Saturday, February 27, 2010

Mouse7

The mouse drew a small pair of eyeglasses from his fur and laid them across his pointed nose. His whiskers twitched once or twice, mulling over a thought.It was quite an odd scene, as you can well imagine!

“Let’s review our options in overcoming our, shall we say, impasse.

“As I see things,” I said, “A, I eat you or B, I don’t. Honestly, I’m leaning heavily towards B right now.”

“A simplified way of things,” said the mouse, smugly. “What I would expect from a creature of below average faculties, but let’s not quibble. As you have stated, that is indeed the conundrum.”

“Should I be insulted?” I was thinking that I could simply lean across and, with little difficulty, swallow him whole.

“Never mind.” He waved a tiny little paw. “Rather, let’s examine the pros and cons of each option, shall we?”

“Continue.”

“So you decide to eat me. What is to be gained from that?”

“You’re delicious?”

“Your opinion.”

“Shall I call Smudge,” I smirked, “and we’ll have a vote?”

The mouse looked down his long nose in a scolding sort of way, then continued. “So I am eaten, swallowed and gone. The pro, from your limited perspective is lunch. But what are the cons?”

“Can’t really see any, I’ll be honest.”

The mouse frowned, pacing back and forth in a deliberative manner. “Try and keep up with my keener intellect, my raccoon-tailed predatory friend.”
Again with the insults, I fumed. He may have been stating a strong case, but he sure wasn’t helping it much. Still, I was enjoying this. I loved the role of hunter, feeling as though I was king of the world. As the mouse spoke my thoughts drifted, where I was both feared and honored by all the little creatures of the world. I was, however, still smarting from the insult, and all but ready to put an end to all this.

“I’ll try,” I replied, indignant, “to wrap my mind around your superior rodent brilliance!”

“All I can ask.” The little fellow didn’t miss a beat.

“Go on.”

“The game!” he exclaimed.

“The game?” I asked.

“The game. That’s what we risk.”

“Don’t follow.” I cocked my head. From the corner of one eye I could see Smudge throw back her head in disgust.

“Imagine that one day all the mice came you nd that you could eat everyone of them?”

“Oh, like a big mouse buffet?”

“But then what?”

“A nap?”

“No, my granite headed companion. Then the game is over. It’s about the chase, not the conquest. Like a fine meal…”

“Which would be you,” I winked, a bit cruelly. It wouldn’t be fair to let the mouse’s shots at me go by without some sort of satisfaction, short of making him a quick snack. That was, however, still a looming possibility.

“Indeed!” he scoffed. “No, don’t you see? I am the hunted and you the hunter. It defines you, but without me what are you? You would be a fat cat on a shelf, slurping down Friskies without any purpose in the world.”

“Not hearing the bad part yet,” I said, though I kind of got what he was saying.

“Here’s the deal. You let me go and I promise to run across the patio. Now and then I let you catch me, bat me around a bit. Look at reality, bub, we aren’t in the jungle. This is civilization, and we should be bound to civilized behavior while celebrating our nature. Do we have a deal?”

I sighed heavily. I wished more time to think all this through, but for now I was willing to give the little guy the benefit of his good arguments, to say nothing of his spirit. Little did I know what it would mean for me in the days to come. I held out a paw and he touched it with his. Like gentlemen we shook on the deal.

“Go with Mother Earth, little friend,” I said. With that he turned and scampered away across the lawn. At the door Smudge could only shake her head in disappointment.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mouse 6

The mouse paced back and forth before my face. My eyes watched intently. One false move on his part and I would pounce, and this time he would not get away. Still, I was prepared to listen to what the little guy had to say. He'd earned my respect fairly and I was bound to be a gentlman about it all. I was a cat, not an animal, for Mother Earth's sake! I couldn't say as much for Smudge, watching hungrily from the door.

"Make your case," I said.

He paused, glancing a bit nervously at Smudge. "A bit disconcerting with the threat of imminent death looming over me."

"Don't worry about her, my smooth-tailed friend, the thret would be there anyway."

"So, you do not come to this equitably?"

"You are still here, able to speak your mind," I said. "That should count for something."

"Indeed, though I would have preferred earned respect than merciful consideration."

I nodded and urged Smudge away with a nod of my head. When she refused to budge, hardly taking her eyes off the mouse I stood and gave a little hiss. She understood my meaning, though she wasn't altogether moved by it. With a shake of her head, as if I was being foolish, Smudge turned and disappeared into the house. I turned back to the mouse, settling to the patio on my belly.

"You're a clever mook," I said. You have both my respect and consideration."

"With the specter of violence," he observed.

"The consideration is at odds with my nature, but you have all I can offer."

The mouse sighed and nodded thoughtfully, considering the words. "Very well then. With your indulgence, my sharply-clawed friend, I will state my case...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Mouse 5

"You little son of an alley cat!" I exclaimed.

