03-WHAT A HEAT WAVE!

WHAT A HEAT WAVE! When we reached the office, Pinky took off. "Catch you later, Popsicle!" she CALLED OUT before she disappeared. I hung my head. What did I do to deserve that mouse? She was so irritating. She was so obnoxious. She could drive a perfectly normal rodent to eat rat poison! Of course, you are probably wondering why I put up with Pinky. After all, I am her boss. But there is one thing I didn't tell you about Pinky. She is a genius. Yes, an honest-to-goodmouse genius! Last year, Pinky came

up with an idea for a magazine for young mice. She called it Fur Kids only. Now it is the most popular magazine for mouslets in New Mouse City. Pinky's just a teenager, but she's one of the brainiest rodents I know! After Pinky left, I pushed open the door to my office. What a heat wave! I could hardly breathe. Even my whiskers were sweating. I turned the dial on the AIR CONDITIONER. But it must have gotten stuck. A blast of icy air hit me in the snout. within minutes, I was freezing my tail off.

The wall thermometer read thirty degrees below zero! It was colder than the time I tried skiing on the slopes of Ratrun Mountain. At least then, I was able to take breaks at the Cozytail Lodge. My secretary, Mousella, found me shivering in a corner of the room. She shook her head. "Mr. Stilton, you'll catch your death in here," she scolded. I switched off the air conditioner. I wasn't about to freeze to death right before my vacation. Five minutes later, it was boiling again. The HEAT melted the icicles on my whiskers. I groaned. My good silk tie was soaked. I was a mess. Upset, I called the air-conditioner rat. "There must be something wrong with this machine," I explained. "What's the problem?" he smirked. "If

you're hot, you switch it on. If you're cold, just switch it off!" I chewed my whiskers to keep from screaming. Cheese niblets! I couldn't wait for my vacation.... I switched on an old copper fan my grandfather WILLIAM SHORTPAWS had hung from the ceiling. Grandfather was the founder of The Rodent's Gazette. Years ago, he ran the business with an iron paw. He was known for being the cheapest mouse in the pack, which is why he was nicknamed CHEAP MOUSE WILLY! He only brushed his teeth once a

week to save money on toothpaste. As soon as I switched on the fan, papers began to fly all over the place. "Mousella! HEEEELP!" I squeaked in a panic. My secretary ran into the office. Paper rained down like giant snowflakes. Mousella shook her head. "How did you manage to make such a MESS?"

she yelled. But she helped me put the place back in order. By now, I was really sweating. It was hotter than the kitchen of the Greasy Rat Café in the summertime. Cheese niblets! I couldn't wait for my vacation. Just then, I remembered something. My grandfather always kept a small personal-sized fan in the cellar. I raced down to find it. Back in my office, I set it up away from the papers on my desk. Then I switched it on. AH, RELIEF! I was as cool as a cheddar cheese log in my megahuge fridge!