Mickey

Jerry had been watching the small, brown mouse for over an hour. It didn't appear to be frightened of him as it sat and nibbled on the piece of cheese he had laid out on the kitchen linoleum, hoping to entice the small creature out of hiding.

Removing the small notepad and pen from his shirt pocket, Jerry wrote:

Today, Mickey came out of hiding and is now nibbling at the large chunk of swiss cheese I put out for him. He doesn't appear to be afraid of me, which is interesting. I am sitting merely ten feet from him. Tomorrow, I will put the cheese only five feet from my chair and see if I can get him to come closer.

The adorable rodent finally finished his cheese and scampered off to wherever he kept himself hidden when he wasn't foraging for treats. Jerry rose from his chair, knees cracking. Stretching his aching muscles, he grabbed the broom from the closet and proceeded to sweep up the crumbs that Mickey had left on the floor.

Checking the refrigerator, he discovered that he was almost out of swiss cheese. Grabbing his black windbreaker from the front hall closet, he hurried out the door. Walking quickly, he made it to the nearby grocery store in under ten minutes and bought two more pounds of swiss cheese. On his way home, he passed the local jewelry store and stopped momentarily to gaze at the beautiful, two carat diamond ring displayed in the storefront window.

I wish I could buy that for Sylvia, he thought, mournfully. I know she would go out with me if I could afford to buy her beautiful things

An idea formed in his head. Maybe, just maybe, he could still come up with enough money to woo the elusive Sylvia. He turned around and jogged back to the store, feeling as if his luck was finally about to change. He bought one Powerball ticket, a quick pick, and put it carefully in his brown, leather wallet.

He slept, fitfully, that night. Dreams of small brown mice, cheese, lottery tickets and Sylvia wearing the big, diamond ring, smiling up at him as he proposed. Sylvia becoming his wife, sleeping in his queen-sized bed with him. Jerry awoke feeling hopeful. He was sure that his luck was truly about to change as he put out a new chunk of cheese, five feet from his favorite kitchen chair.

He sat quietly, waiting. Sure enough, Mickey came running out and went directly to the cheese. NIbbling eagerly, the rodent didn't appear to notice Jerry at all, as he feasted.

After Mickey was finished with his treat for the day, Jerry once again swept up the crumbs and then pulled his cellphone from his pocket and called the grocery store.

"McLane's Grocery"
"Hi, yes, could you tell me last night's Powerball numbers, please?" he inquired, pulling the ticket from his wallet.
"Sure, they were: two,twelve,fifteen,twenty-three,twenty-four and the powerball was eighteen."
"Thank you."

Jerry stared at his worthless lottery ticket, tears welled in his baby blue eyes. Not even one number matched. He had been so sure his luck was changing. With a heavy heart, he threw the ticket in the trashcan under the sink and then sat back down on his chair, thinking about Sylvia. Beautiful Sylvia. Oh, if only he could have one chance with her, he knew he could win her heart.

Mickey poked his head out from under the refrigerator. Slowly, the little mouse moved closer, head tilting, as if wondering why his roommate looked so sad.

"Hey, buddy," Jerry whispered, afraid of startling the creature. "At least I have you, my friend. It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Mickey came closer, hesitantly. Jerry held his breath, holding himself as still as he possibly could.

His furry little friend walked up to his foot and sniffed Jerry's big toe.

Jerry laughed.

Then, with no warning, the mouse bit down, deep into the toe, drawing blood. Jerry jumped up screaming, kicking at Mickey, but the creature was not to be deterred. It attacked again, holding on tightly as Jerry kicked his foot, trying to dislodge the rodent.

The mouse reacted by biting down even harder, severing the big toe completely. As it ran off with it's prize, Jerry fell to the floor, screaming in agony.

Grabbing his phone, he tried to call 911, but the mouse returned, running up his leg.

"No, no! Get off!"

Jerry beat at Mickey, but his efforts were futile. Blood loss was making him woozy and his phone had fallen to the floor, cracking open the battery compartment. He reached with all the strength he had left in him, but at that moment, Mickey chomped down through his blue jeans and into his left testicle.

"Fuck! God damn it!" Jerry's high-pitched scream didn't seem to have any effect on the mouse, it kept chewing, devouring the soft and tender piece of meat it had found.

Mickey worked his way up, devouring everything in his path as Jerry finally passed out from shock and blood loss.

"Jerry? Jerry? Are you home? Hey, you haven't been to work in three days, are you ok? Jerry?"
Sylvia walked into the kitchen and screamed. Kneeling down, she checked for a pulse, but it was too late, Jerry was gone. She picked up his cellphone from the floor and pushed the battery back in.

"911, what is your emergency."
"Please, I need help at 212 Lincoln Drive. My friend, he's been attacked or something. There's blood everywhere and I can't find a...OH my GOD! It's huge! No, no, stay away..HELP!"

The phone dropped to the floor as Mickey, now the size of a small poodle, leaped onto Sylvia's face and bit off her nose. Screaming in pain, she tried to push the animal away, but he responded by biting off her left pointer finger. Sobbing, Sylvia tried to get to her feet, slipped in Jerry's blood and fell backwards, hitting her head on the floor.

"Ma'am, are you still there?" Sylvia could barely hear the dispatcher's voice coming from the cellphone, now lying just barely out of her reach. "Ma'am? Officers and an ambulance are en route. Hello? Can you hear me?"

Sylvia opened her mouth to scream. Mickey took immediate advantage of the situation by shoving his head into her mouth and biting off her tongue. Weeping, uncontrollably, Sylvia tried desperately to stand, but the linoleum was too slick. Then, thankfully, she passed out as the evil rodent proceeded to devour her nipples.

Ten minutes later, the EMTs and police officers arrived at the small, ranch-style home. The front door still stood open, the smell of blood assaulting their noses as they cautiously entered the domicile.

"Oh my god," a young rookie officer exclaimed. "What could have done this?"

Mickey, now the size of a german shepherd, watched quietly from the doorway, not yet noticed by the emergency personnel. He bided his time, licking his lips in anticipation.