Pookie & Supermouse

Author and copyright: E.P. Visscher

Pookie and the mice

Pookie lies in her basket and dreams. She smells mice, but doesn't see anything. There is a pitter patter at the sliding doors. Two mice enter the room - one after the other - through a tiny hole. 'It's safe,' squeaks the first one; 'the cat is sleeping.' Quickly, the mice run to the cat's food bowls and grab a piece of kibble each. They put the kibble under the cupboard by the sliding doors. After collecting a pile of kibble, they rest for a while. 'That was a lot of work,' gasp the mice. They look at the cat trembling at her mouth. 'What a monster; look at those claws!' shivers the first one. 'She has already devoured a lot of mice,' trembles the second. 'I hope we will survive.' They venture out from under the cupboard again and walk to the plate of porridge. Quickly they eat some of it. 'Now let's carry the kibble away,' urges the first mouse. One by one, they carry the bits of dry food into the small mouse hole. When they finally finish, the mice disappear into the hole as well.

That day, there is a party in the branch pile behind the garage. There, the colony of mice live in burrows. Everyone is happy and has plenty to eat. The eldest mouse makes a speech, praising the courage of the two mice. 'They are an example to us all!' he shouts. 'Soon we will go back to fetch more kibble for our winter stock. But beware; that cat is very dangerous.'

In the evening, Pookie wakes up. She stretches and walks slowly to her food bowls. Then the cat suddenly smells something suspicious: mice. It wasn't a dream after all. Almost all the kibble is gone. She smells again and discovers that the mice are coming from the hole in the wall. Pookie's owner is happy that the cat ate so well. She gives her some more kibble. 'Wonderful,' thinks the cat. 'First I will eat this and then I'll catch some mice.'

That night, Pookie waits by the hole in the wall, but there is no mouse in sight. Finally, she goes out through the cat flap and does her regular walk. Near the branch pile, it smells like mouse. Then it rustles under the bushes and a mouse comes running out with a piece of kibble. 'My kibble!' thinks the cat. She quickly jumps towards the mouse. It drops the kibble and sprints to the heap of branches, just in time to escape. For a while, Pookie waits by the heap, but nothing else happens. Then she goes back inside through the cat flap. As soon as the cat pokes her head through the hatch, she sees several mice in the room. The mice are startled and try to run away. Pookie has seen it and quickly sits down in front of the little hole. Three mice cannot escape in time. The smallest one tries to climb the curtains. Pookie jumps onto the cupboard and tries to get the mouse out of the curtain. This allows her little brother to shoot off through the hole.

All night, the last two mice try to get away, but fail. Finally, Pookie runs after the little mouse and throws her up in the air with her paw. The scared little mouse squeals with pain. The cat catches her and continues to use her as a ball. When the mouse stops moving, Pookie suddenly licks her fur. She is hot and itches. Then the cat takes the mouse in her mouth and puts her in her empty food bowl. At that moment, the last mouse runs to the hole and disappears.

The escaped mice report back to the oldest mouse. The rest of the group stare sadly at each other. Pookie has struck again. 'She is exterminating us all,' they squeak shakily. The old mouse says nothing and thinks. What should he do about all this? Then he starts singing their anthem: 'One mouse is no mouse, but together we are strong.' All the mice sing along and forget their sadness.

The magical potion

'For now, you are not allowed to go into the cat's house,' says the old mouse. Not everyone follows his orders. Pookie knows what to do with the mice. Almost every night she devours at least one. The old mouse grows increasingly desperate. 'The whole colony is going to die,' he thinks. Suddenly, the mouse gets an idea. Poison. People use it against mice too. Why don't we poison that monstrous cat? He knows that some mushrooms are poisonous.

Risking his life, the old mouse collects all kinds of mushrooms. He mashes them with his paws and then mixes them together on a large leaf. But how do they get that mush into Pookie's food? Together, the mice try to think of a plan. Many ideas are not good enough. Then a mouse comes running back with an oak shell. 'That's it!' the mice shout as one.

Together, they pour some of the mixture into the cap. The next day, the old mouse goes to the cat's house by himself. With great difficulty, he squeezes the full cap through the mouse hole. The room is empty. Carefully, the mouse walks to the edge of the saucer with milk. Then he pushes the cap over. The mash mixes naturally with the milk. Over time, it is completely invisible. Only the cap is still bobbing in the milk. Quickly, the mouse crawls back into the hole and waits to see what happens.

