After spending the day delivering cheese to rats across Melbourne, Remy finally returned home. He lived in the walls of an apartment close to the city, and he was pretty proud of how well his little house was kitted out. Since Remy was an environmentalist, everything was built from completely repurposed materials; kitchen drawers made from matchboxes, beds made from feathers, and tables made from pizza boxes. But most of all, Remy derived his comfort from his home’s exceptional plumbing.
Remy had saved for months to purchase services from a number of the most well-regarded drain repair companies in Melbourne, and as a result, he had hot water on demand in his bathroom and kitchen. What a luxury! None of Remy’s rat friends had such privileges. Best of all, everything was siphoned from the human apartment that lived above, which meant he never had to pay ongoing costs related to the plumbing. Well… not usually.
When Remy returned home from his long shift that day, he noticed that the humans below him were screaming. He ducked his head into the air vent quickly, only to discover that one of their pipes had sprung a leak. Remy scurried over to his drainage system to check if the pressure build-up had affected his own pipes, and to his dismay, the old terracotta had completely dislodged. He got on his rat phone and called Paul the rat plumber for recommendations on boundary trap replacement specialists. Melbourne had a number of these rat experts, but because they were in such high demand, they were difficult to make an appointment with.
While Remy waited on the phone, he decided he would have to evacuate his house. Who knew what kind of plumber the humans would call? They might accidentally flood his home! Yes, he mused. It would be safer to stay in the sewers for a bit. Remy grabbed his most important belongings and scurried down the drain.