10-GERONIMO, DO SOMETHING!

GERONIMO, DO SOMETHING! We were all in a panic. We couldn't keep driving. We were terribly lost. "Geronimo, do something!" Thea whispered to me. "Maybe you can go out and look for help." I turned pale. Me? Go out into the deep, DARK woods? I'd rather cut off my tail. Well, OK, maybe not my tail. Maybe my whiskers. Or maybe just some fur. "Wh-wh-why m-m-m-me?" I stammered. My sister gave me a look. "Oh, stop being such a scaredy mouse, Geronimoid," she scolded. "I'd go myself but I haven't showered. What if I ran into a cute mouse?" I rolled my eyes. My sister goes on more

dates than Sylvia Sizzlefur, the famouse movie star. Just then, Tina winked at my sister. She waved her rolling pin at me. "Mr. Stilton, would you mind going outside for a minute to SEE if it is raining?" she asked. I had barely left the cabin when... SLAM! The door shut behind me. I heard the lock click. cheese niblets! I had been tricked again. I screamed for them to let me in, but no one answered. I was all alone. In the dark, spooky woods!

I heard my sister singing in the shower. She'd probably be in there for an hour—and then spend another hour fluffing

her fur! It was as if she'd forgotten about me! Didn't she care about me at all? Tina was back in the kitchen. I could hear her rolling pin slamming the countertop. What was she making this time? A double-cheese lasagna? A cheddar casserole? I sobbed. I would never get a chance to find out. I just knew something horrible was going to happen. I mean, I was in the middle of the wilderness. And it was so dark. What if a WILD ANIMAL attacked me? What if I fell off an icy cliff? What if space mice picked me up and brought me back to their leader? Oh, how could my sister do this to me? She's the one who's not afraid of anything. She is the bravest mouse I know. Nothing scares her. She loves:

1. parachuting off dangerous mountaintops 2. racing her motorcycle

3. practicing karate (she's a black belt) 4. doing stunts with her airplane 5. extreme survival camps Yes, my sister, Thea, is one courageous mouse. She's not afraid of anything or anyone. What a show-off. I looked around, shivering. The forest was as black as ink. Luckily, I remembered I had a tiny flashlight attached to my key ring. I pulled it out. The light was faint. Are you afraid of the dark? I am! SHADOWS loomed every- where. The branches on the trees looked like skeletons reaching for the sky. Moths transformed into bats. A bird screeched overhead. I gulped. My paws shook so hard, I almost dropped the flashlight. Then I saw a shadow. It was behind me.