26-SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Suddenly, all the lights came on. "There he is, that's my brother, Geronimo Stilton!" Thea shouted. Thirty-eight female mice began to shriek. "Geronimo! Geronimo Stilton! We love you!" they cried. I felt faint. My heart began to pound. My whiskers shook. NO, this is not happening, I told myself. Not on my do- what-I-want night. Not on my pig-out-on- cheese night. Not on my BE-BY-MYSELF night. Maybe I am just having a bad dream, I decided. Yes, that must be it. I tried closing my eyes. I tried practicing some meditation. I tried sneaking out the front door. But before I could escape, Thea grabbed my paw.

"Sit there at the head of the table, big brother," she instructed. "My friends here want you to tell them all about your trip." Then she leaned close to my ear. "And you better make it good!" she whispered. Meanwhile, Thea's friends were hanging all over me. I could hardly move.

"You're my HERO!" a honey-colored mouse squeaked. "I want to know everything about your trip. And about you!" a furry gray mouse winked. "You are much cuter than your picture!" a tawny mouse whispered.

Thea fluffed up her fur. She was so proud of herself. She loved being in charge. Plus, having me as a brother had made her more popular than ever. I looked around. My admirers were every- where. They stroked my fur. They pinched my tail. They stared deeply into my eyes. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to get away. I took off like a shot. The mice charged after me. I flung open the door to a closet and LOCKED it behind me. "Geronimo! Come out!" squeaked my admirers. "We love you!" I rested my head on my paws. Then I sighed. Oh, well. I guess that's love for you....