The tiny mouse, which had been 17-year-old Nathan, locked onto the narrow space between the floor and the underside of the back door. The pain from the cat's claws scraping flesh from its long tail added to the little rodent's confusion and urgent need for escape.
Without more than an instant's hesitation, the tiny mouse slid beneath the door and dropped onto a building-sized concrete step that let household members descend from the house into the adjacent garage. The tiny mouse's sensitive ears heard the scraping of razor-sharp claws as the cat scratched at the door, having detected the scent of its escaped prey.
The tiny mouse knew that danger existed on the other side of that door and would do its utmost to avoid returning to the area patrolled by the fearsome cat. Unfortunately, that meant Nathan would be exiled from the possible restorative functions of his Chronivac.
The mouse ran beneath the huge car and sheltered next to one of the enormous rubber tires. The concrete floor felt cold beneath its tiny paws. The cat scratched from time to time at the door, prodding the mouse to put distance between it and the predator. Scurrying over the concrete floor, the tiny mouse came to the open garage door and gazed outside. It lifted its head and peered up at a pale moon and twinkling stars. Nearby street lamps cast a cold glow over the wintry suburban street.
The mouse's whiskers twitched nervously as it came to a decision and scurried across the driveway and onto the lawn.