Tik Saw a Rope UFLI Foundations Lesson 93

Pip sees a home. It is just right. The window is open. The room is dark. Best of all, no one is inside. 'No cats,' says Pip. 'No dogs. No people.' He crawls up to the sill and peeks in. 'Just me.'

Pip gets on the desk. Pens. Papers. A bright screen. Then he sees a rope. It goes right across the desk. 'Ooh!' says Pip. He grips it in both paws. 'This could be the best rope yet!' He pulls hard. He pulls harder. He pulls with all his might.

The rope does not move. So Pip does what any smart mouse would do. He bites it. Crunch! 'Stop!' squawks a small thing. 'Stop stop stop! That is my tail, you big nut!'

Pip turns and gawks. On the desk sits the small thing, with a cute face and a cord for a tail. It has a pink face and a blue back. 'My name is Click,' it says. 'And I am a mouse, just like you!' Pip looks. Click has no fur. Click has no paws. Click has no nose. 'You,' says Pip, 'are not a mouse.'

'I am too!' says Click. 'I click! I scroll! I can draw on the screen! Can you?' 'I can chew a hole in a wall,' says Pip. 'I can open forty tabs at once,' says Click. 'That is not a real thing,' says Pip. 'You need me,' says Click. 'You look like a pal who needs help.'

'Fine,' says Pip. 'Can you find me food? I have not had a meal in days.' 'Yes, I can!' says Click. 'And the cat,' Pip adds. 'There is a big cat in this home. Can you help me hide?' Click is not daunted. 'That cat will take one look at me and run!' Pip looks at Click. Click is the size of a peanut. 'Yep,' says Pip.

Then Pip freezes. A low, deep purr. And the soft pad, pad, pad of huge paws. The cat is close. It is not a small cat. It snarls. Its claws scratch the desk. Pip has nowhere to go. 'Click!' Pip yells. 'Click! Help!'

The cat lunges. Pip dodges left. The cat swipes. Pip dodges right. 'Click! This is your fault! You said the cat would run!' 'I am on it!' yells Click. 'Give me a moment!' 'I do not have a moment!' The cat's paw slams the desk. Papers fly. Pip runs for his life.

Then the screen lights up. A huge dog with big jaws barks from the screen. 'Woof! Woof! Woof!' booms the dog. The cat freezes. Its fur stands up. It bolts off the desk, runs for the door, and flees the room so fast it leaves skid marks on the floor. Click sits on the desk, looking smug. 'Forty tabs,' says Click. 'Told you.'

Pip lifts Click up in both paws and gives him a big hug. The cord swings back and forth. 'You,' says Pip, 'are one silly mouse.' 'The best mouse!' says Click. Pip smiles. 'Yes,' he says. 'The best mouse.'