The Halloween Mouse (3 page)

In a police hat, he could be a cop.

In a beret, an artist.

In a top hat, a magician.

In a fedora, a private eye.

In a ten-gallon hat, a cowpoke.

In a helmet, a soldier.

Sitting there on the stair, Timothy imagined himself in hat after hat after hat.

as Dracula.

"Oh," he thought, "the things you can do with a hat or a cape!"

"I can't go trick-or-treating as myself. But perhaps I don't need to dress up."

He could simply tap-dance and pretend to be a dancer.

He could act sly and pretend to be a secret agent.

Or stand on his head and pretend to be an upside-down mouse.

"Wait" he thought. "I
am
a mouse. I don't need to dance or act sly or stand on my head. I'll go trick-or-treating as
myself.
. . No, wait. That's not done . . . But why not go as a
different
mouse?

"I'll trick-or-treat as Mickey or Mighty or Jerry or maybe as Stuart Little!"

It seemed like a wonderful idea until Timothy realized that all those mice wore outfits . . . and he had none.

"Ha! I'll say I lost my clothes. Or I borrowed the
Emperor's
new clothes!"

Timothy laughed at the idea, and as he shook his head from side
to
side, he saw a large white cat creeping toward him through the grass.

He gasped.

Then he smiled. "That isn't a cat. It's a nice little boy or girl dressed 
up for trick-or-treating. But what a fine costume it is! It looks so
 
real!"
 
While the cat creeping toward Timothy seemed very large for a cat it seemed very
 
small
 
for a boy or girl. And it carried no bag for its Halloween treats.

"
REEEEOWWWWWW"

It was a very cat-like roar and very un-childlike.

"Uh-oh," thought Timothy.

It sprang at him!

"Yikes!"