There's a Mouse In the Store



  There's a Mouse In the Store

  A Judachew the Mouse Christmas Adventure

  by

  Timothy W. Ayers

  Copyright 2012 Timothy W. Ayers

  The Messiah Clone

  A Christmas Eve Miracle

  It Can Be a Funny Faith

  2

  Chapter 1

  "What's the matter, Judachew? You look really down today," quizzed Riley as the two sat cross-legged on the floor in her family room, wrapping the gifts she had gotten for her parents, sister, cousin and grandmother.

  "Wrapping gifts reminds that I promised everyone back in our little village that I would bring them Christmas gifts from the big city, but I forgot that I'm a mouse and can't go walking into a store. People get scared when they see me and then the manager will try to catch me in a trap. To be honest, I don't like mousetraps," Little Judachew's mouse face grew long and his eyes filled with tiny, little, glisterning mouse tears.

  "Judachew, shopping costs money, and money doesn't grow on trees. At least, that's what my mom always says. How can you pay for things at a store?" Riley asked.

  "I got a gift card when I appeared on the Tonight Show a few days ago. The card is for some big, fancy department store," he answered proudly. Since Judachew's marvelous singing voice was discovered he had been on many TV shows. This Christmas season was his busiest. It was the first time he had been paid with a gift card but the thought of walking into a big store both excited and depressed him. It was something that mice just did not do.

  "What store name is on the gift card?" Riley asked.

  "I don't remember. I don't think it is the one from that movie with Santa Claus in it. You know the store. It's called Maaaaa........"

  Riley yelled as she leaped to her feet, "Stop! Don't say it! My grandmother forbids me to use the M word around here."

  "The M word? What does that mean?" Judachew asked with a puzzled look on his face.

  "That's that other big department store that is to remain unnamed. Let me see your gift card and I will tell you what store it is from," Riley told her mouse friend. Judachew scurried to his tiny, mouse backpack and pulled out the card. Riley took one look at it and fell back against the couch laughing.

  "You are in luck, my little mouse friend. This is from Boscov's and guess whose grandmother is the big cheese at the store nearby?" Riley told him as she polished her nails on her blouse in an act of pride. "I am pretty sure I can get us in and out with all the gifts you need."

  "Really? You can help me. That is wonderful. When can we go?" asked Judachew but he was already putting on his Santa hat for the trip. He was ready to shop until he dropped, as the expression goes.

  "There is only one problem," the young girl said. Judachew's smile reversed into a long and hanging frown. "We can go but I can't let my grandmother see me. If she does then I'll be grounded until I get out of high school. I have a plan though that I think will work. You just have to do everything I tell you."

  "Agreed. Judachew will be your obedient sidekick. Like Robin is to Batman. Like Tonto is to the Lone Ranger. Like Peanut Butter is to Jelly, or something like that. I will do as you say and keep as quiet as a, well I guess, as quiet as a mouse. Let's go."

  The two set out for their short walk to the big Boscov's store on the corner. Judachew had his little Santa hat on and the tiny, red scarf that Alexa, his friend at the village church, gave him. Riley was in her matching pink, furry gloves, scarf and hat that she had gotten last Christmas from her grandmother. If one were to look at them they would see two good friends chattering away as they strolled toward the store. That is if mice typically wore Santa hats and scarfs while they chatted and walked upright down the street.

  As they approached the entrance to the store, a kindly woman dressed in colorful red, white and green pulled the door open for Riley. Judachew kept close to her feet so he would not be seen. The woman spoke to Riley.

  "Merry Christmas, miss. Are you doing a little Christmas shopping today? Where's your mother?" Riley could tell that the lady was concerned about her being there alone.

  "My grandmother is the manager here so I'm going to visit her. I hope you have a good holiday and thanks for opening the door." The two scooted in as the kind woman began to ring her bell once again. She was collecting money for those who have so little for the holidays.

