The Wind in the Willows

Mole has been waiting a long time to meet Badger. Badger is rarely out and about, but he seems to influence everything. Rat always refuses to take Mole to meet Badger, or to invite Badger for supper. Badger, according to Rat, “hates society, and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing.” He also insists that they can’t just go call on Badger, since Badger lives in the middle of the Wild Wood—but Rat is unwilling to explain exactly what he means to Mole, who believes Rat’s earlier sentiment that animals in the Wild Wood are fine.

So, Mole passes the summer happily and doesn’t think of Badger much until winter. As the river rushes past Rat’s house, Mole wonders about Badger. Rat spends his days sleeping, scribbling poetry, and entertaining guests. When guests come, they spend their time laughing and reminiscing about the summer they just had. Around the warm fire, the animals talk about how the plants first started to emerge in the spring, and then how summer brought the countryside fully to life.

But Mole continues to think about Badger, and one afternoon, while Rat is dozing, Mole decides to go out and meet Badger himself. It’s cold, and the land is barren, but Mole is entranced—it’s like the leafy places in summer have been caught naked, their mysteries exposed. It’s all very exciting as Mole enters the Wild Wood. But as dusk falls, “the faces beg[i]n.” Mole notices evil-looking faces peering at him from holes and tunnels, so he hurries on, wondering if he’s imagining things. Before long, it seems like there’s a hateful face in every tunnel. To escape them, Mole veers off the path—and then, the whistling starts. It’s faint at first and seems to be coming from behind him, but then it comes from all directions.

Mole is terrified by the time the pattering begins. It seems at first like leaves falling, but then he realizes it’s definitely feet. Mole listens, and suddenly, a rabbit races right for him and mutters for Mole to get out. The pattering starts to sound like something—or someone—is chasing down their prey. Mole runs, falling over things, and then he finds a hollow of an old tree. Since he’s exhausted, he decides to rest. He wishes he’d listened to Rat.

Rat, meanwhile, wakes with a start and realizes Mole isn’t there. Seeing that Mole’s coat and galoshes are gone, Rat steps outside. He finds Mole’s tracks leading right for the Wild Wood, so he arms himself with some pistols and a cudgel and follows his friend. At first the faces appear for Rat—but when they see his weapons, they leave him alone. The whispering and pattering stops too, leaving everything still and quiet. Rat calls for Mole and finally locates him in the tree hollow. Rat explains to his friend that riverbank animals seldom come here alone—and to be safe, one has to know about the passwords and signs and such that keep a small animal safe. Otter and Badger, of course, are safe in the Wild Wood, but even brave Toad won’t come here alone.

Mole feels better already, with Rat here and especially with Rat’s weapons. Rat says they have to get going before it gets too dark, but Mole insists he’s too tired to leave now. Rat agrees to let Mole sleep until the moon rises to give them light. Finally, Mole wakes up, and the friends head out—and discover that it’s snowing hard. The snow transforms the woods, covering up the frightening holes with fine powder. Holding hands so they don’t lose each other, Rat and Mole head out and spend two hours wandering in the now-unfamiliar woods. Then they collapse on a log to rethink their plan.

The Wild Wood seems to go on forever, and the snow makes things dangerous—not only can Rat and Mole barely walk through the deep snow, but they’ve both fallen in holes hidden by the snow. Rat suggests they head down into a dell ahead and find a place to rest. As they’re poking around, Mole trips, falls, and grabs his leg, squealing in pain. Rat kindly examines Mole’s cut and notes that the cut is clean—it wasn’t made by a rock or a stump. As Mole, forgetting his grammar, says it doesn’t matter “what done it,” Rat pokes around in the snow—and then whoops with joy.

Mole comes to look at what Rat found: a door-scraper. Mole is unimpressed; clearly, some “careless and forgetful person” left a door-scraper lying around. Rat tells Mole to stop being silly and help him dig. After a few minutes, Rat reveals a doormat, which Mole declares is more “domestic litter.” They can’t eat it, and it isn’t going to tell Rat anything useful. Angry now, Rat tells Mole to be quiet and scrape. Mole obeys, though he thinks Rat’s mind is leaving them. But then, 10 minutes later, Rat’s cudgel hits something hollow. With Mole’s help, the friends reveal a door with a bell pull and a brass plate that reads, “Mr. Badger.”

Mole falls backward in surprise, praising Rat’s critical thinking skills and intellect. He insists Rat has to go somewhere his intellect will be appreciated. Rat cuts Mole off and tells him to ring the bell while he knocks on the door. Mole does as he’s told.