Moments later, Pookie opens the door and walks to her trays. She chews the kibble and then smells the milk. She waits a moment and licks it. She likes it and drinks faster and faster. 'That's going well,' laughs the old mouse. He looks again. It seems like the cat is getting bigger. Pookie notices it too, as she has to bend down further and further to reach her milk. After a while, her saucer is completely empty. Startled, the mouse sees that the cat has grown as big as a lion. 'Soon she will explode,' he thinks. But she doesn't. Growling and roaring, the monster paces back and forth across the room. She no longer pays attention to mice.

A while later, Pookie calms down and falls asleep. The old mouse quickly runs through all the corridors and holes that lead him back the branch pile. There, the other mice are on the lookout. 'Come along quickly,' the old mouse calls out to two of them. Together they run back and take turns looking at the sleeping cat. 'What an enormous beast,' stammers one of them. 'She's getting smaller again,' observes the old mouse. 'Let's see,' urges the third. Indeed, Pookie shrinks again until she is her usual size. The cat wakes up, gets onto her feet and stretches. It seems as if nothing has happened. The cat did, however, have a strange dream. She dreamt that she was as big as a lion. 'Dreams are deceiving,' shakes Pookie and lies down in her basket.

The mice are horrified. Did they put so much effort into that? The mash made the cat bigger instead of poisoning her! Defeated, the mice walk back to the colony. For a long time, they talk about what happened. One mouse says: 'Maybe that mushroom mash is a good idea after all, because a big cat can't go outside anymore.' 'Only as long as the potion works,' replied the old mouse. 'If people see such a big monster, they must want to get rid of the cat,' says another mouse. 'But then they'll get a new cat,' sighs a young one. Everyone shouts out loud until a little mouse squeals: 'With that potion, I will finally become a big mouse.' 'That's it!' shouts the old mouse. 'I can't believe I didn't think of that myself. We'll use this magical potion to get big ourselves: that way we can scare off the cat!'

All the mice laugh and shout. They party late into the night and eat many cat treats. But they stay away from the mushroom mash: that is stored in a separate burrow.

The trial

When the other mice are still sleeping, the old mouse is already busy working on his magical potion. Would it really work on mice? Carefully, he eats a tiny bit of the mash. The mouse starts to feel strange; he swells up and becomes the size of a coconut. Fortunately, he is outside and not in his burrow! After a few hours, the old mouse knows exactly how much of the mash to eat to grow bigger than Pookie. When the other mice see him, they are so frightened that they run into their burrows. 'He looks like a super mouse,' shouts one. From then on, that's what they call him.

Supermouse wonders how best to carry the potion with him. The oak shell is far too awkward. Maybe he can make pills out of the mash? The mouse puts down a leaf and crushes a piece of kibble with his teeth. Then he mixes the mash with the ground kibble; just enough for five pills. He rolls up the leaf and lets the mash dry in the sun. This creates a bar of the miracle potion. After a few hours, he unwraps the leaf again. He looks for a sharp twig and cuts the rod into five pieces; the wonder pills are ready!

But what next? How best to carry those pills? In a small bag? That's too awkward. After all, it might get caught on something. In your ears? Then you can't hear very well. In your nose? That's too small and you can't smell properly anymore. From behind? Then the cat would taste mouse droppings. It's not easy to think of something that would work well. 'Does anyone have any ideas?' asks the old mouse. The whole colony starts talking. Most mice agree that they need something sticky, but what exactly? The pill must be able to come off again and the substance shouldn't be toxic. Finally, a pair of mice fetch some stickyweed. They can barely walk, because the plant sticks to their paws. The old mouse carefully bites a small piece off and spits it onto a pill. Then he leans against it so that the pill sticks to his fur. The mice cheer: 'It worked!'

The old mouse calls everyone together and says: 'You should be careful with those pills. It's far too dangerous to take them. I am old and have already experienced a lot. That's why only I will use the pills.' It is quiet for a while and the mice look at each other. The little mouse is sad: 'But that means that I can’t get big yet....' 'Just wait; you'll grow big soon enough on your own,' comforts the old mouse. 'But we want to be super mice too,' complain a few. The old mouse's eyes narrow and he shouts: 'Who invented the pills? Me, me, me!' and he rolls his chest. 'And me,' whispers the little mouse. 'And me and me,' say the mice who collected the stickyweed. 'Of course you helped,' admits the old mouse, 'but it's still my pill.'

