‘They’ll soon be big enough to get food their selves,’ said Mokey Moke. ‘Dusna take long wean a moke.’
As mother of the new Arrivals, she ignored all Furball’s questions about how the little mokes had arrived. Furball was puzzled by the whole business, but found that Mokey Moke wouldn’t let her into the secret. When she asked Nobby and Buster if the pet shop man had brought the young mokes, Nobby had agreed, and said, ‘Oh that’s right, Buster – eh?’
And Buster said, ‘Bring em round in a van, dinny? Drove up into Lundine easy. Passed iz van. Carried out The Rivals. Lovely.’
Furball joined in the laughter. She was a very polite hamster.
But she didn’t understand the joke, and her failure to understand made her feel foolish. The mokes could be rather patronising. Furball only half liked it when they said, ‘Good ole Furbs,’ or ‘She’s better than a show she is.’
But when Furball offered to search for more food, everything was different. The mokes all agreed that no one could pouch a good bit of grub like old Furba. And because she was glad they were pleased, Furball set off once more down the long dusty corridor.
Nobby and Buster offered to join her, and since twelve paws are better than four, she had happily agreed. Besides, Nobby and Buster were now her best friends, and she loved their company, even if their jokes about The Rivals puzzled her.
Furball scudded purposefully down the corridor, intent on reaching the hole under the dresser in as short a time as possible. Nobby and Buster, as always, did things differently. Sometimes Nobby ran ahead. Sometimes he held a bundle of fluff above his head and pretended it was a grey wig.
‘Oi’m ole Granny Moke. Hello, Furball my dear,’ he quavered. Sometimes, waving the same bit of grey fluff, he danced up behind her, squeaking and pretending to be the grey moke-ghostie of ole Lundine Town.
Buster played games too. Because they frolicked and danced backwards and forwards and sideways and back, they must have run three times as far as Furball, and when she reached the hole in the skirting board under the dresser she had to wait for them to catch up. She squeezed through the gap and let herself down in the darkness to the kitchen floor.
