This is Where it All Goes Wrong

I poke my nose out through the doorway, sniffing several times to give me a sense of what's out there. A faint whiff of dinner beginning to sizzle hangs in the air, but nothing else unusual. I'm certain there are no surprises waiting for me, so I stick the rest of my head out the door and scan the room.

It's a very large room; the farthest edge of it almost out of my vision. Several shades of Edam and Swiss color the room nicely, with the dark Edam of the thick grass being the most beautiful and eye-catching.

I dart to and fro through the huge mountains in the room, being careful even though it seems like no one is around. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, or something like the people like to say.

The Sunshine Room is my current destination and the only place where cheese is always plentiful. It's my favorite room in the entire house, albeit the most dangerous to venture into. The room is constantly stocked with many different and wonderful kinds of cheese; the most commonly stocked one being my favorite. Hopefully, it will be there when I get there.

I shake my head clear and continue on my journey. Thinking about it alone won't satiate my hunger, and I have a distance to go before I am safely nibbling on my goal.

Scampering over to the farthest mountain, I scrutinize the empty space before me. The next form of cover is behind the wall, at least four feet away from where I currently am.

I take a deep breath in preparation for the journey ahead of me and step out cautiously into the no-man's land. I take another, seeing that it's safe, when I'm suddenly blown over by a gust of wind.

Regaining my bearings, I dive back to the Edam mountain and immediately look for what blew past me. A dark gray mouse is frantically running toward the doorway, huffing and puffing as the stress begins to overtake him. Rob, my friend's neighbor's twice-removed cousin who may be my nephew, must have been lured by the smell of dinner and got a bit too anxious to wait safely behind the mountains. I roll my eyes at his pretentious attitude and hold my breath as he shortens the gap between the doorway and his dark gray body. It looks like he could make it!

Of course, this is when it all goes wrong.

Flying out of nowhere, a mass of Gouda-colored fur falls upon Rob, but he's able to scurry away from the beast and makes a break back toward the nearest mountain. The mass whips around and smiles wickedly, lunging after Rob again. It successfully bites onto Rob's tail and saunters away to enjoy its victory.

I place my paws over my ears to shut out his squealing and incessant pleas for help. Taking one last look at the retreating ball of fur, I lower my eyes in respect. Only one thing is left for Rob, and that is a horrible death by eat-ment.

Alas, I knew him well.

I pause and resply to my previous thought, Well, maybe not. In the very least, he was good for something. I waltz through the previously dangerous expanse of carpet and into the next room.

All that greets me is a lonely region of Cottage Cheese carpet that's stained to be several other colors. The staining was a nice touch for the people to put in; it adds pretty color and wonderful smells. The long stretch would be so much more boring if I wasn't able to walk past these amazing landmarks, like this nice grape one or the Asaigo-colored one that is coming up. I'm unable to place the smell, but it is still somewhat charming, if strange.

I happily stroll down the lane, sniffing at the random aromas that come to me.

Sighing, I slowly trudge past the thick cedar tree, wishing that the journey isn't so long. This tree marks the halfway point of the room and also means that I can almost see the sunshine-brightness of the Sunshine Room.

I take a brief glance at the semi-enormous tree and pause as something catches my eye. A flash of Ridder invades my senses and a faint scent of Cheddar drifts to my nose. I wander, entranced, toward the scent. Is it really what I think it is? I wonder as my mouth waters.

My breath catches as the wonderful sight of a slice of Cheddar Cheese comes into view. Eyes watering in happiness, I savor the moment as music begins to sound and the heavens open to shine down upon the beautiful slice. Perhaps I won't have to make the whole trip to the Sunshine Room, not unless this awesome slice suddenly disappears into a wisp of smoke.

Of course, this is where it all goes wrong, part two.

I'm suddenly tackled from behind by a scrawny, somewhat sickly, mouse called Colin, who is the fourth child of my aunt's undecapulets. He hisses at me with a vengeance, and I'm abruptly reminded why I stay away from my aunt's house.

Throwing his light gray body away from me, he makes a break for my cheese, which is still enveloped in its heavenly glow. I howl in anguish as he reaches my prize, and immediately recoil as he's severed into two parts.

All the heavenly lights and noise disappear, and I scrunch my nose at the reek that is now escaping from Colin's sickly body. Spotting my formally breath-taking slice of cheese, I cry as I see that it's as hard as a rock and somewhat green.

"Poor shmuck," a tiny black spider says from above me, making a tsking noise.

"I never liked him anyway," I reply despondently and drag my feet back onto their original course.

My whole body perks up as the fragrance of dinner becomes stronger and the brightness of the Sunshine Room becomes even more prominent. I pick up my pace slightly and reach the door in no time, stopping completely to admire the wonderfulness of the sunshine room.

Huge Feta cliffs line most of the room, with bright Colby cliffs intermingling with them. Above these are more Colby ones just like them but floating in the sky. The sunshine room is empty of people at the moment, but full of wonderful scents all over the place. One smell is especially dominant, a smell that happened right before I was tackled by Colin.

I cry tears of happiness as I see a huge mound of Cheddar Cheese just sitting on top of the strangely shaped oak tree in the center of the sunshine room. With a squeak of joy, I throw caution to the wind and scamper over to it.

As suddenly as I had been run over earlier, a huge pair of sunshine eyes and a wicked smile enter my entire vision.

Of course, this is where it all goes wrong for the last time.