Blinker, meanwhile, found the courage to take on the task of dragging away pages of books that lay scattered about. Though he meant to work hard, he more often than not paused and glanced about at the activity swirling about him. It was exciting. These were remarkable mice. Ragweed was very brave and strong. As for Clutch, she was truly fascinating, quite the most fascinating mouse of all.
Yet Blinker reluctantly found himself wishing he were back in his own room. “They don’t mean to be rude, but they keep stealing glances at me,” he kept telling himself. “It’s because I’m different. An oddity. Not that there’s anything I can do about it. I can’t change my ways or my looks. I should be in my home, in my room, in my cage. I don’t belong here.” Still he stayed and tried to work.
The sheer dirtiness of the floor proved to be the most pressing problem. No matter how many mice scrubbed, it was clear it would take days to make the surface suitable for dancing.
Blinker approached Ragweed. “May I make a suggestion?”
“Sure, dude.”
“That hose,” the white mouse said timidly, “in the back hallway. The one used for putting out fires. Perhaps it could be used to wash the filth away.”
“Way cool! But how?”
Blinker explained how the valve and hose worked.
Ragweed immediately saw great value in the idea. Quickly, every mouse in the store was recruited to help with the job. First, as many mice as could fit on the hose did so. With much lifting, pushing, and heaving, the hose—nozzle attached—was uncoiled, lowered to the floor, and dragged to the threshold of the main room. Then all the mice returned to the wheel and gripped it tightly.
“Heave!” Ragweed called. “Heave!”
As the mice tugged and pulled, the wheel began to turn. As it turned, a trickle of water began to flow from the nozzle, then a stream. The more the mice turned the wheel, the greater the strength of the gushing water.
“Hold it! Lower the pressure!” Ragweed cried. “It’s too strong!”
The valve was adjusted.
When the proper force was set, the mice leaped down and gathered around the nozzle, grasped it in their paws and aimed it at the filthy floor. The power of the shooting water lifted the dirt and floated it away. By aiming the nozzle now this way, now that, the mice managed to flush the filth down the back steps of the store, into the building’s basement.
The floor was soon clean. Hours if not days of work had been saved. The mice were so excited they didn’t even bother to rewind the hose. Instead, they crowded around Ragweed and congratulated him on his idea.
For his part, Ragweed kept meaning to say it was Blinker’s suggestion, but never quite did.
When Clutch returned to the store she was delighted to find that so many mice had responded to her summons. “Like, I’m stoked, dude,” she informed Ragweed as they exchanged high fours.
“What should I be doing?” she asked.
“You, Lugnut, and Dipstick need to make a place to perform.”
“Cool. What are you up to?”
Ragweed said, “I think I need to be, like, in charge of making sure those cats can’t come busting in here like they did before.”
“I hear you,” Clutch agreed. “A ‘Cats Keep Out’ sign ain’t going to do the trick.”
“You got it.”
Ragweed was about to go off and survey the store when he noticed Blinker off in a corner alone.
Still feeling guilty that he had not properly acknowledged the white mouse’s contribution, Ragweed approached him. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Nothing very much.”
“The whole thing is pretty cool, don’t you think?”
“Ragweed,” Blinker said timidly, “I need your advice.”
“About what?”
“I think . . . I should go.”
“Go where?” Ragweed replied with surprise.
“To my human’s nest.”
Ragweed gazed at Blinker thoughtfully. “I thought, like, you were done with that, dude.”
“I . . . I don’t think I belong here. It makes me too anxious. I’m . . . different from everybody else.”
“Hey,” Ragweed said, “trust me. Everything new feels strange. Even being free probably takes some getting used to. Give it some time, dude.”
“Perhaps,” Blinker said. “Meeting mice like you and Clutch . . . Clutch is quite wonderful, isn’t she?”
Ragweed found himself frowning. “Yes, she is.”
Blinker considered Ragweed thoughtfully. “Ragweed,” he asked, “are you particularly fond of her?”
“Yo,” Ragweed said, wanting to change the subject, “that was great about the hose. Have any idea about ways to keep the cats out?”
“You mean, a security system?”
“That what you call it? Whatever. Like, we need to make this place really off-limits to cats. Last club they just blew apart. Can’t let that happen again.”
Blinker trembled at the thought of such destruction. “I’m sure you can work something out,” he said. “But, Ragweed, I really, really do want to go home.”
“Do you know the way?”
“No,” Blinker admitted.
“Hey, dude,” Ragweed urged, “you’re going to have to loosen up a bit. Come with me.”
“Ragweed,” Blinker said in a whisper Ragweed had to strain to hear, “I . . . I don’t want to stand between you and Clutch.”
Ragweed nodded grimly. “Dude, if I know anything about Clutch, it’s that she’s got a mind of her own. We aren’t going to decide anything. Know what I’m saying? She’ll do what she wants.”
“But—”
“Mouse, this club is going to open in a few days,” Ragweed said, feeling some exasperation with Blinker. “Like, I promise, as soon as we check things out you can go on home.”
“I want to go now,” Blinker begged.
“But you don’t know the way.”
“I’ll find it,” Blinker said.
“Then go,” Ragweed snapped and he went off.
Blinker watched him, murmuring, “He cares for Clutch, too. I’m only making trouble.” Without saying goodbye, he slipped out of the store.
CHAPTER 21
Silversides Learns Some Things
JUST BEFORE DAWN, Silversides spied a white mouse emerging from the hole in the bookstore door. She could hardly believe her eyes. It was Blinker!
Unable to restrain herself, she flung herself down from her perch, streaked across the road,
