Republic of Rats

Prologue

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The election campaigns were just a week away, and the province was quite a busy hive. With hundreds of millions of rats already in the urban centres waving flags on chariots and carriages fitted with sound systems, in most cases one flag being the one of the Republic and the other for the province, even a blind man was sure to notice the change.

Around the bars rats of substance gathered to devour the rum and whisky looted from the humans, and campaigns were the only talk of town. It was that season where fat bellied rats told all kinds of lies to their poor electorate all over the province, then returned to their political capital after the elections, and were never heard from again till the next election season.

This particular race was very special. Everyone around the world had their eyes on it. This was because a certain young rat had popped up out of nowhere and caused political upheaval not just in the Province of Ogada, but all through the vast Republic of Rats.

Previous races had always been between the old dictator, the rat with a yellow hat, Mr. Pinetti Mururu, and another old foe of his, Mr. Kaliba, the rat with large round eyes and a wrinkled face. These two rats had at some point been very great friends, but power and money could even turn rocks against one another, and now the two rats were bitter enemies, or so everyone did think.

Then out of the ghettos of Rat City emerged a younger rat in his youth. He was already popular in the whole Republic, but as a musician, not a politician. Rather than stick to the old game of stealing food from the humans, as most rats did to survive, this younger rat, Faada, as he was known everywhere, had instead produced music for the millions of rats.

His music was so good that it earned him so much fame and fortune, and a seat on the table of grand thieves, who occasionally invited him to entertain them. 
His music told the suffering and pain of billions of ordinary rats whose dignity had been robbed and discarded by those in power. As such, many rats looked up to him. 

Despite all this, the old rat with a yellow hat and his band of thugs were shocked by how popular his name was when he announced he would be standing for Governor.

Wherever he went, multitudes of oppressed rats gathered to hear his message. They donated everything valuable in the life of a rat, from food to clothes. This scared Mr. Pinetti Mururu and his group, who resorted to torturing and murdering Faada’s supporters. The cruelty unleased on him had hitherto not been seen or known in Ogada.

This turned the entire nation against Dictator Mururu. He was on the edge. Everyone thought this was his end.
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