the pillars will collapse, and we’ll all be buried alive in this mud!”

“No! Wait! The Hatter! I need to save the Hatter!”

A name I’d never heard from Rapunzel before slipped out of her mouth.

‘Did she meet someone here in the toad’s lair?’

I wanted to ask who this “Hatter” was, but there was no time; we had to escape this crumbling lair immediately.

“We don’t have time! Rapunzel, we need to go now!”

I tried to persuade her, but Rapunzel wouldn’t listen.

“Hey, you! Where’s the Hatter? What did you do with him?”

In an angry tone I’d never heard from her, Rapunzel grabbed the toad woman by her collar and demanded answers.

“Heh heh heh! Oh, that silly young man in the ridiculous hat? He’s still in his tuxedo, waiting in the prison cell to be wed to my daughter right after your ceremony with my son! But now, thanks to this meddling cat, he, you, and I will all be buried alive in the mud!”

With that, the toad woman, perhaps convinced that we were all doomed, let go of Rapunzel, leaping off my back and running to her trembling son.

I couldn’t believe it—Rapunzel had nearly been forced to marry that cowardly toad! I thanked my stars I’d risked my life to come save her.

“I’m sorry, Chester! But I have to save the Hatter! You go on without me! I’m small, so I’ll survive even if the pillars collapse. I’ll rescue the Hatter and catch up with you soon!”

“No, Rapunzel!”

I tried to stop her, but it was too late. Ignoring me, Rapunzel leaped from my back and darted into the collapsing, muddy lair.

“Run! Get out now! Hurry, squeak!”

It was Gus.

“But… Rapunzel…”

“There are still mice left inside! We’ll help find your friend. You must escape now!”

“But still…”

My legs felt glued to the spot, unable to leave.

“Remember the castle by the pond? Meet us there! We’ll bring back your friend! You can regret things later. But if you stay here and die while your friend escapes, then you’ll never get the chance.”

‘This little mouse sure knows how to get to the point.’

“Alright, then. I’m counting on you, Gus. Please… save Rapunzel.”

Thanks to Gus’s skillful persuasion, I managed to pull myself out of the collapsing toad house, though not without guilt.

I’d escaped, but I hadn’t been able to save Rapunzel.

“Squeak-squeak. Rapunzel will be okay, Chester. Squeak-squeak.”

“Thank you, Jack-Jack. But no news yet?”

Jack-Jack shook his head regretfully.

It had been a full day since Gus and the mice had helped me make it out of the toad lair. As much as I wanted to go back and look for Rapunzel myself, Jack-Jack, an overly diligent little mouse assigned by Gus to watch over me, wasn’t letting me budge.

According to Jack-Jack, he and a dozen of his subordinates barely made it out in time as the toad lair collapsed.

“But, Jack-Jack, aren’t you worried about the mice who stayed behind?”

‘Of course he must be worried. What am I asking for?’

“Of course I am. But we mice are so small that we can survive in tiny spaces. Wasn’t your friend really tiny too?”

“About the size of a human thumb.”

“Then she’s probably even smaller than us! So I wouldn’t worry too much. Squeak-squeak!”

Hearing Jack-Jack’s words, I felt somewhat reassured.

‘!’

Jack-Jack, who had been lying next to me, suddenly jumped up with all his might.

“What is it, Jack-Jack?”

“Chester, don’t you hear that squeaking sound?”

“I don’t know… maybe?”

“Try focusing and listen closely.”

At Jack-Jack’s urging, I stretched my ears wide and concentrated.

…squeak… squeak…

…squeak-squeak…

…squeak!

“Jack-Jack, I do hear squeaking! What are they saying?”

“…Squeak! Congratulations, Chester! They found your friend!”

“Really?”

Since Rapunzel’s disappearance, I hadn’t felt this much joy.

“Rapunzel and Prince Gus are both safe?”

“Yes! Your friend Rapunzel was found in her wedding dress, still as lovely as ever…”

‘Phew…’

Hearing that Rapunzel was safe was a huge relief.

“And… it seems she was found with her boyfriend! Isn’t that wonderful?”

“B-b-boyfriend?”

‘No way… Could that Hatter Rapunzel went back for really be…?’

My head was spinning.

‘What on earth happened between Rapunzel and the Hatter in that toad lair overnight?’

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Translator comments:
Oh hey, so, it’s been over a year, hasn’t it….sorry about that. I don’t have an excuse. But I DO have this story completely translated, so, there’s that…? Just need to post all the parts.

Translation notes:

• The “squeak” of the mice (찍찍) and the croaking of toads (울음소리) were translated to match typical English onomatopoeic expressions for these animals.

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