putting my paws under those paw dryers in
public bathrooms. They can be so hot. A
mouse could burn his or her fur right off.
But I couldn’t say a word. My mouth was full.
Trap was happily squeaking away.
“Tell me, Cousinkins,” he babbled.
“Do you like the dark chocolates
with the blue-cheese filling best?
17
O
h
,
h
o
w
I
l
o
v
e
m
y
C
h
e
e
s
y
C
h
e
w
s
!
18
Or the cheddar-and-caramel creams?”
Without waiting for a
reply, he shoved another
Cheesy Chew into my
mouth.
It was so good!
My mood was
beginning to lift!
Benjamin sat
next to me, happily
nibbling away. “Look, Uncle Geronimo!” he
squeaked. “Here’s a CARAMEL SWISS
DIP . My favorite!”
He offered a
mozzarella-and-
marshmallow
roll to Thea.
“Try this one, Auntie,”
he said. “It’s yummy!”
I must say, the Cheesy Chews were
delicious. We polished them off in a jiffy.
I was so busy
that I lost track of time. Suddenly, the car
stopped.
19
c
h
o
c
o
l
a
t
e
s
m
u
n
c
h
i
n
g
We were at the airport.
I got out. That’s when it hit me. We were
at the airport. I hate airports. And not just
because I hate to fly. Airports are so
crowded and busy. All of those rodents
rushing around. It’s enough to give me a
mouse-sized headache!
I asked in a panic.
My cousin Trap winked at me and
laughed. “Oh, we’re just getting started,
Gerrykins,” he said mysteriously.
“What do you mean?” I asked. I was
beginning to get worried.
But before I could say another word,
Trap shoved me onto a luggage cart.
MAKE WAY!
MAKE WAAAAAY!
21
“
W
h
y
h
a
v
e
y
o
u
b
r
o
u
g
h
t
m
e
h
e
r
e
?
”
he squeaked.
Then he pushed me at breakneck speed
through the airport.
“Make way! Make waaaaay!” he screamed
with glee. “Don’t you just love speeding?”
“
L
e
t
t
h
e
f
u
n
a
n
d
g
a
m
e
s
b
e
g
i
i
i
i
i
n
!
”
“Nooooooo!” I wailed in horror. But my
cousin was on a roll. And I’m not talking
about the rolling luggage cart. Trap was
running so fast his paws barely touched the
ground. Suddenly, he stopped in front of
the VIR (VERY IMPORTANT RODENT)waiting
lounge.
24
A pretty female mouse with blonde fur
was just coming out. She was wearing a
very TRENDY SAFARI OUTFIT with
a synthetic cat-fur vest and a
pair of laced-up LEATHER BOOTS.
A NECKLACE MADE
OF SHARK'S TEETH
completed the look.
Shark’s teeth
necklace
Cat-fur vest
Leather boots
Trap stopped in front of the stranger.
I smoothed my fur. The pretty mouse
seemed to be staring right at me. “Oh, my!”
she exclaimed. “Aren’t you Geronimo
Stilton
, the famous writer?”
I blushed to the end of my whiskers.
The mouse twirled her shark’s teeth
necklace. Then she leaned toward me.
“Could I have your autograph?” she asked.
“I’ve read all of your books. They’re so
exciting! I think my favorite one is
The
Curse of the Cheese Pyramid
. It made
me want to travel to Egypt. I also enjoyed
Cat and Mouse in a Haunted
House
. It was gripping! Only a very
special mouse could write so well!”
SHARK’S TEETH
25
I was flattered. It was so nice to meet a
fan. Especially such a pretty one.
I was about to say something clever when
Trap took off again. We barreled toward the
elevator with a squeal of tires.
W
E
B
a
r
r
e
l
e
d
T
o
w
a
r
d
t
h
e
e
l
e
v
a
t
o
r
W
i
t
h
a
s
q
u
e
a
l
o
f
t
i
r
e
s
Minutes later, my cousin dumped me off
the luggage cart. I landed
in a heap on the floor.
“Oops-a-daisy!”
Trap chuckled.
I picked myself up.
Then I straightened my glasses. My cousin
hit a button on the wall next to us. That’s
when I realized we had made it to the
elevator. “No!” I shrieked at the top of my
lungs. “I CAN'T GET ON THAT! I'M
AFRAID OF ELEVATORS!”
But Trap just twirled his tail. “Don’t
worry, Gerrykins,” he cried. “There’s
nothing to it. Just don’t think about it!”
I’M AFRAID
OF ELEVATORS!
27
W
E
B
a
r
r
e
l
e
d
T
o
w
a
r
d
t
h
e
e
l
e
v
a
t
o
r
W
i
t
h
a
s
q
u
e
a
l
o
f
t
i
r
e
s
O
o
p
s
!
28
The elevator doors opened. I tried to run
away, but Trap stuck out his paw. I tripped.
Before I could stop myself, I had rolled
right into the elevator!
Trap hopped in behind me. “See,
nothing to it!” he said.