I looked wildly around but there was no sign of that mouse. Standing dead center on th patio it was inconceivable he could have escaped, or made a run for it without me seeing. That left just one place.

before I could look beneath my fury belly something crawled up my tail. I spun around and bit down hard, finding only my tail. With a cry of pain I dashed into the yard. The mouse was scrambling along my back, nosing his way through the thick brown fur there.

I rolled onto my back, thrashing in the snow and grass, but he held on tight with those tiny little paws. I might have admired the little fellas tenacity. For the moment we were locked in mortal combat. Hugging close to my neck the mouse weathered the worst of what I had to offer. I rolled back and forth, washed my claws over my ears and did a wild twisting flip in the air, but nothing could shake him.

Finally, exhausted, gulping in air I could fight no more. he had won, at least for the moment. In truth I was humbled and awed by the little guy's bravery. Maybe it was too soon to use the "Respect" word, but it was close.

"Fighting for my life here, mate," said the mouse, leaning close to my ear. "I will stay to this battle to the last if I must."

I bowed my head and nodded. "Name your terms."

Friday, February 5, 2010

Mouse 4

"Nothing personal," I told the mouse I lifted a paw but hesitated, impressed by the little guy's bravery. He stood straight and gentlemanly on his back legs, a stiff upper chin and turned his head slightly away. laying a hand a cross his heart, the mouse looked at me askance and breathed deeply.

"Just if you would be so kind to allow me a lamentably short adieu to the world," he said.

I lowered my paw and nodded respectfully. "Least I could do."

"Oh, oh, cruel world," he began, quite theatrically, "in which I am alternately starved and fed, hopeful and disillusioned, blessed and abused, we have been uneasy lovers, intimate and yet estranged by the burden of ego. Would I have lived you any differently?" He pondered soulfully up and back, waving his arms, looking intently at me when he wished to make a point. For my part I was intrigued as much as my patience strained. The mouse continued.

"I might well have lived a thousand other fates, all of them unique and yet flawed in their own right. Would that any of them were better than this one, would that any of those many lives hve truly been me and of mine. Oh, cruel world that made me prey to this most handsome and merciful of predator, would there be a better, truer existance? I think not. And though I find myself hopeless within the crucible of fate i could not fathom anything as beautiful as this flawed and imperfect life. Oh, cruel cru..."

"All right!" I interrupted, having had quite enough, " for a little guy, you sure can do some talking."

The mouse bowed deeply. "Quite true, my feline friend. I once chewed through a volume of Shakespeare."

"well, if you've said your piece, can we get on with this?"

"terribly sorry, old fellow. I meant no distraction, except that..." he looked skyward and pointed quite suddenly and exclaimed, "Dear Mother Earth, what's that?"

I snapped my head skyward, expecting some terrible calamity, perhaps a hawk or blackbird eyeing me as a meal. When I turned back to the mouse he was gone!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Mouse 3

"Watch your breathing," cautioned Smudge, leaning precariously over the edge of the couch. "Any mistake and that little bugger will certainly capitalize on it."

The mouse turned away for a moment. I took advantage, rising up a bit on my fat paws, wagging my butt a bit to get the best footing. then, just as I was about to leap, the mouse turned, peering through the glass of the patio door, as though he could sense his impending doom. Smudge saw it too and froze as I had, hardly daring even to draw a breath.

"Wait for it," Smudge whispered.

"He knows," I replied at barely a whisper.

The mouse sniffed suspiciously at the air, whiskers wagging, nose search out what the mouse's little brain suspected.

"He suspects," said Smudge. "that's the diff..."

The mouse turned away for just a second. Fearing it would be my last chance, I bolted. in the blink of an eye, a literal blur, I was through the door. Planting my front paws solidly, I was already leaning into the hard turn taking me directly at the tiny bit of fluff. My back paws cam down before the creture had a chance to react. The mouse's end in this world was heartbeats away.

I sprang forward, stretching to breach the final distnce. Over-confident, I resolved to come down directly upon the mouse and put Smudge to shame. After such a feat of precision and dexterity she would have to show me a little more respect. But I had overplayed my ability, while under estimating the mouse.

At the last instant the critter turned and leaned back steeply. I tried to adjust but came down awkwardly, rolling sideways as the mouse flipped backwards and bolted for the tall grass. Once there, I knew, he would have the best chance of escape. Coming quickly to my feet, I was resolved to rob that mouse of any chance. I was a hunter now, focused fully on the mouse as a thing and not a living and breathing creature like I was. I had lost all mercy, now rulled fully by instinct and desire.

The mouse was running across the patio with all its might. I could feel the creature's terror as I charged forward. Those tiny feet and legs were simply no match for me. In a single brilliant move I came down between the grass and the mouse. For a moment we were almost nose to nose, staring intently at one another. the mouse's tiny face was filled with fear and dread. In those little black eyes my face was reflected. It was the face of a ravenous predator.

I rose up a bit, not taking my eyes from the mouse's. It's ears dropped back as though conceding the end. I resolved, at least, to make it an honorable end. One swipe of my claws and the critter would be done in the blink of an eye.

"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be," I growled low.

"Do what you must," said the mouse.