The mice are silent and look glum. 'Tonight we will continue collecting kibble for the winter,' says the old mouse finally. 'Ten strong mice are enough, I think. But be careful: don't all go into the room at once, because then I won't be able to protect you properly. I'll be in the garden with the miracle pill. Who wants to join in?' The mice are all eager to help collect kibble. They feel safe now that they know that the old mouse could get very big at any time. Supermouse picks ten brave mice and nods: 'Off you go and do your best.' He follows them with the pill attached to his fur.

The battle

In the evening, Pookie gets ready for her hunt. She licks her fur everywhere and brushes her paw over her head. The cat thinks, 'I must be clean or the mice will smell me!' She eats some more kibble and then goes out through the cat flap. That is what the ten mice have been waiting for. One after another, they grab a piece of kibble and run back to the mouse hole. A steady stream of kibble heads towards the colony. Finally, the cat's food bowls are completely empty. Supermouse didn't have to do anything this time; the miracle pill is still attached to his fur. He sighs with relief now that all the mice are back safely.

Without catching anything, Pookie goes back inside. In the room, it smells like mouse. When the cat wants to eat some more kibble, she notices that the trays are empty. Growling, the cat runs around the room and then jumps out through the cat flap. At the branch pile, it smells of mouse and of kibble. For the rest of the night, Pookie sits by the pile, but she does not see any prey. During the day, the cat lies in her basket and sleeps restlessly. Her stomach grumbles. In her dream, the cat catches as many as ten mice. Each time she wakes up and smells to check if there really are mice around.

That evening, Pookie gets another bowl full of kibble. She eats and eats until she is completely full. Then the cat hides behind her basket and waits for the mice. The first mouse looks through the little hole and squeaks: 'I can't see her, but I can smell her.' Still, the mouse walks to the tray and returns with a piece of kibble. 'There are not many kibble left,' he warns. The second mouse also fetches a piece.

Pookie sits with her belly against the floor and her head forward. Her tail twitches and her back legs tighten. As soon as the cat hears the next mouse running she jumps straight at it. The poor animal has no chance to run away. With the mouse in her mouth, the cat runs to a corner of the room. There she feels uncomfortable. Pookie opens her mouth and lets go of the mouse. It limps away. The cat vomits. Gunk gets onto the carpeted floor in several places. The cat gasps and feels nauseous. She goes out through the cat flap to get some fresh air.

When the mice are back at the branch pile they all squeak very loudly, including the injured mouse. 'You're not careful enough,' growls the old mouse. 'If that cat is inside the room you obviously shouldn't be fetching kibble! Luckily no one was eaten. Tomorrow night we'll try again, but only if she's outside. I'll be watching at the cat flap; with my miracle pill.' The next day, Pookie gets less kibble. 'Otherwise she will throw up again,' the owner thinks. The cat doesn't eat much this time. She saves the kibble for the mice. After all, those critters are much tastier.

After dark, the mice reappear at the hole. Now Pookie has a different plan. She walks outside and waits by the branch pile. The first mouse arrives. He drags along a piece of kibble and pays no attention. That's easy for the cat. Now he can eat kibble and mouse at the same time. Without much noise they enter Pookie's stomach. The second mouse also disappears without a trace. ‘This is going well,' grins the cat. 'The mice are walking straight into my mouth, just like in my dream.'

The old mouse looks through the cat flap into the room and gets worried. 'Where are my troops,' he mutters. 'They should have been back a long time ago. The cat's trays are still half full!' Cautiously, the mouse walks to the branch pile and is startled when he sees the cat near the entrance. He grabs his pill and nibbles it down. Supermouse grows bigger and bigger; even bigger than Pookie. Then he quickly runs towards the cat and jumps on top of her. Pookie shrieks, blows and jerks away. She turns around and sees a monstrous mouse standing in front of her. Screaming in fear, the cat climbs a tree. 'I've gone mad,' she trembles, 'I must have eaten too many mice.' Supermouse stays under the tree. The other mice can safely run back to the colony now. When everyone is inside, Supermouse also makes his way towards the branch pile.

