EXCERPT

It was the Spring Bank Holiday, and Phoebe's cousins, Thomas and Theo, had come to stay for the weekend, along with their pet rat - Ratasha.

"We have to be at the show by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning," Thomas explained, as he placed Ratasha's cage on the table next to Salome and Sheba's larger cage.

"Ratasha's going to win first prize this time!" said Theo, excitedly. "We spent all our pocket money on her special soap. She smells lovely now."

When the children were quite satisfied that Ratasha was comfortable with her holiday home, they went off to bed.

Salome was very excited. She couldn't wait to meet Ratasha. Phoebe had told Salome and Sheba how Ratasha had been in lots of "shows", although Salome wasn't completely sure if she knew what "shows" were, just that a lot of children brought their rats along, and some of them won prizes.

Salome scurried over to the side of the cage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Show rat.

Sheba popped her nose out of the hay, and wiggled her whiskers in the air. "Pooh!" she said. "That's a funny smell. Not a ratty smell at all. It smells like Phoebe does on a Sunday night."

"It's soap," said Ratasha, as she lifted her head out of her flowerpot nest. "I had a bath today."

"A bath?" Sheba had never heard of such a thing. "What for?" she asked.

"Thomas is entering me in a show tomorrow," Ratasha explained. "I have to look, and smell, my best."

Salome gazed at Ratasha. She certainly did look her best. She had beautiful golden markings down her back and over her head. Salome had the same sort of markings, but hers were plain old black. She had always wanted to be a little more...well, interesting, like Ratasha, whose eyes were that wonderful rosy pink colour - like Sheba's, only more elegant, Salome thought. But then, next door's hamster was more elegant than Sheba!

"If you're going to a show tomorrow," Sheba protested, "Then why do you smell so awful?”

Salome felt the colour rising to the tip of her whiskers. Not again! She thought. With a swift, sideways swing of her bottom, she nudged Sheba into the corner of the cage.

"What?" Sheba glared at Salome. "She does smell awful," she said. "She smells like a human - not a rat!" Sheba scratched her ear with her back paw, then licked and chewed at her claws. Sheba always did this when she was embarrassed.