He still remembered how moved he had been the first time he watched When Freedom Knocks.
An emotion he could hardly describe had surged through him. Outside, it had been so bitterly cold that he had to keep stamping his feet, yet the sunshine in the Magic Film seemed to fall on his face. He could almost feel a summer sun and a sea breeze washing over him...
He had never seen the sea, but he knew that was what freedom felt like.
The Magic Lamps in the Theater gradually brightened. Little Smo studied the Ratfolk, hoping to spot something, and then he saw it: a look on the Ratfolk Artisans' faces that resembled bewilderment, only brighter. In that moment, he saw himself in faces that looked nothing like his own.
Little Smo, who had struggled to find a purpose since returning to Free City, smiled.
The Ratfolk rose to their feet, their booming voices turning the Theater into a sea of Ratfolk Language.
He guessed they were asking for another film.
"It's too late tonight. We'll watch another one tomorrow." Little Smo led the Ratfolk Artisans, who walked as though they were treading on cotton, back to Camp.
All but one.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Little Smo asked the leader of the Ratfolk Artisans.
Such a conversation, at such an hour, between two figures walking together ought to have made for a romantic date.
But however far the Park's streetlights stretched their shadows, there was no romance in the air.
"I asked Lord Annan to give you a name. He chose Lucky Mouse."
"What thing..."
Little Smo guessed he meant "What does it mean?" "I don't know either, but it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
"Treasure it," he said solemnly. "It's an honor.