Christmas Stories (Faulkner)/Squeaky and the Scare Box

by Georgene Faulkner

Squeaky and the Scare Box

nce upon a time there lived in a hole in the pantry wall a family of mice. There was a father mouse and a mother mouse and three little baby mice. They were called the “Velvet family,” because their fur looked like soft, gray velvet.

One little mouse was named Sharpeyes (only they nicknamed him “Sharpy”) because his eyes were so sharp and bright. He could see everything, even in the darkest closets and holes. One was named Sniffy, because he could sniff and smell anything good to eat, wherever it might be hidden. And the tiniest little mouse was named Squeaky, because he had such a squeaky, shrill little voice. He was constantly singing, “Ee-ee-ee.”

Now the mother-mouse was very wise, and she had taught her babies to scamper and hide whenever they saw the old cat tiptoeing about. The mother-mouse would say, “Beware of the cat!” and the little mice would run so quickly that although Mrs. Puss did not even mew or purr when she walked through the pantry, she never had been able to catch any one of the Velvet family. But many of their little cousins and other relatives had been caught by the old cat. So the little mice obeyed their mother and always hid when the cat was near.

The mother-mouse also warned her babies to beware of the trap. She said, “I know, Sniffy, you will smell the cheese, and Sharpy will peer into the queer, little, round house and see the cheese hanging there, and Squeaky will call to you all to come in and get a bite, but if you do not heed my words you will be caught with cruel springs and wires and choked to death. So mind what I tell you and do not eat any cheese unless I am with you.”

And the little mice answered, “Ee-ee-ee! Yes, Mother, yes. Ee-ee-ee!” in their little, shrill voices, and they promised to remember to do just what their mother told them.

I could not begin to tell you about all the frolics that those mice had together. But I will tell you about their Christmas party.

• “’Twas the night before Christmas,
• And all through the house
• Not a creature was stirring,
• Not even a mouse.”

The last touches had been put upon the tall Christmas tree standing in the living room. The father and mother had gone upstairs to bed—

• “And the children were nestled all snug in their beds,
• While visions of sugar plums danced through their heads.”

But, in the hole in the wall, the Velvet family were all wide awake.

“Ee-ee-ee!” squeaked Squeaky, “why can’t we creep into the big room and see the tall Christmas tree? We have heard the children talking about that tree for days, and we have never seen a Christmas tree, so please, Mother-Mouse, can’t we go out this time and see it?”

“Yes,” said Sniffy, “do let us go, MotherMouse. Everything has been smelling so good lately, and the children and the cook made long strings of popcorn. I nibbled a little piece that they dropped here on the pantry floor, and it tasted so good.”

“Yes,” said Sharpeyes, “and I peered out of our hole and saw some candy on a plate and some gingerbread cakes, all ready for the children. Oh, I do want a bite of those good things! Please let us have a Christmas party, Mother-Mouse!”

“Now, don’t tease, children; I will ask your father, and if he says it is safe, why, then we shall go.”

When the father-mouse heard them, he said, “Well, I will go out first, and look carefully about, and then I will let you know if you dare to venture out.” So father-mouse crept softly through the pantry. He tiptoed down the long hall and into the living-room, but the old cat was nowhere to be seen.

For you must know, children, the house people were afraid that the cat might brush against the tree and break something, so poor Mrs. Puss had been banished to the coal-bin and was spending her Christmas Eve down in the cellar all alone; and she was howling and yowling because she was so angry.

When the father-mouse could not find the cat, he came back to the pantry and called out the glad tidings, “The coast is clear, come out, children.”

Then all the Velvet family came scrambling down from their hole in the wall, their whiskers fairly trembling in their eagerness. They crept through the pantry and tiptoed along the great hall and into the livingroom where stood the tall Christmas tree; and when they saw the wonderful tree, they were so happy that they squeaked again and again in their joy. Then each mouse took hold of its tail as though it were a long train and, holding it up very carefully, danced and danced in the moonlight. They ran around and around the tree, examining everything.

On the floor they found a wonderful doll’s house. “How lovely it would be to live here,” they squeaked. They ran up and down the stairs, overturned the chairs, pulled off the bedclothes and climbed into the beds. Then they went into the dining-room and sat down in the tiny chairs, but when they found the table was just set with play food, they did not like it, for of course it was not good to eat.

Then Sniffy said, “I smell that good popcorn again; let’s climb up into the Christmas tree and get some.” So they began to climb up into the tree. They nibbled the popcorn chains; they nibbled the candy canes and the candy hanging in the stocking bags. They found the gingerbread cakes, and each one took a bite.

