03-ALL IN THIRTY SECONDS FLAT!

ALL IN THIRTY SECONDS FLAT! The next day, I made a decision. It was time to get off my tail. I couldn't stay inside forever. I took a deep breath and forced myself to leave the house. I took the stairs. No, I wasn't ready for the elevator yet. (I was too AFRALD of closed spaces.) Then I opened the front door and stuck my snout outside. It was so noisy! I could barely hear myself think. Car horns blared. Delivery trucks rumbled down the street. Had it always been this loud? Carefully, I set a paw on the pavement. Nothing happened. I was so relieved. I DID IT! I REALLY DID IT! Why was I so afraid to go out? It's no big

deal. At last, things were starting to look up. I walked to the newsstand to buy a paper. I had hardly opened it when... A flowerpot fell from a window ledge, hitting me on the head. Stumbling, I crashed right into a lamppost. Then I tripped on a mouse hole cover. I fell and bashed my snout on the hard pavement.

As I was getting up, a taxi ran over my tail. Then a pigeon decided to poop on my nose. And it all happened in thirty seconds flat! "Hneeeeeeeeeelp!" I shrieked in a panic. I immediately scampered back home. "See, I was right all along!" I squeaked out loud. "Going out is DANGEROUS BUSINESS! From now on, I'm staying put!" I locked the door. It took a little while. I had added five extra dead bolts. You can never be too safe.