Eric is lonely - its no fun being a castle mouse. Every day he hopes for a friend, but no other living soul seems to want to live in the castle, which is a shame because it is warm and cosy and there is plenty of food left by the careless tourists at the end of each day.

One day, long after the human visitors have left, Eric hears a rustling sound outside of his mouse hole. He is overjoyed- another living being!!! A friend!!!  Hooray!!!!

He runs out of the hole, and bosh! gets a swipe on the head from a giant ginger paw. Eric quickly manages to run back into his home.

His heart is pounding, his head is aching from the blow. Just my luck, he thinks. The only thing that has come this way in years, and it has to be a ginger Tom. No chance of being friends with a cat!! Not if  you are a mouse.

The next evening Eric hears the rustling sound again. He does not even bother run out of the mousehole, he knows it will be the cat, and sure enough as he looks up he sees the tail of the ginger Tom rushing past.

However, a few minutes later he hears another sound, a tiny squeaking sound . 'Help' he can hear someone squeaking 'Help'. Eric rushes to the door of his mouse hole, just as a tiny mouse rushes by, being chased by the cat. Eric grabs the mouse and pulls him into the mouse hole.

The ginger Tom hisses angrily outside the hole, but eventually gives up on the mouse he is chasing. Once the cat has gone, Eric asks the mouse his name. Gordon, the little mouse replies. Eric finds Gordon a sandwich left by one of the tourists. Then he makes up a bed for him from shredded paper. You can stay here tonight Gordon, says Eric. Then maybe tomorrow we can play in the castle together. It is great to have a friend to play with at last.

THE END