Edward's Watch Mouse Experiment

Part 13: The Confrontation

Squiggles had fast become one of the family and even though he had eaten the health inspector as well as Poopy's tail, he was very protective of us. In fact, Squiggles was just like a guard dog but much more vain. The amount of time he spent admiring his physique in front of his posing mirror was almost sickening.

During the day, Alyssa and I would take Squiggles for walks through the neighbourhood disguised as a dog. We had a collar, lead and a sign draped over his back that said, 'This is a dog.' It wasn't a great disguise I know but it was the best we could come up with at the time. Anyway, even though we got a few strange looks from passers by, no one questioned us.

One night, old Mrs Murphy came to look after Alyssa and I while Mum and Dad worked back late at the shop. Prior to her coming over, Mum had given Mrs Murphy a debriefing about the new and improved addition to our family. We weren't sure how she would react, but in the end Mrs Murphy was quite amused, and proud that I was able to achieve such a feat. Mrs Murphy was also very keen to meet Squiggles. She loved all animals.

Many people say that animals can detect when a person is an animal lover, and it seemed that this was the case when it came to Squiggles and Mrs Murphy. They took to each other like old pals and Squiggles was quick to show Mrs Murphy around his courtyard gymnasium. Mrs Murphy was suitably impressed and even had a go on the treadmill and ski machine herself.

As Squiggles was showing off his stamina on the treadmill, Mrs Murphy said to me, 'I'm flabbergasted that you were able to create such a thing from your pet mouse, Edward, and you used household ingredients. This is truly amazing! Maybe you should make a living from it?'

'What do you mean?' I asked.
'Well, if you made up a large batch of your concoction, it could be bottled and sold to other people, who would also like to have a watch mouse of their...'
'We could make lots and lots of money,' Alyssa butted in. 'Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots...'
'Okay, that's enough, Alyssa.' I said impatiently. 'So Mrs Murphy, how much do you think I could sell it for?'
'Lots and lots and lots and lots...'

'That's enough, dear,' said Mrs Murphy as she patted Alyssa gently on the head. 'I guess people will pay what they are prepared to pay. The sky's the limit with this one. You have something here that is so unique, who knows what it could be sold for?'

That night I thought long and hard about what Mrs Murphy had said. If people really wanted it, they would be prepared to pay just about anything. This could be quite lucrative.

Before we went to bed, Mrs Murphy, Alyssa and I had a game of Monopoly. Playing Monopoly got me excited about all the money we could really make from my secret watch mouse making formula. Mum and Dad wouldn't have to work the long and tiresome hours at the chicken shop if this venture was to be successful. One could only dream.

We all had an early night. Mrs Murphy slept on a spare bed in Alyssa's room. Mum and Dad wouldn't be home from the shop until after midnight. During the busy summer period there was a lot of cleaning up to do after closing time at 10.00p.m. I often felt bad about the hours Mum and Dad worked to support us. I always promised myself that one day I would pay them back.

I found it difficult to get to sleep that night. Squiggles was sleeping next to my bed snoring loudly, which didn't help, but I couldn't stop thinking about the potential behind selling my formula. I think Mrs Murphy was really onto something.

It was about 10.00p.m. and I was still wide awake when I heard a noise from the roof. The sound was similar to the footsteps Dad made that time he was on the roof fixing the television antenna just before he fell off. I lay still and silent, listening for any more noise. Maybe it was just Poopy walking on the roof. I heard what sounded like one of the roof tiles being moved. Then I heard another, and another. My heart started to race. I knew now that it couldn't possibly be Poopy. There were some more noises, and they were getting louder.