The Wind in the Willows: The Call of the South

Summer was ending, and the Rat noticed that many of his neighbours were packing up and leaving.The swallows were getting ready to fly south, and they talked about warm countries far away.“Why do you go?” asked the Rat. “We feel the call of the South,” they said, “and we cannot stay.”

That afternoon, on a dusty road, the Rat met a thin, travelling rat with small gold earrings: a Sea Rat.The Rat brought out a fine lunch, and the Sea Rat began to tell stories about his life at sea.He came from Constantinople, and he had sailed to Venice, to the Greek islands, and to sunny ports all around the sea.

He talked about busy markets, warm nights full of music, and ships sailing out under the stars.“Now I am going to a little grey sea town in the South, where my ship is waiting,” he said. “Come with me, brother!”The Rat listened with shining eyes, and when the Sea Rat walked away, he went home and began to pack a bag.

The Mole met him at the door and looked into his eyes, which were grey and strange, not like his friend’s at all.“Where are you going, Ratty?” he cried. “Going South, with the rest of them,” the Rat said in a dreamy voice.The Mole grabbed him and pulled him back inside, and the Rat struggled for a moment and then fell down crying.

After a while the Rat grew calm, but he still felt tired and sad, and he could not explain what had happened.The Mole kindly talked about the harvest, the red apples, and the cosy winter days ahead by the fire.Slowly the Rat began to listen, and a little light came back into his eyes.

Then the Mole quietly brought him a pencil and some sheets of paper.“You haven’t written any poetry for a long time,” he said. “Why don’t you try a little tonight?”Soon the Rat was busy writing, and the Mole smiled, because he knew his friend was getting better.