  Judachew spoke up and said, "That is a good group of people. They do wonderful things for the poor. The pastor back at our little church likes them alot. If he likes them then I like them. So, where do we head first?" Judachew gave out an loud gasp and stopped dead in his tracks.

  Judachew had never seen so many things to buy in one place before. There were dresses, shoes, pajamas, scarves, purses and colorful Christmas sweaters.

  "What's wrong, little friend?" Riley bent down to ask and listen to his answer.

  "I am a little overwhelmed. There are so many things here. How will I know what to buy? Besides, it all looks so expensive," he stated with a small quiver in his voice.

  "First of all, because this is Boscov's you will get the absolute best prices. Mr. B makes sure that all the people who buy for him do their job and find the best deals for his customers. Secondly, the best way is to tell me who we are buying for. Then, I can help you decide what to get," Riley told him.

  "Well, there is Alexa, her brother and of course, the pastor and his wife. Then all my mice friends who live in the church wall back in the village. They all like to eat and they love chocolate," Judachew was telling her as he heard a woman scream.

  "A mouse!"

  Chapter 2

  Riley's greatest fear about their shopping excursion was already coming to pass. Someone had screamed mouse and now the whole store would be in an uproar. She reached to grab Judachew and bolt for the front door when the lady continued. "What a wonderful gift. A animated, toy mouse dressed just like a teeny, weeny Santa Claus. That is so, so cute. I have to have one for each of my three grandchildren." The shopper turned to the Boscov's co-worker nearby and said, "Mam, I want to buy that mouse. How much is it?"

  The co-worker bent down and scooped up Judachew before Riley could say another word then called back to the woman, "I will have to scan the code on him. It will only take a second." The co-worker noticed there was no bar code on the little animated mouse. "I'll have to call the toy department to see how much it is." Still holding Judachew she reached for her phone and dialed the toy department.

  When the department answered she asked, "Hi, Connie, this Janet downstairs. I have an animated toy mouse here that is really cute. It walks and everything but it doesn't have a bar code on it. How much are they?"

  On the other end Connie did not speak for a moment then finally she said, "Janet, we don't have any little, animated mice. Are you sure you don't have a real one in your hand?"

  "This one is dressed in a Santa hat and is wearing a scarf. It is adorable. It evens smiles. Do you think Pete might have it in the Auditorium?" Janet asked. She kept smiling at Judachew and had the kindest eyes. He was beginning to like her and felt like she would be okay with him talking to her.

  "Excuse me, Janet, but I'm not a toy mouse. I am a very real mouse that is on a shopping trip with my best friend, Riley. If you could put me down then I can hurry off to buy a few items for my special friends back in our little village." Judachew was wrong. Even as nice as Janet was she was not ready to hear a very real mouse talk to her. She released her grasp on him and on the phone. Judachew dropped to the sales counter with a thud. His little hat slipped over his eyes, and by the time he straightened it poor, sweet Janet had fainted with a thundering thump behind the sales counter.

  The woman who wanted to buy h
im rushed to the counter to grab Judachew but Riley raced to him and snatched him off the counter. She turned to the Boscov's customer and said, "He is my toy. I didn't get him here. I found him at that other store. You know, the one that begins with an M."

  "You mean Maaaaa....?" Before she could finish, Riley and Judachew were running towards the escalator. When they got to the bottom Riley placed him on the floor.

  "That was a close one, Judachew. That lady thought you were a toy," Riley panted out after her run across the store.

  "Yep, all cute and cuddly, that's me. I better be more careful from now on. Where are we headed to now?" the mouse asked.

  "Up the escalator to the toy department and then the candy department. We'll get the Candyman to help us find something for your mice friends," she told him as she hopped on the escalator but Judachew didn't follow her. Riley was half way up when she noticed he friend wasn't there. She turned around and hopped back down the steps. Customers were watching her and mumbling about children not being allowed to play on the escalator. She wanted to say that she wasn't playing but trying to help a friend. Riley thought better of it because no one would understand that the friend she was trying to help was a talking, singing mouse.

  "Why didn't you follow me?" she asked Judachew.