The doors slid shut. I gulped, then
closed my eyes. I would never make it!
It doesn’t get any worse than this, I thought.
But then it did.
Trap stamped on my paw. I shrieked. The
pain was horrible.
At last, the doors opened. “No need to
thank me,” squeaked my cousin happily. “I
told you, just don’t think about it!”
I
w
a
s
a
l
r
e
a
d
y
h
a
v
i
n
g
p
r
o
b
l
e
m
s
b
r
e
a
t
h
i
n
g
.
M
y
t
a
i
l
w
a
s
t
r
e
m
b
l
i
n
g
.
M
y
w
h
i
s
k
e
r
s
w
e
r
e
d
r
i
p
p
i
n
g
w
i
t
h
s
w
e
a
t
.
Trap stamped on my paw.
I
w
a
s
a
l
r
e
a
d
y
h
a
v
i
n
g
p
r
o
b
l
e
m
s
b
r
e
a
t
h
i
n
g
.
M
y
t
a
i
l
w
a
s
t
r
e
m
b
l
i
n
g
.
M
y
w
h
i
s
k
e
r
s
w
e
r
e
r
i
p
p
i
n
g
w
i
t
h
s
w
e
a
t
.
O
u
c
h
!
By now, I’d had ENOUGH. “Take me
back home!” I insisted. “I got on that
elevator, but I am not getting on a plane!
I'M AFRAID OF FLYING!
As usual, my cousin seemed to ignore me.
Instead, he raised his eyebrows. “Look over
there!” he whispered in my ear.
It was the pretty mouse we had met
earlier. She was standing at the check-in
desk. I couldn’t help smiling. She really was
attractive. And she was a fan of my books.
What a great combination! I should have
found out her name. Maybe we could be pen
pals. Maybe we could share a grilled cheese
sandwich at the Squeak & Chew sometime.
I’M AFRAID
OF FLYING!
30
I stared dreamily into space. I didn’t
notice my cousin scamper over to the
Mousair
check-in counter. He
returned, waving three tickets in the air.
“Here we are!” he squeaked, waking me
out of my daydream. “Thea, Benjamin, and
I have seats at the back of the plane.
Geronimo, you are in seat 11B.”
I shook my head. “B-b-but I can’t sit
alone,” I stammered. “I just told you, I’m
afraid of flying!”
Then I heard a soft voice behind me. It was
the pretty stranger. “Did you say you
are sitting in 11B?” she murmured.
I nodded. “How exciting!” she
exclaimed. “I am in 11A. That
means we’ll sit together!”
I grinned. What a sweet mouse. It
would be nice to spend more time with a
fan
. Maybe I could get on the plane after
all.
Beside me, Trap winked. For some
reason, he looked very pleased with himself.
What was this all about? But
there was no time to think.
We were about to board.
“By the way, where
are we going?” I
whispered to Trap as
we stood in line.
P
s
s
s
t
!
32
“Um, yes, well, it’s a beautiful place,” he
mumbled. “Lots of fresh air and sunshine.
You’re going to love it.”
For the first time since I’d been
mousenapped, I began to relax. Maybe a
little vacation would do me some good. I
could sleep until noon. Take a dip in the
pool. Watch the sun set over the ocean.
“That’s right,” Trap continued. “We’re
headed for RATTYTRAP JUNGLE
on the RIO MOSQUITO
My eyes popped open. Rattytrap Jungle?
Rio Mosquito? What an odd place for a
resort. Oh, well, I sighed. Maybe the
mosquitoes were friendlier in the tropics.
.
”
A few minutes later, we boarded the
plane.
I quickly found my seat next to the pretty
stranger. “I’m so honored to be sitting next
to you,” gushed my fan. “YOU ARE A
REAL GENIUS
. Your books have
changed my life!”
I was so flattered I didn’t even realize we
had taken off.
For the next few hours, I chatted with my
new friend. I was having so much fun I
forgot all about my fear of flying!
Unfortunately, my obnoxious cousin Trap
took that moment to remind me. He began
shouting at me through a megaphone.
YOU’RE A REAL
GENIUS!
34
he squeaked at the top of his lungs. The
other passengers nearly jumped out of their
seats. They shot him murderous looks. But
Trap didn’t care. He was having too much
fun. “Just don’t think about it!” he repeated
over and over.
For once, I decided to take my cousin’s
advice. I stopped thinking about flying.
Instead, I thought about wringing his neck!
“
J
u
s
t
d
o
n
’
t
t
h
i
n
k
a
b
o
u
t
i
t
!
”
Soon we were landing. My pretty new
friend was still chattering away. “Oh, silly
me,” she laughed. “I almost forgot to
introduce myself. My name is PENELOPE
POISONFUR. But you can call me P.P.
for short.” She winked.
I grinned. Maybe this would be a good
time to mention my pen pal idea. After all, I
didn’t want to lose touch with P.P. She was
one special mouse. But before I had a
chance to ask, P.P. began whispering in my
ear. “Do you know why I’m