Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Arcade Mouse

It was trouble enough when the children were all running around. They were mingled with adults who were, perhaps, the biggest problem for me. I had to come out during the day. Everything was locked during the night, and that was no good. I may be small, but the only way to actually get into a closed door is to chew into it. Chewing into things create holes. Holes mean that the local pest control is gonna show up and kill a poor, innocent mouse.

Of course, I could have just lived somewhere else. There's not much food here. Maybe a bit of french-fry... and the crumbs of a half-eaten pizza. I mean, I do have standards, darn it!

No, the thing I was the most interested in was... and please don't laugh at this... the prize cabinet. You know what I mean, right? It's the glass cabinet where all the kids exchange their tickets for free stuff. Yes, that cabinet. That's why I live here on the very edge of danger.

All the kids want what's in there, and so do I. I mean not everything. Some of the more expensive stuff is not really my cup of cheese. I am in it more for the cheap stuff. 10 to 100 tickets is my fair. Here you have the cool glow-in-the-dark things and suckers. I love the suckers. Sugar is a major part of my diet. I also like the erasers. They don't taste very good, but they are soft and squishy. I just like that.

Getting into the prize cabinet is hard, but I have to do it during the day. That means sneaking around people's feet. I've been seen a few times, but I always got away. It's okay if a child sees me, but if an adult spots me, the jig is up. I am very careful about the risks I take.

The idea of it is to get the things I want and not get locked in the cabinet. I have a little hidey-hole in the wall where I bring all the things. I set them up and arrange them all by colors. The pencil sharpeners are surprisingly good as little chairs. You might not think that because of the hole, but it has more to do with the side you lay it on. Boy, I'd hate to get my tail stuck in one of those things!

I try and keep a stash of at least five suckers. If I get down to two, I know I have to get back into the cabinet for more. You know, when I moved in here, I noticed the suckers were going for fifteen tickets. Now they are like thirty! I don't think that's fair to all the kids who probably remember them being cheaper. I don't know how ticket inflation works, but there should be more consistency to it. Just to get one up on the man, I put a few suckers in the ten-ticket slot. I think I made one little girl very happy.

So, this is my life. It's very cutthroat, I know. I'm probably gonna get caught eventually, but I do have an escape (and return) plan. You don't need to worry about me. I do wish you could see my little apartment. It glows in the dark. After putting myself through such daily trials, it's a very relaxing room to come back to. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Squeak!

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This blog was written on November 6, 2022.

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