chapter 2 - the captains table
is there anything a mouse likes more than cheese (nothing comes to mind)? and it was that unmistakable smell, which drew me to the captains quarters this very day. as i squeezed underneath the cabin door, i peered into the captains quarters, and saw no sign of any crew member. the smell was getting stronger and i knew that what i seeked had to be up on the table, before me.
sadly, no sign of any cheese scattered on the cabin floor. this captain was not as sloppy as the crew. if i wanted cheese, i had to go aloft to the table top. the table legs would be an easy climb for an agile mouse. but once topside, the table top would not provide any quick means of escape. "courage thomas!", i said, as i began to climb.
the table top was cleaner than the floor! the cheese i seeked, was centered in the middle of the table, nestled next to a hard roll and some fruit. i glanced nervously about the room, from my new vantage point. my whiskers were twitching, as was my nose, in the direction of that cheese.
just then, a blade crashed into the table top before me and blocked my view of that cheese. i thought i saw my last breath appear on the surface of that blade. it was was so close to my nose, i was sure i'd lost a whisker. but to my surprise i was unharmed, and the blade was suddenly yanked from the table top.
i was much relieved, to see that the next thrust of the blade was into that cheese and not into me. then the hand which had wielded that knife with such speed, that it would have dazzled a cat, offered me a piece of cheese!