19-I'M AFRAID OF THE DARK!

I'M AFRAID OF THE DARK! The cave grew narrower and narrower. I guess you could say it was shaped a bit like a slice of cheese. At the end, there was a tiny HOLE. The butterfly disappeared through it. I tried to follow. But the hole was much too small for me. It was too small for any adult mouse. Only a small mouse Benjamin's size could fit through it. "LET ME GO, UNCLE!" he whispered. "I'LL BE CAREFUL, PLUS, I BROUGHT MY CAMERA. I CAN TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES."

I put my paw around my nephew. I made him promise ten times to be careful. Then he kissed my snout and disappeared through the tiny opening. I sat down and waited. Every now and then I would peek into the hole and squeak, "Benjamin! Benjamin!!! Benjamin!!!" Unfortunately, I'd forgotten my watch. I had no idea how much time had gone by. Was it an hour? Was it a day? Was it forever and a day? I started to WORRY about Benjamin. He was just a little thing. What if something happened to him? I would never forgive myself for letting him go. Oh, how could I have been so foolish? I

should have never let him disappear into that hole. Now I was stuck in this creepy dark cave all alone. "Benjamin, come back!" I sobbed. "I'm afraid of the dark!"