magickmermaid

Eek! A Mouse! Part 3

To catch up on the story:  Part 1 and Part 2

Eek! A mouse!  Part 3

The next day I confronted Henri about the truffles.

“C’était censé être une surprise.”  (They were to be a surprise.)
I glared at him with raised eyebrow.

“Have you tried them?” I asked.

Henri looked down at his boots and then gave me a sheepish smile.
“Je devais être sûr qu’ils étaient assez bons pour une reine”, he replied.
(I had to be sure they were good enough for a queen, Madame.)

At least he still remembered who was in charge here!  I couldn’t argue with that logic and we put the truffles in a mouse-proof tin.

Now what to do about the mouse?  For the record, living in the country I have had to morph into Spider-Annihilator, Gnat-Masher and Fly–Destroyer on several occasions. These invaders are sent on a one-way ocean cruise via the toilet without a moment’s hesitation.  (Ladybugs and moths are caught and released in the garden.)

The main problem is that I think of mice as the adorable creatures from the Beatrix Potter tales.
beatrix potter mice

I did not want to set a deadly mouse-trap.  I merely wanted the mouse to leave the premises.  I had read that cotton soaked in peppermint oil and cayenne pepper sprinkled on the floor were natural mouse repellents.  So I strategically placed cotton balls around the kitchen, bathroom and other parts of the house.  And I formulated the plan of storing the new basket of tomatoes in the oven at night; hoping this was a clever way to foil the mouse.  This plan worked beautifully for a few nights.

The fourth morning I discovered a big mess in the oven; half-eaten tomatoes strewn about and mouse poop on the sink!  The cute little mouse had turned into a voracious, pillaging, rampaging beast!  A veritable velociraptor in mouse clothing!
velociraptor

Now I was truly annoyed.  Henri saw my frustration and enlisted a friend to stand guard.

“Madame, Permettez-moi de presenter Porthos.  Il agira comme sentinelle.”
(Allow me to present Porthos.   He will act as sentry.)
Porthos

“Ah, Porthos; as in the Les Trois Mouse-quetaires?”,  I enquired.
Much eye-rolling from Henri and Porthos.

Needless to say, Porthos gave me a fright in the middle of the night when I went into the kitchen for drink of water.  Which, of course, made Henri laugh and did nothing to scare the mouse.

A difficult decision needed to be made……………….

17 comments

  7. Yup – definitely having nightmares about that mouse-oraptor picture! Typical Henri, befriending the mouse. He probably cut a deal running illegal mouse cider via your basement and has you lined up to take the fall when the FBI come knocking. Fait gaffe mademoiselle! Cet nain mechant et ses potes souris! (it means something about Poldark’s fruity proclivities I believe)

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  13. Apparently there is a space around the gas pipe that leads from the oven to the furnace in the basement. They were able to get in under the oven and then into the oven from the vents inside! Ingenious little creatures! But it’s best not to have them as housemates. 🙂

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