The Adventures of Richard Rat
Richard Comes of Age
by
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In the ceiling of a room was a hole, and beneath that hole was a large room. Now, in that room were many desks and chairs. Richard had already spent some time peering through this hole, but the desks and chairs weren’t very interesting, so he stopped looking through the hole and went back to sleep on the warm ceiling.
The next morning, Richard was awakened by loud noises coming through the hole, so he got up and wandered over to see what was going on. He saw a group of young nooks yelling and stomping about the room; then an elderly mule entered, bellowing at everyone to get to their seats.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Of course! He was in a school! That explained why there were desks and chairs everywhere.
Little did he know it at the time, but it was to be Richard’s first day at school.
Richard’s mind was full of imagery, and he began to write in a highly descriptive language. The stars shimmered with twinkling light, and the trees danced to the wind’s rhythm. The blurry snow tumbled down through the sky, and the warmer days were splashed with sunshine and hazy clouds. But all the while, something was happening inside Richard that he was totally unprepared for. He didn’t know when it began, how it began, or why it began. Actually, he didn’t know anything about it at all!
Richard couldn’t wait to see her. They would meet beside the lake, and he would be counting down the hours in his room that couldn’t pass quick enough. He longed to see her because everything about her had become beautiful – from the softness in her voice to the gentle ripples of laughter that seemed to float and diffuse through him like the smell of sweet flowers. Her laughter rang and echoed through him, and Richard felt that they almost seemed like one person. And suddenly Richard understood all the things he’d never understood before. Was this love? Yes! Of course! This must be love!
Everybody wants riches but few find true treasure because they are looking in the wrong places and seeking the wrong things. True riches come forth out of the heart, and they are never lost. They are always beautiful and bless both giver and receiver. The heart without deceit is the heart most sweet.
Look not only upon the face that is beautiful, but look also upon the face that is old, for I tell you, beauty is pleasant to the eye, but a good heart is a sweet surprise. Every good heart has a beautiful face.’”
Richard looked out upon the congregation and said, “Did I not tell you that you would hear wonderful truths if you could believe beauty is not the thing made, but the maker of the thing. Truth is not black and white, but rays of sunshine bright. Wisdom is not gleaned from pages of words but pavements of stones. The strength of a mule and the bloom of a joole fade like the winter snow, yet the sun of spiritual truth shines forever.”
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About the Book
Richard Rat, a young orphan rat, is sentenced to Prudence Prison for the crimes of breaking and entering, and drinking stolen goods. But Richard’s stay in prison proves short-lived. He escapes for the simple reason that he is a ratoholic and desperately needs a drink! Drifting aimlessly, Richard ends up squatting in the ceiling of a building, which, as fate would have it, turns out to be a private rat’s school. From his hole in the ceiling, Richard begins to take notes and soon becomes the schoolmaster Mr Potts’ most diligent student. When Potts’ Determined not to be defeated by his circumstances, a stronger and wiser rat emerges. “Richard Rat accidentally grew out of another book I was writing…” says the author. “I was writing this book about a boy who received a series of rather wacky comics for his birthday, called, The Adventures of Richard Rat. When I began to describe the comics, Richard quickly stood up and insisted he become a character in his own right!”
About the Author
Owen Cochrane was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. He attended schools in Rotorua and Hamilton, and graduated from Waikato University with a bachelor’s degree in education. After teaching primary school for many years and working at a variety of occupations, he moved to South Korea to work as an English teacher in a Gwangju Academy. While in Korea, he began writing several books including, The Adventures of Richard Rat: Richard Comes of Age.