A CAT AND MOUSE STORY

Ollie, the cat, lay asleep in the sun. Although birds hopped nearby, he had never caught one

But his eyes opened wide at the sound of a squeak And there sat a mouse! How brave! What a cheek!

So the mouse and the cat sat and looked at each other (And Ollie recalled that he’d ate this one’s mother!)

Ollie said “Listen, mouse, you are taking a risk, For if I pounce on you, well, you’ll be mega-squished”

But the mouse said “I’m Stan, and I’m ready to bet That I’m smarter than you - I’m the smartest mouse yet!

Then Stan winked at old Ollie, said “Let’s have 3 tests Just between you and me, to decide who’s the best.”

The first test

Stan found a penny at the old lilac tree, Tossed it up with his nose, yelling “ Tails! Tails for me!!”

Ollie looked at the mouse with a hint of a sneer And said “Choose the first test, as long as it’s here,

For I don’t want to go far, it’s time for my tea.” Stan nodded his head and said “Yes, I agree.”

So Stan thought very hard, then said “Let’s have a race,,From garden to rooftop at the Thomsons’ place”

Ollie wanted a start so he quickly said “Go!”Ran round to the kitchen and shot through the door,

Startling the Thomsons, having some tea, Then leapt up the stairs, one-two-three

Right up to the landing, turned to the right,  To the small bedroom window, jumped out and held tight

With his claws,then swung up onto the gutter To find Stan was there; eating bread, jam and butter!

(For when Ollie had run all that way through the house Stan had run up the drainpipe, the smart little mouse!)

The Second test

Ollie looked at the mouse and said “You have been cheating! In a race to the roof there’s no way I was beaten

But I’ll let you win test one!, for I’m telling you There’s NO WAY you can beat me in Test number Two!

“We both hide in the bushes at house number one Then leap out and surprise whoever has come

The winner will be the one giving most fright So I’ll do it first - watch their faces turn white!”

They both hid and waited for someone to come Then heard heavy footsteps, THRUM-THRUM-THRUM

Ollie leapt from the bushes and shouted out:” BOO!!! “  And was faced by a heffalump (escaped from the zoo)

Who didn’t see Ollie and tramped on his tail -  Which was, lucky for Ollie, on top of a snail - it burst!

But its puddens were like a wee cushion and the cat freed his tail With some pulling and pushing! 

Poor Ollie had thought that he’d win,just because A mouse is quite small, with no sharp teeth or claws

But, as everyone knows, so I won’t say it twice Heffalumps are all terrified of small mice!

So, the heffalump ran, with a squigulous squeal Down the road to the by-pass ,then over the fields

Through the meadows and woods and went racing past hills (The TV news said that he’s running there still)

The mouse turned to Ollie and said “Listen, you! You have to admit I won Test Number Two.

Test Number Three

Stan said to Ollie “I’ve won the first two So I’ll let the last test be decided by you”

This made Ollie unhappy to hear the mouse bragIt made him quite wild, nearly losing the rag.

“Right mouse”, sneered Ollie, “Here’s what we’ll do, It’s a quiz - do you know the things cats always knew

Are you ready for question 1?”, Ollie demanded  “then answer me this; am I left or right handed?”

Mrs.Thomson that afternoon walked round her garden There Ollie lay sleeping, burped, said “Beg your pardon”

She asked “Where’s the mouse? Did he answer your questions?” “Not really”, said Ollie, “Gave me indigestion.”

“He won 2 tests “ she said, “I expect you must hate him”   “No,” was the reply “He was nice - so I ate him!

For he couldn’t answer the question I asked  ‘What’s a cat’s favourite food?’ seemed too much of a task -

He guessed at a bird, then a fish, then some cheese; So I had to tell him - no nothing of these

And the last thing I told him, as we left the house, was, "The favourite food of a cat is a MOUSE!!"