The Crystal Prison

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The Crystal Prison
Author	Robin Jarvis
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	The Deptford Mice
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Hodder Wayland
Publication date	1989
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
ISBN	ISBN
Preceded by	The Dark Portal
Followed by	The Final Reckoning

The Crystal Prison is the second novel in the Deptford Mice Trilogy by Robin Jarvis (first published in 1989).

[edit] Plot Summary

After the events of The Dark Portal, Oswald Chitter is ill and but hours from death. While Twit and Piccadilly vow to return to their homelands, Fennywolde and Holeborn respectfully, Oswald's parents too begin to fall into sickness. The bold midshipmouse, Thomas Triton arrives suddenly, telling Audrey Brown that she must join him on a journey to Greenwich to speak to the Starwife. Audrey and Thomas set off, followed by Twit, whom Thomas has come to regard as a best friend.

Upon their arrival, they are told that the Chitters will all perish by the end of the night unless Audrey agrees to take the now mad Madame Akkikuyu, who apparently survived The Dark Portal to live in Twit's field, and must remain with her until she dies. Audrey grudgingly agrees and after breaking the news to her family, her brother, Arthur volunteers to accompany her to Fennywolde. Although Oswald makes a full recovery, Audrey is unable to share in the other's happiness and harshly talks to Picadilly, causing him to leave for the city first thing in the morning.

Audrey, Arthur, Twit and Madamme Akkikuyu (who believes Audrey to be her best friend) are taken to Fennywolde by a travelling mouse, Kempe and soon arrive at Twit's field. Upon their arrival, they are introduced to numerous fieldmice: Elijah and Gladwin Scuttle,Twit's parents; 'Jolly' Jenkin Nettle, a friend of Twit's, and his cruel, religious father, Isaac; the King of the field, Mr. Woodruffe; Alison Sedge, a flirtatious beauty and a group of young friends, Samuel Gorse, Young Whortle Nep, Hodge, Todkin and Figgy Bottom.

Samuel and Whortle adventure into the woods and are attacked by the vicious owl, Mahoot and are both badly injured, particularly the runtish Samuel. Madamme Akkikuyu saves them and sends the owl fleeing for his life, earning the respect of the simple fieldmice. She later makes a potion for them, which, despite Audrey's objections, successfully cures the boys.

Audrey engages herself in creating a corn dolly but Alison Sedge, jealous of the town mouse's beauty and fine clothes, gives word to Isaac Nettle, a staunch Green Mouser, who beats his son constantly. Nettle tosses the thing away, denouncing it as blasphemy.

While Twit and Jenkin assist Arthur in becoming one of the respected sentries of Fennywolde, Madamme Akkikuyu is disturbed by voices in her head, which are revealed to be a spirit of the spring, Nicodemus, who is in limbo and craves freedom. To prove his powers to Akkikuyu, he discovers the corn dolly and gives it life, quipping that only Akkikuyu and its maker (Audrey) could command it to do its bidding.

Twit and Arthur discover the dead body of young Hodge in the corn fields, strangled to death. A few of the Fennywolders accuse the town mice, Audrey in particular, of bringing bad luck on the peaceful field and the young mouse-maiden is resented by the dwellers who are led by Isaac Nettle, despite his son's love for her. Young Whortle is similarly killed by a creature of straw...

Jenkin asks Audrey for her paw in marriage but she can't accept, still carrying a torch for Picadilly. When Mahoot the owl swoops down on them, Jenkin throws Audrey out of the way, saving her life but is too late to save himself. He is carried off by the owl and despite Madamme Akkikuyu's relentless onslaught at Mahoot, he kills Jenkin and Isaac Nettle becomes an even more bitter person than ever.

Nicodemus tells Madamme Akkikuyu that to release him from his prison, a mouse-brassless girl would have to be imprisoned in his stead and must be given a brass of evil and hate. Akkikuyu realises that he is referring to Audrey and reluctantly agrees to do his bidding, talking the depressed and weakly mad Isaac Nettle to create the evil brass, after discovering the late Jenkin's mousebrass in the talon of the owl.

The fieldmice discover the corn doly- the murderer of both Whortle and Hodge- and recognising it at Audrey's creation, proceed to hang her for being a witch. Twit, however, reminds all that if a Fennywolder agrees to marry a witch, the offender would not be allowed to be hanged, under the laws of The Green Mouse. Furthermore, he agrees to marry his friend to save her but both are blessed by Woodruffe and Akkikuyu (much to the anger of Nicodemus), rendering Audrey under the protection of the Green and unable to be sacrificed by Nicodemus. Twit's bravery and wisdom comes at a price-he must be banished from Fennywolde.

However, Nicodemus sets his sights on Alison Sedge, who has, in grief of Jenkin's death, thrown her mousebrass away and is now a perfect candidate for the sacrifice. Akkikuyu takes her to be sacrificed and halfway through, Nicodemus reveals that he is in fact Jupiter, and that he will inhabit Akkikuyu's body as soon as he is freed from the Crystal Prison. In a last bid for redemption, Madamme Akkikuyu leaps into the flames, saving Alison and holding Jupiter imprisoned for the time being. The rat is killed and buried in great honour. A fire suddenly rages through Fennywolde and Twit redeems himself, leading the others alongside Arthur, although Woodruffe is killed.

Now that Akkikuyu is dead, Audrey's deal with the Starwife is void and she plans to return home with Arthur, although Twit decides to stay in his field to reign as the new King of the Field and rebuild it to its former glory. Audrey leaves her husband as Twit confesses unhappily to himself, "I did love 'ee, Aud...".

A small time later, Jupiter's prison is smashed unknowingly by Alison Sedge and he swoops into the air, vowing revenge on those who opposed him...

[edit] Trivia

• This is the last appearance of Twit in the Deptford Mice series, although he is mentioned throughout The Final Reckoning. It is unknown if he is to cross paths with the others again, as it is noted that neither Arthur or Audrey would ever return to Fennywolde.

• Madame Akkikuyu's role in The Crystal Prison is very similar to Morgan's in The Final Reckoning. Both are happier than they have ever been in their life, both lives are ruined by Jupiter at its end and both commit suicide.