Suddenly Sharpeyes said, “Come here, I see a mouse! I see a mouse! But he doesn’t belong to our furry family at all.”

“I should say not,” sniffed Sniffy; “he smells so good!”

“Why, he is good to eat!” squeaked Squeaky, and they all began to eat the chocolate mouse.

Then they found another candy mouse, a nice pink one, and they were so busy eating it that they forgot to watch and listen, until bang! suddenly the door was thrown open and the electric lights were turned on. With a squeak of warning, the Velvet family, scrambling and tumbling down through the branches of the tree, scampered pell-mell across the hall, through the pantry and back to their home and safety.

There was the father-mouse, and the mother-mouse, and Sharpeyes, and Sniffy, but where was Squeaky? What had become of poor Squeaky?

Now, as Squeaky tried to climb down the tree, he fell heels over head down, down, down until he was caught in a funny, square box. An ugly looking man with black hair and a black beard seemed to be hopping right out of the box, and, when Squeaky saw the lights turned on, he thought it best to hide under the skirts of this queer man. He nestled down and lay very still, hardly breathing. He had been taught never to move when danger was near so he did not wiggle even a whisker. He heard voices. The house people were talking.

“Yes,” said the children’s father, “it would have been a shame to forget this train. I want it to come right out from under the tree.” And the father and mother began to arrange tiny tracks and switches. When all was in place, the mother looked once more at the wonderful tree.

“Why, look at that Jack-in-the-box, he’s hanging way out of the box,” she said. “That will never do, it will spoil all the fun. Teddy would love to see it fly out at him and would call it the ‘Scare Box.’ I must fix it back in place.” Then the mother pushed the Jack, with his black beard and black hair, down, down into the box, and she shut and locked the lid.

Poor Squeaky, hidden under the queer man’s skirts, felt the springs close tightly about him and squeaked one shrill “Ee” of fright. The father said: “I never heard such a perfect squeak; it is wonderful the toys they make for children. Now in my day—” And his voice drifted off, as he turned out the lights and followed the mother upstairs to bed.

Poor little Squeaky. On all sides there seemed to be a big spring coiled and coiled about him. “I am in a trap,” he moaned, “and they didn’t even give me a mite of cheese to eat. But, then, nothing seems to hurt me. It is not the way Mother-Mouse said: it does not pinch me or choke me. I wonder what kind of a trap it is—a queer man with springs for a body. Well, I am safe for a while, but I wonder if he will ever let me get out again. I want to go home.” And poor Squeaky cried himself to sleep.

In the morning he heard shouts of “Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!” and it seemed as though the big tree trembled in all its branches, as the toys were taken down, one by one. Then such a noise was heard—drums beating, horns tooting, children shouting:

“Just see our new doll’s house!”

“Oh, see my new train, how fast it goes over these tracks!”

“Just see this beautiful dolly! She can open and shut her eyes, and she says ‘ma-ma, pa-pa’ whenever I pull the string.”

“Ee-ee-ee!” groaned poor Squeaky, “I can squeak ‘ma-ma, pa-pa’ that way too, if they would only let me out so that I could go home to my ma-ma and pa-pa.”

As if in answer to his wish, Squeaky suddenly felt the box lifted down from the tree. “Come here, Teddy,” said the children’s mother, “here is a new scare box. We will have some fun. Now, carefully watch me and we will open the lid.” Teddy leaned against his mother’s knee, watching closely; “Are you ready? Well, let us count. One, two, three!” the mother opened the lid. Out jumped the man with the black beard and black hair and, with a loud squeak of joy, out jumped Squeaky. “Ee-ee-ee!” said Squeaky. “Ee!” said the Jack-in-the-box. “Whee-ee-ee!” yelled the small boy in delight. “Oh, Ee-ee-ee,” shrieked the mother, as she threw the box on the floor and, holding her skirts up high, she jumped on her chair, screaming, “a mouse! a mouse! a mouse!”

“Where? where?” they all shouted in a chorus. But little Squeaky whisked away so fast that they caught only a glimpse of his velvety fur and his long tail, as he dashed across the long hall back to the pantry, and home, and safety.

Squeaky gave queer little squeaky sounds, half sobs and half laughs, as he told father and mother mouse the whole story of his night in the house with the queer man with springs for a body. And there was great rejoicing among the Velvet family over the return of Squeaky.

In the living room they heard the children’s father laughing as he helped their mother climb down from the chair. “Well,” said he, “how did you enjoy Teddy’s scare box?”