A mouse caught by a fearsome cat must find a way out of certain danger. Can the mouse use the fabled Sheherazade’s plan of telling an exciting story each night to her captor, keeping the ending back for the following evening?
CAT AND MOUSE
By Michele Lourie, c 2019
(Mouse runs across the stage, chased by Cat, who grabs his tail)
CAT: Got you!
(Mouse lets out an eerie wail)
MOUSE: Please, please, have mercy and let me go.
CAT: I have been stalking you for a long time. I will not be letting you go.
MOUSE: I didn’t really believe you would. My plea was merely a formality. Despatch me forthwith, please.
(Cat consults his watch)
CAT: It is a half hour before my dinner time. You will be my amuse bouche until then, so there’s no panic.
MOUSE: Not for you maybe. Since we have time, perhaps you will indulge me by telling me something about yourself. What is your name?
CAT: Puss.
MOUSE: Ah, the generic ‘puss’.
CAT: It has stood me in good stead. Whenever anyone calls ‘puss, puss’, I am legally entitled to anything the caller has to offer.
MOUSE: An erudite cat, I see.
CAT: I do my best to keep up with the news – political and general, do the cryptic crossword daily, and am a prolific reader. By the way, what is your name? I don’t usually like to know who …….
MOUSE: Socrates. My late lamented father had a degree in philosophy.
CAT: Late lamented – not one of my …….
MOUSE: Correct. Since we are speaking about names, tell me, dear lady, have you heard of Sheherazade, the Arabian princess of a thousand stories?
CAT: Exotic moniker. Is this an attempt by you to initiate some type of Stockholm syndrome situation in the hope that I will change ……..?
MOUSE: Not at all, I know my demise is inevitable. I merely thought I might regale you with one of her stories to while away the time ….
CAT: Until my evening meal? I have no objection.
MOUSE: Sheherazade’s predecessors in the prince’s affection were all beheaded, just as I will …….
CAT: Do not let your mind dwell on your sad fate. Continue.
MOUSE: So, she told a spellbinding story each night without disclosing the ending and thus ensured she remained alive for the next day.
CAT: A clever plan. And you are proposing to do likewise?
MOUSE: I propose to try. Once upon a time, on a wild and windy …..
CAT: Stop. Let us retire to the comfort of my den where I have a little some cheese and crackers …..
MOUSE: After you.
CAT: Oh no, after you.
(they exit, arm in arm but the Cat keeps hold of Mouse’s tail)
