Nathan easily imagined the cat’s thoughts.
"Nice mousey," Buttons would purr, intent dripping with feline menace. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."
He gulped, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. He was trapped, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
He had to do something, and fast. But what? He couldn't exactly reason with a cat. All he saw was a tasty little snack, not a human trapped in a mouse's body.
Nathan closed his eyes, trying to think. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be.
And then, it hit him. The Christmas tree! It was right there in the corner of the living room, all decorated with shiny ornaments and twinkling lights. Maybe, just maybe, he could use it as a distraction.
He took a deep breath (well, as deep as a mouse can breathe) and scampered out from behind the couch, making a beeline for the tree.
"Hey, Buttons!" Nathan squeaked, waving his tiny paws in the air. "Look over here!"
Buttons' head swiveled towards the mouse, his eyes widening with excitement. He crouched down, ready to pounce.
But Nathan was already moving, darting between the branches of the tree. He climbed past ornaments bigger than his entire body.
He climbed higher, trying to lose himself in the thick evergreen branches and tinsel.
He scurried higher and higher, his tiny claws digging into the rough bark of the tree. The branches were scratchy and prickly, but I didn't care. All that mattered was getting away from Buttons and his hungry green eyes.
He wove in and out of the branches, trying to make himself as small as possible. The tree was a maze of needles and ornaments, and he used every trick he could think of to lose his feline pursuer.
"Here, kitty kitty," Nathan squeaked wordlessly, his mouse voice high and squeaky. "Come and get me if you can!"
He knew it was a risky move, taunting the cat like that. But he was desperate. He had to do something to throw him off his trail.
He heard Buttons knocking fragile ornaments off the tree. The baubles crashed with destruction on the floor.
Nathan could hear Buttons' heavy breathing behind me, the rustle of leaves as he climbed higher up the tree. The terrible cat was gaining on him, his claws scraping against the bark.
Nathan darted through a particularly thick cluster of branches, the tinsel tangling around his thin legs. He kicked and struggled, trying to free himself, but it was no use. He was stuck.
He looked up to see Buttons' face peering down at him, his whiskers twitching with anticipation.
How did Buttons get above him in the tree?
"Gotcha," the cat seemed to say with an excited meow.
He gulped, heart pounding in his chest. He was trapped, with no way out. Buttons was going to eat him alive.
But then, a Christmas miracle happened. The front door burst open, and Brett's voice rang out after he saw the cat high in the tree.
"Buttons! No! Bad kitty!"
Buttons froze, his eyes widening in surprise. He looked back and forth between the mouse and Brett, clearly torn.
Brett came running over, his face flushed with excitement. That’s when he noticed why the cat had climbed the tree.
"Nathan! You're out of your cage!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.
Brett saw the tiny mouse look up at him, tiny paws still tangled in the tinsel. Nathan couldn't believe it. He was saved!
Brett reached up and plucked him from the tree, cradling him in his hands.
"Don't worry, little buddy!”
Brett untangled him and got him within his hands. And soon enough, that meant Nathan went right back into the hated cage.
But then again, he was still a mouse.
Well, that didn't exactly go as planned. Here he remained, back in his cage, just like before. He figured he should be grateful that Brett saved him from Buttons, but still. He had had a taste of freedom, even if it was just for a little while.
He watched as Brett latched the cage door securely, making sure his pet couldn't escape again. He patted the top of the cage, a satisfied smile on his face.
"There you go, Mickey. Safe and sound," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "I hope this little adventure has taught you a lesson. Stay put, okay?"
Nathan glared up at him, tiny paws balled into fists. Stay put? Fat chance of that happening. He’d been 'staying put' for a whole year, and where had it gotten him? Trapped in the body of a mouse, at the mercy of his oblivious brother and his murderous cat.
No, he couldn't just 'stay put'. He had to find a way out of this mess. He had to find a way to be human again.
But for now, he was stuck. Stuck in this cage, stuck in this life that wasn't truly his.
He sighed, tiny chest heaving with the effort. Maybe Brett was right. Maybe this little adventure had taught him a lesson. A lesson in futility.
But it could have gone much worse if Brett’s arrival had been any later. He shivered at the thought of being a Christmas Eve snack for Buttons.
I curled up in the corner of the cage, my tail wrapped around my body. I was tired, both physically and mentally. Tired of being a mouse, tired of being trapped, tired of the constant fear of being eaten by a cat.
But even as he closed his eyes, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the end. That somewhere, somehow, there had to be a way out. A way to break free from this curse and be human again.
He just had to keep hoping. Keep believing. And maybe, just maybe, his luck would change. Maybe he could locate the Chronivac. The device must still surely be in the house.
But for now, Nathan was a mouse. A mouse named Mickey, living in a cage on top of a dresser. He’d had a Christmas Eve adventure, but now he was back to the grind.
And that was that.