Story Secrets - The Ratfather

🧀 I planned to write a cute squirrel story set in the Vatican Gardens. It turned into The Godfather. It was supposed to be a cozy little tale about nuts, teamwork, and helping your neighbor. But then… the rat showed up. He sauntered in, offered help, spoke in velvet tones, and called the squirrel “brother.” Before I knew it, I was knee-deep in a squirrel-mafia parable about extortion, complicity, and sacrifice. And somehow, it ended on Christmas Eve under the lights of St. Peter’s Square.  Read the final version of the story here: https://fatherroderick.substack.com/p/the-ratfather