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The Trapped Mouse
#WritcoStoryPrompt18
The mouse crept through the silent house in search of its nightly meal. It's ears pricked at the scream, causing it to stand on its hind legs to spot the source. When the body came crashing down, it scampered away with its tiny heart beating fiercely against its chest. It knew what to do.

It was time. The tiny mouse was now ready. It hid in its little house of straw and cushions in the corner of the attic. It squeezed itself inside as tightly as possible, eyes squeezed shut.

Its heart was pounding, the blood rushing in and out. No. Just a few more seconds.

The door of the attic opened again. A shadow crept past the faint light of the moon. He looked at the mouse, and then glanced up.

"In your attic, no less," the man said to himself. The mouse remained still in its hiding spot.

"What's that?"

"A mouse."

"Great. Can you grab it?"

"That thing in my attic? Of course."

The man walked to the door. He lifted the latch, then entered the house.

"Great. Where did you get that thing?" the man asked as he watched the man flip the light switch.

"Do you remember where you got it? From your attic?"

The man smiled and walked back into the attic.

"Awww man. They said it could never be done."

The man looked up from the pile of wood he was piling up for the fireplace, stood up, and put the wooden plank over his head. He turned around, walked over to the door, opened it, then slammed it shut.

"Stupid mice."

He was alone.

~~~

Back in the attic, the mouse was panting. It had to find a place to escape. It scurried over the ceiling, down the walls, through the walls again, and back to the edge of the ceiling.

"I have to go out," it whispered, looking up at the man who was now standing outside the door. The man took a step into the room, then sat down in front of the man. The mouse wondered what he was doing, so it looked up.

"I'm just kidding. Of course you can't leave."

The man smiled and the mouse jumped back. "Now, where were we?"

"I have to go out," the mouse said again.

"Oh."

"I have to go out."

"OK."

"I have to go out."

"I don't think so. There are a lot of things you don't understand."

"I don't care!"

The man rolled his eyes and slapped his leg.

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to sleep in the attic tonight."

The mouse shook its head, looking around the room for a place to hide.

"I need to find my way out of here," it said.

The man sighed. He had heard that line before.

"If only I had some dynamite..."

The man said it with a smirk, but it wasn't funny to the mouse. It was waiting.

"What about a laser?"

The man took his finger and gently tapped the wall.

"Laser."

The mouse started to hum.

"I have to go out."

The man looked up.

"Are you hungry?"

The mouse's ears perked up.

"What? What do you mean?"

"It's OK. I have some food up here."

"Where?"

"I'll get it for you."

The man turned to his right, and took a few steps.

"Hey," he said. "What's that?"

The mouse remained silent.

"Can you hear something?"

The mouse was quiet.

"Can you hear it?"

The mouse remained quiet.

The man stared into the direction of the mouse, who stood on its hind legs in front of the hatch door.

"Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"I can get you some food if you're hungry."

The mouse remained silent.

"I just said I can get you some food if you're hungry. It's OK."

The mouse didn't respond.

"So it's OK if I do it for you?"

"What?"

"Listen," the man said, moving closer to the mouse.

"I just said I can get you some food if you're hungry."

The mouse was silent....

To be continued

© Sabifrosh