04-WILLIAM SHORTPAWS, ALSO KNOWN AS CHEAP MOUSE WILLY

WILLIAM SHORTPAWS, ALSO KNOWN AS CHEAP MOUSE WILLY At that moment, the phone RANG. I answered it. "Hello. Is this Stilton, Geronimo Stilton?" It was Aunt Sweetfur my favorite auntie. When I was a little mouselet, she read bedtime stories to me—"Jack and the Cheese Stick," "Snow Rat and the Seven Mice," "Little Red Ratty Hood"—all of the greats. "Nephew, I have some bad news for you," Aunt Sweetfur began. "Dreadful news. I don't know how to put this. It's about Grandfather William." A shiver ran through my fur. Everyone is afraid of my grandfather William Shortpaws,

also known as Cheap Mouse Willy. He is the founder of The Rodent's Gazette. He thinks nobody knows how to run a newspaper but him. "Aunt Sweetfur, tell me the truth," I said. "Is Grandfather William ill?" A loud voice roared on the other end of the phone. "Fat chance!" It was Grandfather William! "I'm feeling fine, Grandson. But you had better do something right now to save the company! If you don't,

I am coming back to take over Stilton Publishing. Is that clear?" How was I supposed to save the company from a mysterious one-eyed rat? I started to protest. "BUT, GRANDFATHER..." "Stop squeaking and get moving!" Grandfather William yelled. Then he hung up on me. I felt pretty terrible. This was worse than that time I got cheddar chewing gum stuck in my whiskers. Worse than that time I had the mousles and broke out in red spots all over my fur. Worse than when I had a bad reaction to some overripe Muenster and thought I was allergic to cheese. I started to sob. Soon my snout was soaked with tears. "This means things are much, much, much, much worse than I thought!"