If you have read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, or perhaps seen the movie, you will recognize some of the below characters. Sophia worked very hard within a set rhyme scheme to add to the great story. Enjoy.
Timothy’s Adventure
By Sophia Guo and Mr. Watt
Timothy was digging for an entrance
Into the Mayor of New York’s mansion
His claws were rubbed raw but his resolve strong
His nose bumped against the edge of the bastion.
He shrieked in delight, his heart pitter-pat,
He looked left and right and licked his poor claws
And spat, whereupon a ladder appeared
Manned by a city rat, with wide smiling maws.
“Hey Tim! You made it,” said the Mayor’s rat
“You are pretty brave for a country brat.”
“Knock it off, Olaf,” said Timothy, hot,
And the two of them got ready to chat.
“Did you find the letter from the mayor yet?
How many hours before the verdict is read?”
Timothy nervously asked, tail twitching.
“You must be famished, kid,” said Olaf, “Bring
Cheese and more cheese for the wee mousie mouse!”
Tim sank his sharp teeth into juicy cheese,
His paws were dripping and onto his blouse
He wiped the rennet and whey, if you please.
In the bastion’s office they listened close
And as the mayor spoke, Tim took good notes
He looked through the hole and at the mayor
He was interested in of what the mayor spoke.
Tim said to Olaf ”We’ve got to warn them!’
The rat agreed and gripped the wall fan.
Timothy trembled in anger, “Listen!”
The mayor was detailing his sick plan.
As the Mayor spoke with hatred the two
Hurried through a tunnel to his office:
Olaf was digging through the Mayor’s desk
While Tim was reading through his correspondence.
Tim yelled, “You’ve got to get over here now!
Here is the plan to make us puppy chow!
But wait, an important page is missing!”
The rat and mouse trashed the mayor’s work scene.
“Here is the missing page in the packet!”
Olaf hurried over, not skipping a beat.
“Read it aloud, Tim, and be very quick!”
The mouse spun his eyes down the planning sheet.
“Step One: Bomb the rat houses everywhere!”
Tim noticed that half of the sheet had gone missing –
Again! Tim was filled with anger, then he
Found it! He was so happy he was kissing
The ground! Torn and dirty paws connected.
Page 2 said, “Step 2. Take all the rats to
The dumpster …” and that’s when Tim lit up!
Tim said to Olaf “We’re going to stop them!”
“But how?” Olaf asked, and clever Tim smiled,
But the smile vanished as his mind blanked
“We’re going to … somehow … take all the garbage
And eat cabbage, and …” Tim spluttered, not mild.
Olaf was so confused. What had happened?
To Timothy, was he out of his mind?
What had happened to the brave country brat,
Thought Olaf, the crazy out-of-his-mind rat?
Tim was so excited that he fell off the
Table onto the cement hardwood floor.
And his elbow started to bleed non-stop
And all the blood leaked through the wooden door.
Olaf tried to help Tim up but Tim was hurt,
Badly. Olaf had to call his friend for help –
Here comes Curt! The most famous rat Nurse
Dashed through the door with his first aid kit.
As Curt unpacked his instruments, he glanced
Worriedly at the mouse, squinting warily,
Firmly testing Tim’s skin and bone. “Nothing
Seems to be out of the ordinary:
Could it be he is just dying of fright?”
“Never!” shouted Olaf, “Tim is mighty
And brave – he is in no way a scaredy mouse!”
They pulled him to the safe part of the house.
Then Curt and Olaf heard Tim say a word.
“Mommy!” he cried, and his small eyes fluttered,
“Where am I, I need water, dear Mommy!”
The rats crowded above him, and shook him:
“Tim! If you can hear me, move your paw please.”
Curt watched the breathing of the mouse, and, shocked,
Said, “Hey, the Ray! We forgot! He’s needs a shot!”
The Ray vaccination they’d forgot.
Curt pulled out a big pointed needle for
Tim, the shot that all the rats got, but Tim
Wriggled like a worm. They strapped him screaming,
As he’d never had pointy things stuck in him.
Tim was as scared as a scaredy mouse,
He closed his eyes and hoped it wouldn’t hurt.
Then Tim felt the tiniest pinch ever,
There was blood on the floor, but only a splurt.
“Tim, do you know what you said in your dream?”
“No, why?” Curt was adamant and unstressed.
“You said something very interesting.”
“And that thing was?” “Your room is a mess.”
“Well, that’s technically true. It is a mess,
And I was dreaming of mom’s secure nest…”
“Is that it?” “Well, you also said that you …”
“Guess?” “That you know something about computers?”
Suddenly Tim’s eyes widened, memories
Flowed in, and he became bold. “I do
Remember!” he cried, and his legs did a dance,
“I was with the rats of NIMH when a toad
Informed us of the Fitzgibbons’ machines
That blink and compute and tell everything,
And we learned what all the buttons mean,
And how the computers work and throw beams.
Where’s the computer here?” Tim inquired, “Get
a pointy thing, we are required to affix
a mitt to it. Tap the table one time.”
