Clockwork Mouse
The field mouse, Chester, was tied. Restrained. A thick rope (or something like it) had spread his arms and legs in all four directions. Suspending him, as if he were to be drawn and quartered. He turned his neck, gnawing on the restraints. Unsure as...
In With a Scurry
The rusty-red docking hatch, like a big, round gear (with little glass triangles among the metal, acting like windows), rolled aside. Retreating into the bulkhead with a whir-whir-whir and a clunk. Silence following. The air was comfortable, dim,...
How to Score Without Really Trying
“Indianapolis Monthly?” “It’s a magazine,” Meadow explained. “Magazine? Huh. Those still around?” Petra asked nonchalantly. The lanky brown rat was sitting at her desk, swiveling back and forth in a roller-chair. Fiddling with her phone. “We...
Hot Mess
"Are you sure they don't mind me hanging around?" Meadow asked Fib, of his colleagues. The two harvest mice were at the TV station where Fib worked, in the brand new 'waiting area' just off-set. "That otter keeps looking at me ... " _At least Opal...
Winning Play
"Ever seen a tornado in person?" Juniper asked Fib from the other side of the couch. While waiting for an answer, the bendy, mahogany-and-white weasel scooted closer to the harvest mouse. It was a cold night in early February. The Super Bowl...
Talk of the Town
Emerson, in bed, in the dark, rolled from one side to another, suddenly awake. The harvest mouse sighed. _It's my turn, isn't it?_ He was a light sleeper to begin with. Unlike Charlie, his mate. (The fox squirrel could sleep through almost...
How Zora Got Her Groove Back
“Welcome back to Paris!" a voice greeted. A drone-camera hovered high above the green, festive Champ de Mars, a large, elongated public park stretching in front of the Eiffel Tower. A majestic theme song played as the view slowly zoomed in on a...
Standing O
It was Friday, just before noon. "You're all set," Meadow said, handing the patient an appointment card and a complimentary toothbrush. The harvest mouse flashed a golden, bucktoothed smile. "We'll see you in six months!" The patient, an older...
Skipping
"If I had to make this to be zero point 475 ... but if you don't do that ... by the way, this is two standard deviations below ... " Oh. My. Gosh. Groaned Oliver in his head. This was intolerable. This class was intolerable. "That looks like...
5.6 - In Your Dreams
It was ‘night hours’ aboard HCS Solstice. The heavy cruiser (the largest type of ship in the High Command; crew complement: 161) was on mid-range patrol in the Uncharted Territories, monitoring the regions around Redwing...
Pounce Worthy
“Yo, mouse-o!” Emerson looked up in time to be bonked on the head by a flying, rolled-up newspaper. It landed on the kitchen table (where he was sitting), barely missing his breakfast. Two slices of whole wheat toast with black raspberry jam, along...
3.4 - Flip Side
Adak hesitated, stopping outside the holo-suite doors. It wasn't that the snow rabbit doubted his ability to carry out his orders, though they _were_ rather unorthodox. He'd never been asked by his superiors to be seductive before! He'd already bred...