The Church Mouse

by Leo

I knew the man, as he came to fix my devoted slave’s computer when it went wrong, if anything, I liked him as he was quiet and always polite to me and would say “Excuse me” if he disturbed me, but I could hardly believe what he was saying to my devoted slave !

”So if I take your cat, for a few hours, you think that will solve the problem ?”

“I’m sure, it will, Leo is a wonderful mouser and will catch the mouse in no time !”

”I hope so, it’s evaded the trap we put down, just takes the cheese ,without setting it off!”

I pricked up my ears at this information, mice !Now if there’s one thing, I like, it’s a nice juicy mouse, caught freshly in my own skilled paws !

My devoted slave picked me up and put me in a plastic box, with a wire mesh at one end. Before I could escape, she had fastened it and I was trapped !

I mewed pitifully to be let out and she did at least have the decency to look guilty as she said to the man. “You will take care of him, won’t you?”

”Of, course, don’t worry, I’ll leave him with food and water and a litter tray and bring him back to you early tomorrow morning before I go to work. Hopefully, he’ll have caught the mouse by then !It won’t be cold in chapel”

I could hardly believe my ears, she was letting this man take me somewhere all night ! Then I remembered that a few weeks ago, I’d heard her boast to a friend that I could catch any mouse and a few days ago she’d been to what she calls a “Chapel Meeting.”

She must have volunteered my services, but you would have thought, she would have asked me first !

The man took me outside to large metal box with wheels, opened the door and put my box carefully on the floor. I heard him call goodbye to my unfaithful slave and then the box began to move !

I mewed a few times and the man said, “It won’t be long, Puss.!”

A few minutes later, the box on wheels stopped moving and the man got out and unlocked the door of a large building. I feared he would go in and leave me, but he came back and picked up my box and carried it inside. He then shut the door, opened the box and let me out.

“There you are, Puss, “ He said, Now you go and catch the mouse. See you soon !”

Before I could properly take in my surroundings he was gone.

I ventured out of the box and looked around me .I was in large room with long wooden benches at each side. They looked most uncomfortable, unlike the furniture at home. Eventually I found a cushion, which smelled of my not so devoted slave and sat there for a while before exploring further.

There was an open door which led into another big room, though this one was full of tables and chairs, several smaller doors led out of this room to two bathrooms and a kitchen. I decided it was some strange kind of house. Then , I smelt it, a mouse in the kitchen.

It was dark and it didn’t see me coming, so with one pounce I caught it and settled down to enjoy my spoils before falling asleep. I slept a long time, considering I was in a strange place, and when I woke it was daylight, so I went and found the litter tray to use but turned up my nose at the dish of food that had been left for me. It was that nasty cheap stuff that my slave knows I won’t eat.

A short while afterwards, I heard the door open and the man came in. I didn’t fancy going in the moving box with wheels again, so I ran away and hid. He chased after me but to no avail, as I was too quick for him. There was a sort of curtained box in the room with the hard seats and I hid there where he couldn’t see me.

I saw him take a mobile phone out of his pocket, like the one my slave has and heard him talking “I just can’t find him, I’m sorry, he ran away from me. I know he’s in the building but I don’t know where !I’ve an important meeting at work today and I dare not be late. I’m so sorry. !"

He sounded upset and I wondered whether to come out or not, but thought well it serves him right for bringing me here and stayed hidden. I spent part of the day exploring and then found a patch of sunlight to snooze in the kitchen. I was getting really hungry and wondered about eating some of the nasty cheap food but decided I would rather go hungry than eat that !

Soon after dark, the man came again, this time, he wasn’t on his own, but had three females with him, an older lady, a teenage girl and a young girl. I’m not keen on strangers, so I hid again. The young girls ran from room to room shouting me, but they never thought of looking in my hiding place. I then heard the man say. “I’m sure we could catch him if Rose were here, she was so upset this morning, but she is confined to bed with the flu.”

One of the girls then screamed. “Eek a mouse’s tail and bits of its insides !Daddy, take it away, it’s horrible !” Obviously she had found the remains of my mouse, you would have thought she would be more grateful I’d caught it !

The man said.” At least that’s proof the cat is alright, I’ll phone Rose and tell her, but I wish we could find him. A cat can’t just vanish into thin air !”

The girl was making such a fuss that the older woman insisted they left, leaving me still curled up in my hiding place. I was beginning to wonder if I should have gone with them but I couldn’t understand why my slave didn’t come herself as she knows I don’t like strangers. I could still smell mice in the kitchen and caught another one after dark, but it was only small and I was still hungry. I drank some of the water and tasted the nasty cheap cat food, but it had gone bad with being left. I decided I would go with the man if he came back the next day and then fell asleep in my hiding place.

When I woke the next morning, it was just in time to see the family leaving The man was saying. “We should have tried calling instead of trying to catch him unawares as we can’t come back tonight with going on the trip. I dread phoning Rose !”

I tried to run after them, but I could only hear the key turning in the lock I mewed loudly but the girls were talking and the next thing I heard was the sound of the box on wheels being driven away.

I felt very miserable that day, I missed my mother, Queenie and would have been so pleased to see her, even if she insisted on washing my ears, I missed playing with my friend Ginger and would have even welcomed hearing my sister growl and hiss at me. I even missed my slave, even though it was all her fault I was here.

When I went to look at the food though, they had put some fresh down and refilled my water dish as well as putting fresh litter in the box. The food was better, this time, the sort my slave gives me, so at least I had something to eat but I felt lonely and miserable..

That night, I slept on the cushion that smelt of Rose and waited anxiously for the man to come, but instead, a lot of strange people came in and sat on the wooden seats, so I hid again . A lady appeared and said “Welcome to the service. I want you all to say a special prayer today for Leo, Rose’s cat who is lost in this chapel !”

The people all sat in silence and then started singing !The lady then read out of a book and the people sang again. Then the lady talked for a long time about a lost sheep and said maybe it should be a lost cat. Little did she know, I was hidden only a few inches away from her !

After singing again the people went apart from the lady. I wondered if she were going to look for me, but then the man came in with my devoted slave !She looked as if she had been crying and kept coughing and sneezing ! I raced from my hiding place to greet her, I was so pleased to see her, that I forgot I was cross with her !

She picked me up and said over and over” Leo, sweet Leo, ! I feared I’d never see you again !”

The lady smiled and said “Just see the power of prayer as we prayed he would be found!”

Then she said to the man,” I thought you were on holiday ?”

”I am” he replied” But it is only an hour’s drive away, so I left my family on the beach and came to bring Rose to look for her cat. I’ll take her home and then go back.”

Rose put me in the box and we went to the big box on wheels and within a few minutes I was home! I spent the day purring on my devoted slave’s lap as she promised never to send me away again.

A Note from Leo.
“My devoted slave would never really send me away to catch mice but one day I overheard her talking to the man who mends her computer. He said” There’s a mouse at chapel, we can’t catch.” and she replied “You need Leo, he’s a wonderful mouser !”

They both laughed and I knew she was joking, at least I hope so but that night I lay awake wondering what it would have been like. I know I would have caught the mouse they were talking about but I’d much rather catch them in my garden at home !