Broadcast: October 12, 2003

Duke's Story

Duke the Mouse in:
EXPLORING LAUNDRY MOUNTAIN

     I have a very brave pet mouse named Duke. How brave? I’m glad you asked because Duke is the kind of mouse who will stop at nothing to scale great heights. Really.
     Just the other day Duke went on an adventure. Now, he is a mouse, you know, and mice are not very big creatures so an adventure to my pet mouse is like housework to you or me. And believe me, any housework for Duke is an adventure by itself.
     If you don’t know by now, Duke is rather lazy. I don’t like to say that because it might hurt his feelings but you can ask him if you wish—only you’d have to wake him up first.
     Anyway, Duke wandered into the laundry room for some odd reason and the next thing I knew, he had found a spoon of thread and was busy getting ready to climb Laundry Mountain. Using the thread as a rope, Duke made a loop and tossed it on top of the pile of clothes better known as Laundry Mountain. He snagged a button and his rope was held tight.
     Next, Duke began making his way to the top. It was a dangerous climb for just about any creature. One false step and Duke could drop inches to the edge of a sharp sock or something. Even worse, he might hit the cuff of a shirt. See what I mean about Duke and adventure? He just lives for it.
     The first part of the climb was easy except for the stinky t-shirt he had to scale. The next part, making his way across a wrinkled pillowcase was nothing short of dangerous. One minor slip and Duke would land on a pile of soft underwear.
     Half way to the top, Duke found a tunnel and decided to explore that. It was a very long, dark tunnel that lead to the pocket of my jeans. I guess you and I might call it a pant leg, but not my intrepid explorer, Duke the Mouse. No, he explored that tunnel all the way until he found a secret hidden cave that contained riches. Just like that, I lost twelve cents in loose change out of my pocket.
     The last part of the climb had to be the most difficult. Here, the laundry was stacked almost straight up. Towels, socks, shirts, washcloths—you name it. It could fall at any moment and create a dangerous clothes slide which might end in tragedy. At one point, Duke slipped. He grabbed onto the thread and held on for dear life. If I had been watching, I’m sure I would have had to turn away—so I wouldn’t laugh out loud.
     Duke climbed back up the thread and finally, after a dangerous struggle, clawed his way to the very top of Laundry Mountain. He stood there for a few moments, enjoying the taste of victory and catching his breath with that spectacular view. That is, until I came along and picked up the laundry and dumped it in the washing machine. Lucky for him I heard his yells before I turned on the washer.
     Well, I pulled out my pet mouse and had to listen to his story twice before we celebrated with a bowl of ice cream. And that’s the way it is with Duke.