Esther the Acro Mouse by Pam Swain (books that read to you TXT) 📕

The adventures of Esther the Acro-mouse.

Esther mouse lived behind the floorboards of a large old house with her brothers Edwin, Edward and her mama mouse Georgina and papa mouse George. Esther was smaller than her brothers but more intelligent and she loved reading. She had little glasses that sat on the end of her nose that she just needed for reading. She loved reading about the circus and tried to train her pet cockroach Herbert to do tricks. She was very good at climbing and skipping although her papa never took her out hunting like he did with her brothers. He didn’t think she would be agile or quick enough and she longed to let him see that she could do anything her brothers could and more.

There were two things she was really scared of, humans and cats. Her favourite outfit was her pink tutu and she loved to dance around in it. To her annoyance she had a tail and she kept tripping over it and it just seemed to get in her way. One day she was playing under the car in the driveway and practicing her balancing as she held on underneath it. Suddenly she heard a door closing and the engine start off. She was terrified to jump off in case the car wheels ran over her so she held on and closed her eyes pretending to be in the big top balancing on a tightrope.

After a while the car parked and Esther jumped off. She was at the beach; she recognised it from pictures in her books. She felt her heart race with excitement and anticipation. She scuttled along short distances hiding behind pillars as she went so as not to be seen. Then there in front of her she saw a photographer taking pictures of people who had put their faces through a board with funny bodies painted on. He was telling people about the circus that had come to town and that there was a performance that very evening. Esther watched and waited till he was packing away and then she climbed up onto the top of the board and walked across it balancing carefully as she went. The photographer jumped in shock at the sight of a small mouse wearing a pink tutu appearing to be tightrope walking across his board. The photographer, Fred, let out a yell and frightened Esther and she started swaying on one foot but she regained her balance. Fred was a short stocky man with a long curly black moustache. He had a habit of twiddling his moustache when he was thinking.

“Please Sir, could you take me to join the circus?” squeaked Esther.

“Hmmm! What have we here,” he said in a gruff voice, “a talking acrobatic mouse in a pink tutu.
I definitely think people would pay to see that. Yes I will take you. What is your name?”

“Esther” she replied having doubts now when she remembered her parents telling her never to go with strange mice without telling them. And this was worse, it was a human!

Fred could see her hesitating and reassured her that he would not hurt her and showed her pictures of his children. They would look after her, he told her, and so Esther decided to take the chance to fulfil her dream.

When they arrived at the circus Fred gently lifted Esther into his caravan to show his children. Although he had huge worn hands he was a very gentle man. Willis and Jenna were delighted by their new friend and promised to take good care of her. They were in the acrobatics act and took her to practice with them. They introduced her around and then let her sit on the surround barrier and watch them.

Esther looked round the huge big top and felt her heart would burst with excitement. She could smell the sawdust and she watched the two children and another man way up high on the trapeze. They had a net below in case they fell but she thought they were magnificent and she wanted to try as well. She scrambled off the barrier and climbed up the rope ladder to the trapeze. The acrobats were amused to see her and she asked if she could have a go. They decided it was safe because the net was there. Much to their amazement she attached her tail around the trapeze and started swinging and then without so much as a twitch of her whiskers she launched herself into mid air. Luckily Willis caught her by the paws. It was just as wonderful as she thought it would be.

They all practised a bit more before the children took Esther back to their caravan. They couldn’t wait to tell their father all about it. Fred developed an act for Esther but because she was so small he wanted to get her a partner that would be more suited for her.
The circus tomcat, wild William, had been a tough alley cat before he had come to the circus. He was ginger and very fierce and hated mice and he was excellent at hunting. Fred took Esther to meet him and explained that he would like him in the act with her. Esther and William were both horrified at the idea. William arched his back and his fur stood on end as he hissed at Esther. He didn’t want to look like a softly and had developed his scary personality to look tough. He didn’t want the other cats and circus animals to laugh at him. Esther started shaking with fright at the thought of been eaten by this awful cat with big fangs.

Fred sat them down together and told them that they would have their own act called acro-mouse and acro-puss. He told them he was leaving them together to get to know each other. Poor Esther, she thought this would be the end of her. After Fred left William’s stopped acting tough and told Esther he couldn’t do the act because he was afraid of heights and that it was a secret because if the other cats knew they would never let him forget it. A cat afraid of heights! Esther couldn’t believe it. She promised that she would never tell and told him that she could help him. They went into the big top together and no-one was about. The net was still up. Esther stood on the barrier and got wild William to get up beside her. They chatted for a while and both realised that the other was really rather nice and that they shouldn’t be enemies just because that was the expected thing. Esther clambered up to the fourth step of the rope ladder and encouraged the cat to climb up to her. He tried a couple of times and failed but Esther kept on chatting to him about her life and he forgot to be afraid and he climbed up beside her. They continued like this until they were both up at the top. William looked down and started to get quite shaky but Esther climbed on his back and kept whispering in his ear that he could do it.

Together, slowly they developed an acrobatic act that people came from miles around to see. Then at one evening performance, when there was no net up, Esther was half way along the tightrope and William was right behind her when she noticed it fraying rapidly so she grabbed on with her tail and just as it was unravelling caught the other end in her mouth and held on tight. William couldn’t turn round so she held the tightrope together so he could walk over her. As he did so the crowd cheered and got to their feet thinking it was all part of the act. With William safely at the other end Esther let go with her mouth and with tail entwined tightly swung from side to side. The crowd erupted into cheers as she safely swung slower and slower till she was able to jump off. Acromouse and acropuss were a brilliant success.

William and Esther were taking a bow when Esther saw an elephant had got loose and was charging straight at her. The thud of his giant feet shook the ground. ‘Elephants hate mice’ was the last thing Esther could think of as the elephants giant foot came down on her. She trembled. Darkness! She screamed and woke up in bed still clutching her circus book. Wow, what an amazing dream.

Publication Date: 02-23-2013

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