Only after an hour does Pookie dare to come down again. As soon as she touches the ground, she rushes back home through the cat flap. She ignores the rest of the kibble and crawls into her basket. Normally she sleeps very well after a hunt, but this morning she can't; all she thinks about is that monster mouse.

The escape

Pookie stays inside for several days. 'Maybe she caught a cold,' thinks her owner. 'After all, it is autumn and it rains a lot. Anyone can get sick from that. I'll give her some tasty snacks.' The cat enjoys all the food and slowly begins to feel better. 'Could it have been a dream?' ponders the cat. 'But what if that monster mouse really exists? Imagine him coming in through the cat flap!' Pookie keeps a close eye on the hatch. Sometimes she jumps on the windowsill and looks out through the window. That way she can see if the big mouse is already around. The cat thinks: 'That mouse was big, but not as big as a dog. And I can handle those creatures, too.' So Pookie decides to go out at night anyway.

The old mouse is at the back of the garden. He feels sad and content at the same time. He is happy with all the kibble the mice have collected. The colony now has almost enough food for the winter. But he is also sad because two more mice have died recently. Supermouse has been on the lookout for a few days now. As soon as the cat comes out of the house, the mice try to get kibble again. Of course Supermouse carries his miracle pill with him again today. Then he hears the cat flap rattle and smells the cat's scent. Lightning fast, the mouse nibbles down his pill. He is too hasty and a piece falls on the ground. Among the withered leaves, he can't find it again. Supermouse feels himself growing, but not as much as before.

The cat walks into the garden and is startled when she sees a mouse as big as herself. 'What have I got on my tail now again,' she thinks, but Pookie is no longer really scared. For a while, the two face each other in fighting positions. Then Supermouse attacks the cat. He shouldn't have done so, because he gets scratched across his snout. 'Ouch,' squeaks the mouse and he wants to bite Pookie. Another scratch from the cat. 'A few days ago, you were much bigger,' the cat taunts. 'Are you not able to grow anymore?' 'I dropped a piece of my pill,' reveals the mouse. 'Pill?' says the cat. Supermouse is silent. He shouldn't say too much, because Pookie is smart and dangerous. 'Where did you get those pills?' asks the cat. 'I won't tell you that,' squeaked Supermouse, 'because otherwise you'll start using them too.' 'So I can get them too?' meows the cat. 'I bet you can't make those pills,' says Supermouse. He is calmer now, but knows he must hurry up.

'I have a good idea,' meows the cat. 'If you give me some pills, I won't hurt you any more.' 'Do you really think I believe that?' snaps Supermouse. 'No mouse can ever trust a cat!' 'I will only use the pills against dogs,' the cat charms. 'Surely you will understand that. When I'm bigger, I won't eat you. Mice will be too small for me then.' 'You're fibbing,' squeaked Supermouse. 'You do know that the pills only work for a little while, don't you? After a while, you'll be as big as you are now.' The mouse stops talking. Why is he giving all his secrets away? 'Don't be so silly,' thinks Supermouse to himself. He feels himself getting smaller already.

With her eyes squeezed together, Pookie watches the mouse shrink. Then she jumps at him. The old mouse is as small as he was before he took the pill and quickly runs away. He crawls into a hole under a stone. The cat hisses at him near the opening and threatens, 'Just wait, I'll snatch you out of there.' Trembling, the mouse sees the cat's claw enter. Its nails brush along his fur.

Moments later, the old mouse says: 'I have thought about your idea and would like to give you some pills. 'That's nice!' says the cat. 'But there is one problem,' lies the old mouse. 'My pills have run out, so you have to make them yourself.' 'Of what, then?' asks Pookie curiously. 'From yew berries,' lies the mouse. Pookie laughs: 'Do you think I believe that? The birds don't get bigger when they eat those berries, do they?' 'It's all about the seeds inside,' explains the mouse. 'You have to grind them up and eat them. Then you enter into another world.' 'Yes you would like that of course!' smirks the cat. 'But I happen to know that those seeds are poisonous!' 'Not if you only eat a little bit...,' the old mouse tries. 'Just stop it,' shouts the cat. 'Shall I feed you some of those pips?' She tries to pull the mouse out again with her claw. She almost succeeds. Suddenly, Pookie hears a bird whistling and is distracted for a moment. The old mouse takes advantage of this. He sprints to the branch pile and Pookie goes after him. Pookie grabs the mouse, but feels the thin tail slip between her claws. Then the mouse disappears into the branch pile. The cat still has so much speed that she bumps into the pile. 'I'll get you yet,' she shouts. 'Just wait!'

