07-A CHEESE HEART

A CHEESE HEART My favorite nephew, Benjamin, raced into the room. "Uncle Geronimo! I brought you a drawing!" he squeaked. He handed me a piece of paper with a picture of a big yellow heart made of cheese. "Do you like it, Uncle? I made it for you with those new markers you gave me," he explained.

I beamed. Isn't he the most amazing little mouse? Oh, how I love my dear nephew. At that moment, he noticed Aunt Sweetfur. He ran toward her and hugged her tight. "Auntie! I didn't know you were here!" Aunt Sweetfur kissed Benjamin on the tip of his nose. "Darling Benjamin! You are growing faster than a rat in a cheese shop. How wonderful!" she squeaked. Trap clapped his paws. "Ahem, yes, well, I hate to break up the lovefest here," he muttered, "but let's talk more about this treasure." I quickly explained the story to Benjamin. Then I sent him to look up the Ratlapagos Islands on the Internet.

In the meantime, I found a book on my shelf all about lost treasures. I pointed to one of the pages. "Here it is," I said. I began to read aloud: "Admiral Don Sea Snout's ship, The Golden Rind, disappeared near Cream Cheese Island in 1713, at the time of the Great CAT War. It was one of the biggest ships of the time. It had thirty-six BRONZE cannons. It was last seen en route to Whiskers Landing, carrying thirteen precious diamonds for KING CHARLES CHEDDARAMA IV. No trace of the ship or its treasure has ever been found." What a disaster! What a catastrophe! What a mystery! Did I tell you I absolutely love mysteries?

Right then, Benjamin let out a cry. "Look at this!" he exclaimed. "This agency on the Ratlapagos Islands rents out boats with a skipper. You could book a boat with an echo sounder. It's a special device to help locate objects underwater." Thea's eyes shone. "I've got a great idea!" she squeaked. "I'll take pictures and Geronimo can write a new book. We'll call it The Search for Sunken Treasure. It will be a BESTSELLER!"

Trap was green with envy. "Bestseller, bestshmeller..." he grumbled. Aunt Sweetfur patted his fur. "You are a lovely cook, dear. Maybe you can cook for us," she suggested sweetly. That got my cousin going. He strutted around my office, waving his tail in the air. "True, true. I am a gifted chef. A genius in the kitchen," he boasted. "I will prepare some whisker- licking good delicacies!" "How wonderful!" squeaked Aunt Sweetfur. A minute later, I felt a small tug on my

sleeve. "Uncle can I come, too?" Benjamin whispered. Our trip would be long. It would be tiring. It was no place for a little mouse. "Oh, thank you, Uncle! You're the best!" my nephew cried when I agreed. Did I mention I'm a pushover when it comes to my dear, sweet Benjamin?