Tom Cat And The Wideawake Mice.

The Wideawake Mice were toy mice in Mr. Wideawake`s toy shop. One evening, the Magician came into the shop. He didn`t see the Wideawake Mice, but accidently split some magic dust all over them. When the moon shone on them later that night, the Wideawake Mice came alive. They crept out of the shop through a hole under the door, and found themselves in the street. The Wideawake Mice looked up and down the street. The moon was shining down. The houses towered up into the sky. The Wideawake Mice felt very frightened. They had never been outside in the street before. "I don`t like it," said Uncle Maximus. "I don`t like it at all. Lets go back into the shop." "Nonsense!" said Grandfather Mouse. "We`re going to find a home of our own." Uncle Maximus looked very doubtful. "You can`t go back," said Aunt Jane. "You`ll never get back through the hole." "This way!" said Grandfather Mouse. He set off down the street. The other mice followed him. At the end of the street, they came to the square. It looked very big and very wide. "Where shall we go now?" asked Aunt Matilda. "There`s nowhere TO go, that I can see," said Uncle Maximus. "What`s over there?" asked Miranda, looking across the square. There was a market building in the middle of the square. "There might be a hole under it," said Jeremy. "This way," said Grandmother Mouse. "We`ll go and see." Tom Cat was lying curled up in a doorway. He was fast asleep. As the mice went out into the square, Tom Cat opened one eye. He saw the Wideawake mice. Tom Cat woke up. He was suddenly wide awake. He was so surprised, that, for a few moments, he didn`t move. He had often seen mice before. {He sometimes ate one for breakfast.} But he had never seen mice like the Wideawake Mice in all his life, until now Very softly, Tom Cat got up. Very slowly, he moved out, into the moonlight. Aunt Jane stopped. She hadn`t seen the cat, and she hadn`t heard the cat. But she felt that there was someone watching her. Aunt Jane looked around. She saw Tom Cat! "Run!" cried Aunt Jane. "Run for your lives!" The little mice ran as fast as they could. They ran across the square in the moonlight. Tom Cat bounded out into the square. He ran after the Wideawake Mice. The Wideawake Mice ran away. They ran as fast as they could. But they didn`t know how to run. They ran along on their two back feet. "Oh dear! Oh dear!" cried Aunt Matilda. "What shall we do?. What SHALL we do?" Uncle Maximus was running so hard that he hadn`t enough breath left to answer her. When they came to the market building, Tom Cat was close behind them. There was no time to climb a wall. An empty bottle lay on the ground, just outside the market. Aunt Jane saw the bottle. "Look!" she cried. "We can hide in there." One after another, the Wideawake Mice went into the bottle. They slithered through the narrow glass neck, and slid right down into it. Miranda and Jeremy went first. Grandmother Mouse went next. Aunt Matilda tumbled after her. Uncle Maximus nearly got stuck, but Aunt Jane gave him a big push. Grandfather followed Uncle Maximus, and Aunt Jane came last. She scrambled into the neck of the bottle. Her tail was still hanging out, when Tom Cat arrived. Tom Cat jumped. He made a grab for her tail, but Aunt Jane pulled it into the bottle just in time. Tom Cat stood and looked at the bottle. He put his paw on it, and rolled the bottle over. All the little mice fell higgledy-piggledy, one over another. Just at that moment, there was a loud "WOOF!" The big dog who lived at the end of Puddle Lane had seen Tom Cat in the moonlight. He came bounding across the square. Tom Cat took one look at the dog, and fled. Tom Cat and the dog disappeared behind the market building. "Oh dear!" said Aunt Matilda. "I wish we had never left the shop." "Don`t you wish any such thing," said Grandmother Mouse, sitting up. "We`re going to find a home ourselves. We had better climb out of this bottle while we can". The glass was very slippery, but Grandfather Mouse took off his coat, and spread it on the glass, and they all climbed over it. They all got out of the bottle safely. "Where shall we go now?" puffed Uncle Maximus. "Let`s Climb this post," said Aunt Jane. We might find a shelf at the top." "I can`t climb that," said Uncle Maximus. "You can if you take off your shoes," said Aunt Jane. The Wideawake Mice all took off their shoes. They ran up the post to the roof of the market building. They found a dark shelf under the roof. "This is just the place for us," said Grandmother Mouse. The mice were so tired after all their adventures that they settled down quickly in the shadows under the roof. In a very few minutes they were fast asleep. They were safe in their new home. By Sheila McCullagh. A Sad Cat Story. Once there was a young women that lived in a small house. She had no pets, but dearly wanted one. One day, she heard about this ugly cat that always got beat up and never got and T.L.C, or any pity. She was just about to go to sleep, but "SCREECH!" a cat meowed and hissed and did a lot of vocals. She ran outside to find a dog fighting a cat. She scared the dog away and picked up the cat and found it was very ugly, but pretty at the same time. He was loving and affectionate, even though he was on the brink of death. She knew he had no hope to live, but she would give what he wanted, some love. As she stood there sobbing and cuddling the cat, he died. He died purring, and died happy, and died loved. Written by Esther aged 11. Cat And Mouse In Partnership. A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. 