SWISS CHEESE

The Swiss Cheese had been a relic of the past long before any of the present staff of the castle had been born.  People said that it had been created along with the dark old castle when it was a young fresh fortress with pristine walls free of leaks, mold and moisture.

Now it was an old cheese, a sort of dairy heirloom, untouched by the staff and originally meant only for the consumption of royalty ,at their whim. This understanding had been overlooked by the extended family of mice who used the inner recesses of the white obelisk for snack time presumably having been kept out of the loop of proper cheese protocol. It had always been a quick meal ,somewhat stale but always available to a busy parent with many mouths to feed ,like a giant cylindrical twenty four hour convenience store with a large neon sign announcing FREE CHEESE!

Through this labyrinthine rubbery white maze of twisting turning tunnels ,Timothy ,a young mouse ,would run, jump and slide as the cheese reverberated, always finding a new pathway through the rubbery, smooth fromage to reach the other side of the cheese.Being a maze, trampoline and snack bar it provided both a playground, bouncy-castle, slide and nutritional staple for the young mouse and his many brothers, sisters and cousins.Mother always made sure he was neat and clean before venturing out on his adventurous forays, reminding him to watch out for Mr. Lump the cat whose sole purpose in life and solemn responsibility was to rid the castle of mice.Timothy had survived many close calls with the furry feline but each time his escape had been closer than previous encounters, as  Mr.Lump had memorized all the entrances and exits of the cheese, observing the mouse from the rafters as the mouse played in the elephantine fromage. For each entrance Mr. Lump knew which exit would be used.

One day Timothy ran to an exit in the cheese only to find it blocked by darkness, and stopped short before the threshold as the giant razor sharp teeth of the carnivore snapped shut, having incorrectly timed Timothy’s exit by a fraction of a second!

Timothy was shaken by this experience and he began to formulate a plan to rid himself of this rotund menace for once and for all!

The next morning Timothy put on his best running shoes and as he approached the cheese he pretended to be hurt, faking a limp, which should entice Mr. Lump to follow him for an easy meal. Limping across the floor to the cheese Timothy could feel the cat’s eyes following him across the smooth, cold stone floor. Suddenly he darted around the cheese and out the door, which was ajar, with  the cat in hot pursuit.Over the bridge, up the hill and into the forest looking back so as not to lose the cat.Sure enough Mr.Lump was not far behind adjusting to the sunlight and fresh air which he abhorred as well as the considerable strain on his heart which this sprint entailed.Timothy waited for him to catch up ,taunting the prodigious feline.As Mr. Limp charged up the hill and lunged at him Timothy jumped into a bramble and Mr.Lump leapt headlong into the bushes behind him.

In an instant Mr. Lump realized that he had acted in an imprudent fashion as the old bear trap snapped shut crushing the cat’s back and hind quarters. As Mr. Lump lay dying Timothy approached him as the light faded in his opponent’s eyes. Timothy felt relief, but also sadness for the loss of a formidable adversary.

Once news got out in the kingdom that Mr. Lump had perished due to the courage and strategy of Timothy ,he became a hero in  the mouse community and was thereafter generally avoided by cats in the kingdom ,taking different routes if they saw him coming .Timothy’s mother was relieved at the demise of Mr. Lump but wondered if the King might bring in a new younger, nastier cat with faster reflexes and sharper teeth, but at least for now they were safe to eat Swiss Cheese at their pleasure…

 

Jim

Jan. 2021