  He raised his little paw, pointed at the escalator and asked, "What is that thing? We don't have those back in our little village in New York."

  "It is an escalator. It is just steps that move. You jump on, they carry you to the top and then you jump off. It is real simple to use. Just do what I do," she told him as she leaped to the first step. Her mouse friend was right behind her. "We are almost to the top. When we get there you have to hop off." The top came a second later and she stepped safely to the second floor but Judachew failed at this first attempt at riding an escalator. The top came and he was sucked into the darkness of the other side of the escalator stairs. All Riley could do was yell, "Judachew!" but he was gone.

  Chapter 3

  Riley was panicking. Her mouse friend had slipped into the other side of the escalator and was most likely flattened like a pancake. She couldn't bare the thought of losing her mouse friend in such a horrible way. Tears were filling her eyes when she saw a tiny red hat and red scarf, with a mouse wrapped inside, come hopping up the steps. It was Judachew and he was laughing.

  "Wow, that was fantastic. Have you ever tried it?" he asked with a beaming smile that could have lit up a dark room. "Once I got to the other side I just hung on until I got back to this side. What a ride!" Judachew exclaimed.

  "You scared me. I thought I lost you," Riley told him as she scooped him up in her arms and gave him a bear hug designed for a small mouse.

  "Can I do it again?" he asked.

  "No," she snapped. "We have shopping to do." Riley didn't want him to see that she was ready to cry so she put him down and walked towards the toy department.

  "Where are we going, Riley?" Judachew asked with the bright face of a mouse in the midst of an exciting adventure.

  "Toys! Toys are always a great gift for little people," Riley said as she pointed to the right to where the sign spelled TOYS in red, blue, yellow and green neon lights.

  "I do have a few little people to buy for but mostly for all my friends who live in the wall," he told her as they scooted quickly through the Boys department. As Riley passed by the winter coats she would knock the sleeves into a swinging motion. She didn't notice that every return swing of the sleeves would knock Judachew onto his tail end. He would hop up and race after her determined to miss the next swinging sleeve. It didn't happen. He was knocked down again and again until he was several steps behind her.

  "Wait up, Riley," he called after her.

  "You have to keep up, Judachew. We have to do this quickly before my grandmother sees me. No one can know that I came here today, especially my pesky sister and cousin, Ashton and Malachai. They came to work with my grandmother today and if they see us they will squeal on me," she told her mouse friend.

  "Will they squeal because I'm a mouse?" Judachew asked with a concerned frown on his face.

  "In this case, the word squeal means to tattle on me. That's what smaller sisters and cousins do. I'm always in trouble at home because of their tattling," she answered as they walked into the toy department.

  "Maybe you need to listen better," Judachew suggested. She gave him a furrowed, brow covered stare that said, in a silent way, let's not talk about it. So, he didn't. Instead he was halted in frozen motion by two unison, harmonic screams.

  "Riley, what are you doing here? Riley put her hand out to hide Judachew as she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "It's the two I told you about. Let me handle this."

  "Hi, Ashton and Ki. Fancy meeting you here. What nice weather we are having," she said with a large smile as fake as the snow in a snow globe.

  "You are supposed to be here. I'm telling grandmother," Ashton said with the smile of a little sister preparing for some sibling blackmail.

  "I was checking on you..." Riley almost got all of her excuse out of her mouth when Ki screamed.

  "A MOUSE!"

  Chapter 4

  Three women shopping in the infants section turned white as "white sale" sheets and dropped the teeny, tiny t-shirts they held to the floor. It was happening all over again and Riley needed to think and act quickly.

  "No, no, he's not real. He is a toy. I'm just here to buy some batteries for him. Sorry he scared you, ladies," she called to the women who were slowly calming themselves down.

  "A toy mouse? Why did you get a toy mouse from Grandmother and we didn't," Ki asked.

  "The manufacturers suggest age is for ten years and older. It isn't for little kids with big mouths," Riley snapped at them. Her patience with children was running short.