'But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger,' said the cat; 'and you, little mouse, cannot venture everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.' The good advice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where to put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said: 'I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church, for no one dares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are really in need of it.' So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: 'I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening. Let me go out today, and you look after the house by yourself.' 'Yes, yes,' answered the mouse, 'by all means go, and if you get anything very good to eat, think of me. I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.' All this, however, was untrue; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to be godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat, began to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then stretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home. 'Well, here you are again,' said the mouse, 'no doubt you have had a merry day.' 'All went off well,' answered the cat. 'What name did they give the child?' 'Top off!' said the cat quite coolly. 'Top off!' cried the mouse, 'that is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in your family?' 'What does that matter,' said the cat, 'it is no worse than Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.' Before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to the mouse: 'You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for a day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.' The good mouse consented, but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church, and devoured half the pot of fat. 'Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself,' said she, and was quite satisfied with her day's work. When she went home the mouse inquired: 'And what was the child christened?' 'Half-done,' answered the cat. 'Half-done! What are you saying? I never heard the name in my life, I'll wager anything it is not in the calendar!' The cat's mouth soon began to water for some more licking. 'All good things go in threes,' said she, 'I am asked to stand godmother again. The child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that exception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only happens once every few years, you will let me go, won't you?' 'Top- off! Half-done!' answered the mouse, 'they are such odd names, they make me very thoughtful.' 'You sit at home,' said the cat, 'in your dark-grey fur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that's because you do not go out in the daytime.' During the cat's absence the mouse cleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of fat. 'When everything is eaten up one has some peace,' said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return home till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child. 'It will not please you more than the others,' said the cat. 'He is called All-gone.' 'All-gone,' cried the mouse 'that is the most suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print. All-gone; what can that mean?' and she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay down to sleep. From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said: 'Come, cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves--we shall enjoy that.' 'Yes,' answered the cat, 'you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window.' They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of fat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. 'Alas!' said the mouse, 'now I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You a true friend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother. First top off, then half-done, then--' 'Will you hold your tongue,' cried the cat, 'one word more, and I will eat you too.' 'All-gone' was already on the poor mouse's lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is the way of the world. From Grimm`s Fairy Tales. The Fox And The Cat. It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to herself: 'He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world,' she spoke to him in a friendly way. 'Good day, dear Mr Fox, how are you? How is all with you? How are you getting on in these hard times?' The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from head to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give any answer or not. At last he said: 'Oh, you wretched beard-cleaner, you piebald fool, you hungry mouse-hunter, what can you be thinking of? Have you the cheek to ask how I am getting on? What have you learnt? How many arts do you understand?' 'I understand but one,' replied the cat, modestly. 'What art is that?' asked the fox. 'When the hounds are following me, I can spring into a tree and save myself.' 'Is that all?' said the fox. 'I am master of a hundred arts, and have into the bargain a sackful of cunning. You make me sorry for you; come with me, I will teach you how people get away from the hounds.' Just then came a hunter with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly up a tree, and sat down at the top of it, where the branches and foliage quite concealed her. 'Open your sack, Mr Fox, open your sack,' cried the cat to him, but the dogs had already seized him, and were holding him fast. 'Ah, Mr Fox,' cried the cat. 'You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch! Had you been able to climb like me, you would not have lost your life.' From Grimm`s Fairy Tales.