I dropped down from the ledge. It seemed hard. Harder than before. But then the ledge was steeper. I was venturing further this time. I saw the hole in the wall. I kept in touch with it just in case. I was alone today. Tommy was not coming. He had procured a morsel that was more than tasty. He was not going to let that get away from him! Not now! After all he nearly gave his life for that morsel. The snap nearly lynched him. That was the thing about humans they didn’t understand that we really are the cleaners of the land. We are not bad. We are clean and actually we do so much. We have our families and are united. But I digress. I am looking to see if the human has dropped any niceties on the floor and forgotten to pick it up. I have to be careful. Be very careful. You know I have to move fast. Very fast. I move this way and that scurrying because I can …wait…wait…wait. What is that smell? What is that smell? Oh no. It’s that smell. The smell that means death. That smell. No no no no. My heart is pounding in my tiny chest. My heart did not stop and I began to run at top speed. Where is the hole? Where is it? How far did I go? Oh there in the opposite direction. There it is! I need to get back there. But it was too late. I heard something. I was shivering now. Shaking in my tiny feet. I needed to get to the hole. The hole was not far. But there it was. The great big furry thing. That thing that humans get to catch and…. Oh yes. Oh no….oh yes, it eats us. The whiskers are so long and huge. Did you know they use the whiskers to help to sense where we are? There are these small particles of light that move along the whisker and give information about the environment. I was going into this day dream and shook myself out of it. I will be gobbled if I do not make a dash for the door. But there the ginger fur was coming towards me. And fast. Where do I go? I dashed to right and then the left. Under the chair, under the cabinet. I am not far now. I was shaking again. I didn’t want to die. Not now, not now. My babies were in the nest their eyes closed and they need their mommy. Ok, this ginger fur is acting weird. Where did he go? I poked my nose out to smell and check. Oh he is still there but I can see this long furry thing. It was long and slender and was moving, no swaying from side to side. Now was my chance….I dashed this way and that. Scurrying between chair legs, and could see the door, it was getting closer and closer. I could not look back. I could not look back. I could hear the sound of my claws tinkling on the floor. I could not look back. If I did I would lose speed and time and would not make it. My heart was in my mouth. Will I do it. Will my babies be safe. I lurched forward. Just in time to reach the edge of the door…….. as the ginger paw swiped in my direction. One claw caught my tail… I felt it..I felt it…I heard it.. My heart leapt outside of my body. It felt like it was outside of my body. I fell in heap on the ground. I looked around and I was inside the hole. Inside my abode. I was safe. My tail hurt. It was hurt. I dared look at it. When I turned there was a trail of red behind me. I had a gash. Tommy came to my aid. He was frantic. Are you ok. Here have a piece of my morsel of cheese. Have a piece. My first words were ‘how are the babies’. There they were snug… their eyes closed, clumped up together. They were safe they were sound. We made it another day. I was safe. My tail. I began to lick it gently the taste of metal in my mouth. For my babies…. I will do it for my babies. I went to sniff them. I could smell their tiny bodies and it made my heart warm. My heart felt like it was in my chest once more. Once more. I was alive. My babies are safe another night. I ate the morsel of cheese Tommy offered me lest my tummy rumbled from hunger….I need milk for my babies…
To be continued....
