Ratty's Cheese Shop

When Biddy Edwyna Nog heard a scuttling noise in the corner of her basement, she surmised it must be mice. What threw her for a loop was that, upon investigation she found, behind all the paint cans and turpentine rags, a tiny little cheese shop! That night she decided to sit patiently in wait to see who was responsible for it. She didn’t have to wait long because, ‘round about 10:00 she heard the familiar scuttling sounds once again. Peering over the tops of the cans she spied a rather tall mouse – a rat really, step into the little shop and unlock the cash register. Within minutes, three or four little mice carrying tiny wicker baskets over their arms darted into the shop, their noses twitching with excitement. Greetings were exchanged perfunctorily but they quickly turned their attentions to selecting the cheeses that tickled their nostrils the most. In no time at all, they filled their wee baskets with slices of cheese, loaves of bread and occasionally with little bottles of mustard or pickles. Business was brisk. When the little cuckoo clock struck 12:00 midnight, the shopkeeper rat wished his customers all a good night, locked his register, and then he, too, dashed out of the shop and down the nearest crack in the basement wall. Biddy Nog shook her head in disbelief. Now, this was one enterprising rat! The question was, WHERE did he get all the cheese he stocked his store with? Tapping her chin, Biddy Nog decided she’d better investigate her larder for evidence of nibbling. Can you guess what she found?

-Eleanor Kilham