The raid

Supermouse is panting when he runs back into the branch pile. 'I was very close to being eaten,' he squeaks. The other mice are startled and ask him what happened. Supermouse tells them the whole story. The mice are disappointed: 'Why did you reveal all our secrets?' they ask. 'We thought you were such a smart mouse. Now the cat knows that you have magic pills and that they only work for a little while.' The old mouse is silent. 'It just blurted out,' he says finally. The mouse of the oak shell shouts: 'Now Pookie is no longer afraid of Supermouse. What should we do?'

The mice are silent and think. Then the little mouse squeaks: 'Perhaps that cat is no longer afraid of one Supermouse, but what about two or three?' The mice cheer and dance. 'That's it!' they shout. 'Soon we will finally be rid of that monster!' The old mouse is also cheerful again. 'Who wants to be a Supermouse?' he shouts. Several snouts point upwards in the air. The mouse says: 'I don't have that many pills. Three extra Supermice are enough.' He points to a couple of familiar snouts: the mouse from the oak cap and the two mice from the stickyweed. 'Because you helped with the magic potion,' he explains. 'What about me?' complains the little mouse. 'You're still too small,' the old mouse repeats. 'Small but smart,' squeaks the little one. Nobody can deny that, so he gets to join in anyway.

The old mouse addresses the colony: 'It will be a dangerous journey. We have to surprise the cat and there is not much time for that. If I don't come back, you must know how to make the pills.' He explains which mushrooms are needed for the mash. 'But beware,' warns the mouse, 'try to be smarter than me. Never reveal the recipe. Not even if the cat tortures you. Just pretend you don't know anything, or make something up.' Then he gathers the other Supermice and agrees on a plan. All five mice eat lots of food and stick a pill onto their fur with stickyweed. With tense snouts, they wait at the exit of the branch pile. Another mouse keeps an eye on the garden.

Pookie sleeps peacefully again that day. 'Oh well,' she thinks, 'I'll get that monster mouse another time.' The cat dreams of delicious lumps of mouse and wakes up rested. During the evening, she goes outside. When Pookie is in the middle of the garden, she suddenly sees four huge mice coming towards her. For a moment, she is paralysed with terror. The monsters close in on the cat and try to bite her from all sides. Pookie lies on her back with her claws pointing up. This is how she fends off the attacks. Still, the mice continue to bite her. The cat gets slower and slower and feels tired. She knows she has to hang on for a while. Then a fifth Supermouse comes running over with a bunch of herbs. They are plants that Pookie cannot stand. They smell horrible; the stench makes her gag.

'Surrender,' the Supermice shout in chorus. 'OK, OK,' shouts the cat. 'I'll do anything you say.' 'You must leave us alone,' the Supermice demand, 'or we will bite you to pieces. Just like you do to us.' 'Are you really serious?' meows Pookie sadly. 'What do you think?' squeak the mice. 'Do we have to feed you to the dogs perhaps?' 'No, no,' screams Pookie, 'never!' 'Will you promise us then never to hunt mice again?' the Supermice ask impatiently. The cat says nothing. 'This is the last warning, because otherwise....' The threatening looks of the monster mice make Pookie shudder. 'All right then,' meows the cat softly. Satisfied, the mice slowly walk away. Only after some time does the cat dare to stand up again. She runs home quickly and can't stop trembling in her basket.

'She is sick again,' notices her owner. The mice enjoy the treats that the cat gets. And the cat tries not to pay attention to them. They all get used to the situation and everyone is happy. Sometimes Pookie feels a strange urge. Because what would be more delicious than fresh mouse? She likes to lie in her basket and daydream of mice. But after a while she is always reminded of Supermouse, so she no longer dares to go mouse hunting. From now on, Pookie will only occupy herself with birds. About once a year, she sees a Supermouse walking in the garden. The cat then quickly runs off in another direction. Perhaps you have also seen a Supermouse somewhere. Now you know why....

The End