07-GERONIMO! QUIT THE HYSTERICS!

GERONIMO! QUIT THE HYSTERICS! I bolted down the hall and flew out the front door. "HEEEEEEELP!" I squeaked into the dark, rainy night. But of course, no one answered. How could they? There wasn't a paw or tail in sight. I was alone. Yes, all alone in the spooky Dark Forest, Oh, how I wished I was home! I SHIVERED. My whiskers were getting soaked. Now what? Before I could come up with a plan, my cell phone rang. It was working again! It played classical music. For a minute, I let myself enjoy the soothing sounds of Ratwig van Beethoven. What an amazing composer. Then I remembered where I was and what I

had just seen in the castle. "Poisonous cheese puffs!" I shrieked into the phone. "Who is it? You've got to help me!" It was my sister, Thea. "Geronimo? Where are you? What's going on?" she asked calmly. I was back in full panic mode. "The b-bone; I mean, the c-castle; ahem, the kitchen; that is, the skeleton and the armor, too, all because of the fog. And I saw a light at the window, but there's n-n-no one here," I stammered, "Holey cheese, I'm scared. Come and save me!!!!!" My sister sighed. She is the exact opposite of me. That mouse would stay calm even if she got stuck in a tornado and touched down at the Catwalk Seaside

Resort! "Geronimo! Quit the hysterics!" she ordered in her no-nonsense voice. "Now, tell me exactly where you are." I stared into the dark night. "Um, I don't know, I'm somewhere in the Dark Forest," I began. "I passed Sadsack Point, but I got lost. Then my car broke down, and I found this castle. It's empty, but..." My sister snorted. "Why are you getting your whiskers in a twist. then?" she scolded. "If you are at a castle, just pick a room and hit the sack. Tomorrow morning you can find the main road and go home. Cheese niblets! You really make a mountain out of a mousehill sometimes!" I peered back at the castle. "But I don't want to sleep here!" I whined. "The castle is empty! It's too scary! And it's MUCH TOO DARK!" Of course, my sister had an answer for

everything. She pointed out that I would not need light since I was going to sleep anyway. Then she called me a 'fraidy mouse. I was insulted. But I was too afraid to say so. "Is there anything there to eat?" my sister asked. I told her about the cheese I had found in the kitchen. "That's great! What more do you want?" she demanded. "You're at a castle and you have cheese!" I reminded her about the mouse bone in the kitchen. fclnef. Not to mention that hideous rat skeleton hanging in the closet.

"Oh, brother, you've got one active imagination," she scoffed. "Bones, skeletons. Maybe you should try cleaning your glasses. Or maybe you should have a little chat with Dr. Shrinkfur. I think you're seeing things!" I heard the splashing of water. Thea must have been taking her nightly bath. Oh, how I wished I was home in my own bathtub! I could be relaxing in lots of bubbles. I could be playing with my squeaky-cheese bath toy. Suddenly, a noise interrupted my happy thoughts. It was coming from the big hall inside the castle. "Listen, Thea," I whispered. "You won't believe this. But I've just seen a ghost!" My sister coughed. "A GHOST? You mean a real GHOST?" she squeaked. "Yes, it was a real ghost," I repeated. Thea was silent. I knew she was trying to decide if I

was telling the truth. I don't know why my family never believes me. I mean, I am a newspaper mouse. I tell it the way I see it. "Listen, Thea. I know a ghost when I see one," I insisted. "And this was a real honest-to-goodmouse ghost!" I heard a loud splashing sound. It sounded like my sister was getting out of the tub, Seconds later, she came back on the line. "Well, why didn't you tell me about this ghosty guy in the first place? WHAT A CHEESEBRAIN!" she shrieked. squeak was earsplitting! "This could be a great ghost scoop. I'M ON MY WAY!" Thea cried. "I'll take pictures. The paper will sell like hot cheesecakes! Bye!" She slammed down the receiver. I was left listening to the dial tone.