In recognition of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, on March 2, I participated in Read Across America Week. I read to third graders at Creekside Oaks Elementary School in Lincoln, CA.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is “The Cat In The Hat.” But as a writer, I did not want to read another author’s story. Therefore, I wrote my own, in a form similar to that used by Dr. Seuss in writing his story, as you will see in . . .

The Mouse In The House

Emma and Logan sat on the couch in their living room. It was a cold winter day. Emma shouted, “There is a mouse in the house.”

“I do not see it,” Logan said. “It must be your imagination playing tricks on you.”

But there it is again,” Emma yelled.

What happened next that day would change their lives.

The day was cold and dreary.
Two children had nothing to do,
so they sat on the couch
and dreamed, Emma and Logan, too.

Emma stared off into space.
and so did Logan, too.
Then she said aloud, “I wish
we had something to do.”

“Maybe we should go out
into the snowy backyard and play?”
Logan said, “It would be better
than doing nothing all day.”

Emma did not know what to say.
Go?
Go?
Go?
Go?
Out into the cold wet snow.

“Not for me, oh, no!”

But then she began to scream,
so loud it made Logan jump.
She had seen
a cute little thing—

maybe a mouse

running through the house.
“Logan, look
at what I saw.
It is a tiny mouse, I am sure.

Logan looked all around,

but did not see a mouse.
“Emma, it must be all in your mind.

There is no mouse in the house.”

“I know it was a mouse,

and there it is again.”
Logan looked,

but still there was nothing to see.
But all of a sudden,
this cute little creature
ran up his leg and sat on his knee.

Neither Emma nor Logan

knew what to say.
So they sat and stared at the tiny thing
on this cold winter day.

The mouse looked at Logan

in a strange way.

It was almost like

it wanted to play,

but it did not say.

And then it began to bounce

up and down on Logan’s knee.

It was a really a weird sight to see.

Emma watched,

as the mouse

spun around.

It was like

it was doing

a dance

without making

a sound.

But then its mouth

opened wide

and it began to speak.

Emma shrieked, “Eek!”

“Have no fear my dear,

for I am here.

I will help you play

and make your day.

This will be good, as you will see.

We will stay inside the house.

No need to go
out in the snow,” said the mouse.

“Follow me.
Follow me now,

for we must go.
And by the way,
my name is Oscar,
this you should know.

I have a secret I want to tell you.
But you have to promise

to keep it to yourself
and not share it
with your mom and dad.

For if you do,

This will make me very, very mad.

“Follow me.
Follow me now,

for we must go.

Time is running out.
This you should know.
The clock is ticking.

And I cannot make it stop.”

Neither Emma nor Logan
knew what to do.
Should they follow
a mouse
all through the house?
And keeping a secret
from Mom and Dad
made both of them
very, very sad.

But the longer they sat,

without moving from the couch,

caused the tiny mouse
to become a big bad grouch.

And his behavior made them shake,

in a way that felt like a huge earthquake.

Emma looked at Logan, and asked,

“What should we do?”

Logan shook his head and responded,

“I do not have a clue.

This is not a good game.
The mouse is our boss.
I do not think we have a choice.

We must listen to his voice.”

“You are so right,”
the mouse shouted out.

“You must do what I say.

There is no other way.
So follow me, for I am the mouse,
who will lead you through the house.
So get off the couch now,
or I will make your life miserable, I vow.”

Logan slowly slid off the couch,

and stood on the floor

facing the mouse—

now the master of the house.

Emma stayed on the couch,

wondering what she should do.
She did not want the mouse

to take control of her, too.

“I am my own boss,”

she said in a strong way.

“Now, you must go away.”

The mouse roared,

“I will NOT go away.
I do NOT wish to go!
No.
No.
No.
I will show you who is boss,
so you always will know.”

And then he ran out.
Emma looked at Logan.

“Now what do we do?”

Logan just uttered, “Whew!”

But before he could say
anything more,
the mouse came running

back in
through the door.

Then he got up on top
of the coffee table.

It rocked back and forth,

not appearing too stable.
Dressed in a black hoody
and carrying what looked

like a small water gun,

he laughed and shouted,
“Now we will have some real fun.”

“I am the boss,

but this you already know.
Now both of you stand up.

We have got to go.”
Not knowing what else to do,
Emma stood at attention,
and Logan did, too.
Then the mouse yelled

in a big loud voice.
Jump up and down.
You have no choice.

So Emma and Logan

did as they were told.
They could not refuse.
They were not so bold.
Then the mouse commanded,
“Get into line

and march down the hall.
Wave your arms up and down
and please do not frown.
And do not stop
until you reach the wall.

“Put a smile on your face
and laugh out loud.
These things are good,

and you know you should.
If you do not do them,

it would be a shame.

You must follow my instructions
and play the game.”

Emma asked,

“What is this game?

Does it have a name?

Please tell me,
or I will not play.”

 “Oh, yes you must,”

said the mouse.

“You must do as I say.”
“Well, what if we do not want to?”

Logan asked.

“But you do not

have a choice.

And it is not okay.”

So Emma and Logan

decided to obey

the mighty mouse.
It was the only way
to keep peace

in the house.

All seemed

like a total loss.

For they would have to listen

to the mouse in the house—

the boss.

But then things turned around

and went in another direction,

one they had not expected.

There in the hall appeared

the craziest cat,

dressed in a red bow tie
and a tall red and white hat.

To Emma and Logan’s surprise,

He was accompanied by

an ugly gray rat.

They could not believe their eyes.

The cat looked at them

and took a bow.

He smiled and said,
“No need to worry.

We are in control now.

And that funny looking mouse

has got to go.

This is no longer his show.”

To Emma and Logan’s amazement,
the tiny mouse yelled, “No.”

But this was not

his decision to make.

The cat in the hat screamed,

“You know the way out,

so go.”

And the mouse began to shake.

And then, with the ugly gray rat

chasing him,
he ran through

the front door,

as fast as he could,

since he knew

he should,

and was seen nevermore.

Emma looked at Logan,

and said,

“Now what do we do?”

Logan turned

toward the cat in the hat
and the ugly gray rat

and whispered,

“Thank you.”

The cat in the hat stood tall

And he and the ugly gray rat

Ran down the hall, yelling,
“That is that!
“That is that!
“That is that!”

Emma and Logan wondered

what this was all about.
Then from the end of the hall,
they heard the cat in the hat shout,

“I am the boss now,

and you will play my game.”

They shook in horror,

for this was strange.

Was everything meant
to remain the same?

Was nothing meant

to change?

And THEN,
the cat in the hat

laughed in a weird way,

and said,

“I am just kidding—

having fun.

“We have to be going now.
So we are done.

I have nothing more to say.”

And with that,

the cat in the hat

and the ugly gray rat

disappeared into the night,

in a very mysterious way.
Emma and Logan,

now in total fright

had nothing to say.

They hugged each other

and shook their heads.

They hoped that

what happened today,

then could be tucked away

and never happen again.

And so they crawled

into their beds

and pulled the pillows

over their heads.

They wished

for a restful sleep
and a peaceful night,

hoping tomorrow,

all would be right.

Logan looked at Emma,

breathed a sigh of relief,

and said ,”Goodnight.”

Then he reached over

to the nightstand

and shut off the light.

Copyright © 2020 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.