26-A TEENY-TINY ISLAND

A TEENY-TINY ISLAND We decided to take a different route home. "This way, we'll avoid another run-in with those two rotten rodents," Captain Skipper Paws advised. We sailed along a stretch of sea where no ships ever went by. There

was nothing much to see except water, water, and more water. Oh, and once in a while we saw a shark. A real shark, that is. Holy cheese, sharks were scary! SUDDENLY, far away in the distance, we caught a glimpse of a very, very small island. It was no bigger than a rock. "How strange," Thea muttered. "It's not on the map." Benjamin clapped his paws. "If it's not on the map, that means we're the first ones to discover it. Just like Christopher Columouse!" he squeaked. Thea grabbed the binoculars. She scanned the island. "I see three palm trees, a teeny-tiny beach, a waterfall, and one rock. I can also see a hammock hanging from two of the trees and

a tiny hut made of leaves." A hammock? A hut made of leaves? My heart began thumping wildly under my fur. "Cheese niblets! This means someone lives there! A castaway!" I shrieked excitedly. My sister scanned the island once more. Then she gave a start. "A MOUSE! I can see a mouse! He's waving a yellow handkerchief!" she cried. With a squeak, Aunt Sweetfur snatched the binoculars from Thea's paws. "It's him!" she shouted.

Two seconds later, she had PLUNGED into the water— fully dressed! Yep, she didn't even stop to take off her hat. Instead she began mouse-paddling toward the island at record speed. We watched her in astonishment. Who would have thought our meek, mild auntie would turn out to be such an impressive swimmer? Still, what if she got chased by a shark? Or caught in a strong current? "I'm right behind you, Auntiloo!" Trap called, jumping in after her. "Me, too!" Thea squeaked, following Trap's lead. I stared at the water. I really wasn't in the mood to get wet. It was so nice and warm on deck. And besides, I was having such a good fur day. Right then, I felt a tug on my paw. "HERE,

UNCLE," my little nephew said, holding up a sharp spear. "USE THIS TO SCARE AWAY THE SHARKS." I took the spear. My teeth were chattering. But I jumped overboard anyway. What else could I do? I couldn't have my nephew thinking I was a scaredy mouse. I began swimming FOR MY LIFE. Meanwhile, Aunt Sweetfur soon reached the beach. She raced across the sand toward the castaway, paws outstretched. "Graceful! My love!" she squeaked. The mouse's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Sweetfur! Darling Sweetfur!" he cried.