For a long moment, William couldn't hear anything but his own heart hammering. No squeaking. No lingering notes of the Hymn. No reassuring words from Burdock, who had vanished  alongside his brethren. Nothing but his own thunderous pulse shaking his entire body as he slung his guitar over his shoulder.

Still miraculously shielded from his audience by the curtain Pastor Abrams had set up, William knelt beside what was left of the Piper. There was no trace of the man himself, nor was there a single sign of the Whole. All that remained was a bloodied scrap of fabric from the man's cloak, a lone piece of crimson cloth that had once belonged to the seamlessly interwoven patchwork.

William murmured a breathless prayer and tucked the fabric into his pocket. He could only hope that Samuel had found peace now that his soul was no longer bound to the Whole's.

There was only one way to find out if any of the Whole's other victims had been freed. William pushed aside the curtain that had separated him from his audience with trembling fingers.

The people of Aerzen and Hamelin lay sprawled across the pews as if they'd been tossed about by the hands of the Lord. Dr. Hughes groaned, swearing as his crackling joints protested his attempt to ease himself into a more comfortable position. Little Peter Farnsworth sat up with a cry as if he'd awoken from a nightmare. Thomas blinked in confusion as he glanced about the unfamiliar church, his eyes widening as his parents stirred to life beside him.

Throughout the building, families reunited for the second time. Not all had awoken yet, but those that had wore nothing more troubling than tiredness and confusion on their faces. There were no too-wide smiles, no eyes darting in search of any lingering rodents.

But just because many of the festivalgoers seemingly fared well didn't mean everyone had been spared from remembering the horrors William had witnessed.

William made his way to his family's pew as if he were tiptoeing through a field of broken glass. Father slumped forward in his seat, a low, steady snoring rumbling past his lips. Even in her sleep, Mother held Emma close to her side, shielding her from her husband. All the while, Emma curled in on herself, clinging to her mother's arm. Would they still be themselves now that the Whole had been defeated, or had the rats stolen some crucial part of who they were, leaving their souls with unfillable holes?

Mother was the first to stir. She blinked her eyes open with a soft gasp, only to smile as she caught sight of William. "I just had the strangest dream." Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What are we doing here, sweetheart? Shouldn't we be helping Mr. Farnsworth with the harvest?"

"I'm not sure," William said. "One moment we were all enjoying the Harvest Festival, and then the next thing I knew, we were all in church."

The truth of what had happened would never pass his lips. If by some miracle anyone believed him, no one deserved to know the horrors he had witnessed these past few weeks. This was his burden to bear, and it would forever be his alone.

"Perhaps we all had a little too much excitement today," Mother said, muffling a yawn with her hand. "This wouldn't be the first time everyone got carried away at the festival."

Beside her, Father groaned. His muscles twitched and trembled with such force that he slammed against the back of the pew, the thunderous crack echoing through the church. When at last his limbs stilled, he opened his eyes with a grimace and a sound that was half-sigh and half-snarl.

Mother pulled the still-sleeping Emma closer to her, shielding her with her own body. William tensed and reached for his guitar, fully prepared to prevent Father from harming the rest of his family. No one would react well if he resorted to using the Hymn, but if that was what he needed to do to keep Mother and Emma safe, so be it.

"Lord above, my head hurts." Father pressed his palm against his temple. Struggling to raise himself into a sitting position, he squeezed his eyes shut and swayed as if he might topple over at any moment.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mother's voice held equal parts compassion and caution as she reached out to rest her hand on her husband's forehead. "You feel warm."

Father brought up his hand, only to pause as mother flinched. Instead of grabbing her wrist and pulling it away from him, he shrank back and pressed himself against the wood of the pew. "I'm alright." His voice crackled like dead leaves, filled with an unfamiliar tremor as he held his hands in front of him. Opened and closed his fists as if he was checking to make sure they were still his. "Must have had too much ale."

The hair on the back of William's neck stood on end as Father's gaze traveled to his face. Far from their usual coldness, his eyes now held a gentle warmth as his lips tugged into a wide smile. Too wide. "Glad to see you're alright, boy."

William's fingers tightened around the neck of his guitar as a tendril of unease wormed inside his gut. This wasn't his father, not anymore. His gaze was too soft, his words too kind. Had one of the rats been strong enough to resist his song? "You don't seem like yourself," he said slowly.

"Just a little tired is all." Father clapped his hand on his shoulder. William winced in anticipation of fingers digging into his flesh, but none did. Instead, his father pulled him into a hug. "I feel like a new man!"

Lord, what had he done? Nausea burned in the back of William's throat as something stirred beneath his father's skin. Pressed against his abdomen, there was no denying the creature that lurked within his stomach.

"It's high time things changed around here," the rat wearing his father's skin said. "There's no denying I've wronged you. I do not expect you to forgive me for what I have done." Here his father's voice cracked, a sound he never thought he would hear. "I can only hope you will allow me to try to make it up to you." 

Mother stared at him open mouthed. Her calm, careful facade faltered in a way that mirrored William's own shock. This was no ordinary rat. This one knew how to give him the apology he'd never dared to dream of receiving, how to embrace him without pressing against his scars.

How to heed the Hymn's call to keep his loved ones safe in a way only one rat could possibly think of. 

William hugged his friend close, his eyes burning as he blinked back tears. "Thank you."

Burdock patted his back, his touch as gentle as his smile. "You and I have much to discuss, boy," he said, "but it looks like someone else might want to have a word with you first."

Still curled beside her mother, Emma fidgeted in her sleep before opening her eyes. She yawned as if she'd awoken from a yearlong nap.

A knot of uncertainty tightened inside William's stomach. Would she return to her former joyful self, or would memories of tangled tails and an endless sea of squeaking scar her mind?

The instant Emma's gaze landed on William, an enormous smile brightened her face. "Big brother!"

She launched herself into his arms, squeezing him as if he was Mr. Bear. He hugged her just as tightly, holding her close to keep her from seeing the tears rolling down his cheeks. After all this time, his sister was home at last. Safe.

She'd never remember the rats or Father striking her or anything else she'd been through in the past year. He'd make sure of it.

"What are we doing here?" Emma asked. She craned her neck to look at the other families in the church, each as disoriented yet blissfully happy as the last.

"I don't know," William said, "but there's no need for us to stay here any longer." Already, parents and children were stumbling outside. Before long, singing and laughter drifted through the church doors.

"The day is still young," Burdock said, nodding at the light streaming through the stained glass windows. "What do you say we go enjoy the rest of the festival, eh?"

"You hear that, Emma?" William asked, his eyes shining with tears of joy. "We get to spend the whole day together!"

Tomorrow he and Burdock would need to discuss how they would run the forge, what they would do if Father ever tried to regain control of his body, and how they would make sure Mother would never have any reason to fear for herself or her children ever again. Today, all they had to do was enjoy their hard-won happiness. Today, their cheers and laughter rang out like a song on the breeze.

Today, they were free.