  Ashton reached down and snatched Judachew into the air. She examined him all over before asking, "Where do you put the batteries? What does it do? Is it a ninja warrior mouse? Does it do karate kicks? Can I play with it?"

  "Ugh! Kids!" Riley said in frustration as her arm shot out to grab Judachew. Ashton was too quick but when she pulled her hand out of Riley's reach, she lost her grip. Judachew flew high into the air before descending directly for stack of superhero toys lined up neatly on a shelf. He was falling fast and fear was showing on his face.

  It was Ki that dove into the air towards the now flying mouse. He caught Judachew only inches away from him smacking into the cardboard boxes below. Ki looked at Judachew and saw that his little eyes were spinning in his head. Judachew was squeezing his ears to hold onto his Santa hat.

  Ki smiled and looked at Riley. "Can I play with your toy, Riley, when we get back to Grandmother's?" He asked as genuinely and as sweetly as he could.

  Riley relented. She was actually starting to like these two invaders into her world. "Yeah, sure but first I have to get batteries. I know Pete will have them so I will meet you both over in the Auditorium. Now, please don't tell Grandmother. I want my new toy to be a surprise to her," Riley asked as she gave Ki and Ashton a hug.

  "Okay. As long as we can both play with the mouse at home," they said together.

  "Sure, if it's okay with Judachew," she joked but she should not have. Judachew wasn't familiar with human jokes and he spoke right up.

  "I would be delighted. Maybe we can play a board game. I love board games."

  Riley didn't wait around to explain how or why the mouse talked. She just headed through the pet supply center towards the candy section.

  "Riley, I don't like this place," her mouse friend said.

  "Why? It is just pet toys and pet beds," she answered.

  "It is cat stuff and to be honest, I may not be afraid of escalators but I am deathly allergic to cats. My experience has been that where there is catnip, there will be cats. This place gives me the willies," he told her. In another moment the two exited the pet toys but not before he got a good glimpse of the various cat toys that were shaped like mice. He wo
ndered who had come up with that idea? Whoever it was, they needed to change their attitude towards mice right away. Judachew was snapped out of his walk through the valley of the shadow of death by a voice.

  Chapter 5

  "Hey, kiddo. What are you doing here today?" It was the man that Riley had called the Candyman. He was in a bright orange shirt with big, red suspenders. His smile was wide and he was happy. Judachew decided that being around candy made people happy and this was the happy candyman.

  "Hi, Candyman," Riley said.

  "What brings you to Boscov's today?" he asked. "Would you like to try my fresh batch of fudge. It is a new recipe. I call it awesome-triple-fudgilicious-delicious-chocolately-heaven fudge. Do you think the name is too long?" he asked as he cut Riley a piece of his new creation and handed it over the counter to her.

  Riley put it in her mouth and the sweet, creamy goodness melted over her tongue. "Oh, Candyman, that is the best fudge I ever ate. Wow, it is super, super good. Can I have a piece for my friend?"

  "Sure, where's your friend?" he asked as he looked all around for another child or adult.

  "Well, it is complicated. Do you promise not to get all weird when I tell you where he is?" Riley quizzed.

  "Riley, a friend of yours is a friend of mine. Where is he?" Riley nodded towards the floor. The Candyman stretched his neck over and looked right into Judachew's smiling face. The Candyman smiled at Judachew and said, "Hello and what do I call you, sir?"

  "My name is Judachew and I'm here to buy gifts for my mice friends back in our village," Judachew said.

  "Hmm, mice friends? Let me think. I could come up with a nice chocolate covered, cheese ball for them," Candyman said as he scratched his chin. Possibly a nice chocolate covered pretzel. Better yet, how about some awesome-triple-fudgilicious-delicious-chocolately-heaven fudge? Here is a taste for you," Candyman said as he flipped open the counter door, leaned down and handed Judachew a sliver of fudge. On the very first taste, Judachew fell in love. This was the fudge for his friends and the only fudge he would ever eat again. Unless, of course, there was none around and other types of fudge were available.