Glorious dark purple and magenta and reddish streaks faded across the darkening sky as birdsong started to stop slowly. An owl hooted loudly while the small, cozy town of Lily-Paddle drifted off to sleep. Gradually, all of the warm white lights were switched off one by one, until only teeny-tiny tights remained.
In one certain house labelled “71: the Lollipops”, there was a wall with a little hole in it. One of the Lollipop children had used a spoon’s handle to prod a hole. The hole had only gotten bigger, and Mr Lollipop chided his child: “Bad girl, Lola, mice will come in more easily.” And guess what? He was right.
If you were mouse-sized, you could travel down a long, winding passage through the floorboards until you were under the house. There was a big burrow filled with delicious crumbs of cheese and a little fireplace which blazed with warm orange light. This refuge was home to two young boy mice called Arthur and Matt.
That night in the burrow, Arthur realised there was no more food left. So he climbed the ladder to just outside the Lollipop house when he heard a frightening hisss after the thunk sound of the cat flap.
Was it a …snake? No, there were no snakes in the country.
Neon-green eyes gleamed in the dark at the terrified mouse. A cat!
Arthur stood frozen to the spot as the green-eyed cat loomed over him, claws coming out of its paws. It was going to eat him! Maybe not.
“Meow!” screeched the Lollipop cat fiercely, swiping at Arthur with its claws. Arthur ran through a tiny hole in the front door and scuttled to the kitchen to find more bread.
He padded across the smooth, cold, white kitchen tiles, hunting for bread and hunting for Matt’s favourite Camembert cheese. Arthur grabbed some expired Camembert cheese. Yes! A whole, uneaten wheel!
Suddenly, Arthur was seized round the middle and found himself in the cat’s mouth with canines digging into his back. Ouch! It really hurt! And how on earth had the cat gotten into the kitchen?
“Meeoow.” Sticky saliva dripped onto the terrified mouse while teeth dug harder into his body. Arthur prayed he wouldn’t die. Argh!
Back in the burrow, Matt realised Arthur hadn’t returned from the Lollipop house yet. The night sky grew darker and darker, clouds clumped together and drizzles of rain fell onto the ground. Matt scampered up the ladder, legs shaking with fear, and raced into the Lollipop house to find his best friend, Arthur.
Matt found Arthur in the Lollipop family’s kitchen, inside the jaws of the cat.
“HELP!” Muffled screams came from inside. Matt searched the kitchen for a distraction. Having found none, he took it upon himself to tickle the cat’s stomach.
The cat laughed so much that Arthur came out, still in one piece. While it was still having a feline laugh, the two mice raced out the kitchen and out of the house.
When the cat recovered, it hissed and jumped out of an open window to pursue its prey. Once it had spotted Arthur and Matt climbing down the ladder hurriedly, it sped up and tore open the tunnel, grabbing the struggling mice in its paws. Ready to eat the two mice!
Melanie’s writing journey 