05-ANYTHING MISSING？

ANYTHING MISSING? Fifteen pounds of extra-sharp cheddar eighty boxes of mac and cheese ten tubs of Swiss nine bags of nacho cheese chips, unsalted... The next morning, I stood on the deck of the Lucky Lady, reading out a list of our supplies. What a mess! "Trap, fill up the water tank," I instructed my cousin, but instead of filling the water tank, he poured water into the fuel tank! "What

are you doing?!" I squeaked. "I think you had better lay off the extra-sharp — it seems to be affecting your brain!" I turned to my sister. "Thea, run and get me the compass I ordered down at Boats, Masts, and Beyond. Ask to see the owner, Squeaky La Rue, also known as The Squeak. He's a friend of mine, so he should give you a discount. You can't miss him. He's a tall, thin, gray mouse with a tail so furry you could use it to dust every room in your mousehole." Just then I noticed Trap talking to the young ship rat on the boat next to ours. "That's right, my young rat friend,"

he whispered. "Don't tell anyone we're looking for something but I can't tell you what.... It begins with a T and ends with an E.... That's right, it's on an island." Quick as a cat at a mouse convention, I leaped up and yanked Trap away by the tail. "Are you going to blurt out the whole story about the treasure?" I hissed. Trap gave me an innocent smile. "Did I mention a treasure? There are lots of words that begin with T and end with E, you know," he smirked. "Telephone, for example. Or how about ticktacktoe?" I banged my head against the side of the ship. By six o'clock that night, we had finished loading. I rushed to Rats Authority, the best store in town for sporting goods. "Can you help me, please?" I said to

Scratch, the mouse who owns the place. "I want to get everything I would need for a long sea voyage. And I'm in a big rush, so if you could hurry..." "Well, tickle me with a cat-fur feather! If it isn't Geronimo Stilton, the newspaper mouse!" Scratch cried. "What an honor!" He then began to drag out av-er-y-thing in the entire store. nkledc. My head was spinning. There were ten pairs of waterproof underwear, a floppy cheddar-colored straw hat that squeaked if you stayed out in the sun too long, and a life raft shaped like a slice of cheese on a five-foot-long cracker.

"I also need a suitcase," I said to Scratch. "Or better yet, a big trunk!" "I've got just the thing for a sharp mouse like you, Mr. Stilton!" he remarked, his eyes gleaming. "Follow me." He led me to the back of the store, where he unlocked the door to a small room. Then, like the famous magician Harry Ratini, he lifted a silk cloth with a flourish. There stood a trunk as TALL as a circus mouse on stilts. It was covered in bright YELLOW leather that glowed in the dark. It was as wide as the giant from Rat and the Beanstalk and as long as the line for cheese danish at the bakery on Sunday morning. "Isn't it a beauty?" asked Scratch.

I nodded and carefully lifted the lid. Holey cheese! You could fit a sumo mouse inside! I spotted several coat hangers made of cheese cloth and a whole shelf just for hats. There was a shiny cat-tooth comb and a wire brush for tough whiskers. The trunk also had a space for office supplies: paper, pens, paperweights, a tiny, tiny, secret compartment, you name it. "I'll take it!" I SQURAKED. "I knew you would like it, Mr. Stilton! This is the real deal." He beamed, running his paws over the trunk. "It's just the thing for an adventurous seagoing mouse such as yourself. Wish you could take me along." Hmm. Geronimo Stilton: Fearless Sailor of the High Seas, I thought. Had a nice ring to it. I just might enjoy this trip after all!