“Tap, tap.” “We found it! Ready to crack it?”
“No. I’m not done, yet. A fan, a stand…
I got it! I’m getting a notepad and a pen
So we can take notes while we search for the
Solution,” Tim said. “What about that man
Ben? Isn’t he the head of all workers here?”
“Yes!” said Olaf, “and he speaks Rat! Very near
He has a desk, underground, where he peers
Into the gloom, watching for furry buccaneers!”
Tim smiled when he heard of a human ally
Knowing this was the key to the rats’ success:
The overturning of all the mayor’s plans
The absolute destroying of this crime.
“Lets find Ben right now! He will know how to
Destroy the mayor’s horrible plan,” said
Tim, throwing his paws onto Olaf’s neck;
“The underground paradise will survive!
Hey Olaf, how far underground are we now?”
“Lets see … we are 20 feet underground
How far is the underground secret lab?”
“About ten, twenty more feet to go.”
Ding dong! “Is anyone home? Ben? Are you there?”
The elevator arrived and with it
A rat and a mouse, intent on saving lives,
carrying loads of tools and a menacing air.
Ben had been sleeping with his feet propped up
With his latest invention half-done, he
Spoke in dream, waiting for the answer,
Listening to a very interesting beat.
“Aha!” he shouted, “I see the answer is tiny!
They’re furry, have different sizes –”
“Ben! We’re here to stop the exterminating!”
They squeaked, prancing, jumping, and shaking him fast.
Ben, the inventor, the mice and rat technician,
Worked to find the right combination
His hands were greasy, his hair unkempt, his
Bedroom a mess, but what concentration
With a quick motion of his wrist, Ben snapped
Timothy up in his palm, petted him, and
Led them to his secret lab through the mist
Entering thousands of doors and halls.
Finally, Ben pulled out a rusty key,
Unlocked a small door and led them in.
Then Ben picked up a new slice of cheese,
Dust flying around the brooms and the bin.
Tim swiped a chunk of cottage cheese from Olaf
“Hey!” the rat yelled, chasing Tim around a bunk,
The mouse squealed in pleasure, and with a laugh,
Ran around Ben’s office, dodging all the junk.
They ran to another room and stopped at a bunk.
Under the fan Ben waved his handkerchief.
They fanned themselves with paper clipped to a
Wood chip, but both mice were in a froth.
SNAP! The fan broke into two pieces.
The cheese split and they swatted dust away.
They ran as fast as they could to get out,
Then returned back to Ben’s office.
Still laughing, Olaf tripped on a piece of junk.
Ben sighed and wrenched his face red, scratchy,
He picked his hat from the floor. He was grouchy.
“All right! You crazy vermin: sit on the bunk!”
Timothy and Olaf walked and sat down.
“Alright, what is your idea to get the mayor
in town at the right time so your great plan
will succeed and bring peace and a profound
End to this madness!?” Ben frowned and then smiled.
“I’ve got it! The mayor visits here with
The inspector tomorrow.” Timothy’s
Eyes popped: “Ben, you need to run about a mile,
To bring back tripwires, tranquilizers, and
Pillows, blankets, a cup of cocoa, blindfolds….”
“What’s that all for? I thought all we needed
Was a plan to keep you rats civilized?”
Tim snorted. “Here’s the plan: make sure the mayor
Is here at 9:00 sharp. We will have everything
Ready. When he walks through the double door
He’ll get the ray blast and know our feelings.”
“Go get the stuff now, Ben! And we’ll start to
Prepare. Olaf, you get the laser warmed
Up, and I’ll place everything so the mayor
Can get a jolt of who we are down here.”
Early, Timothy and Olaf woke up
And found themselves sleeping next to the ray,
Ben yelling at them, “Wake up!!! The mayor’s
On his way down!” The two got into
Position and luckily, zapped the mayor.
The mayor fell to the ground, knocked
Unconscious, and when he woke up he freaked out,
Finding rats all over him. He was caught
When he woke up, he got a rash where he
Got hit. He was really ferocious. But
For some reason, he felt really strange.
He didn’t dislike rats anymore.
The mayor asked “What just happened to me??
It feels like I just got stung by a bee!”
Timothy answered: “You just got hit by the ray.
Yes, the one you made, that caused dismay!”
“How can I understand you?” the mayor asked.
“The ray has a potion inside it so
Humans can understand us. Now when you
See a rat or mouse, you may be confused,”
Timothy said scientifically.
“This is awkward…” the mayor said, standing up.
“Now you know how we, rats, feel,” Olaf said.
“Bloomberg – this is what I was trying to tell you.
When I got hit with the ray, I started
To understand rats. But you wouldn’t
Believe me,” Ben said. “Do you understand
Rats now? Do you still want to destroy them?
“No, not anymore: Timothy, Olaf,
Would you like to become my pet rat and mouse?”
Bloomberg asked. “Sure we would. As long as you treat
Us nicely.” But Tim missed Mrs. Frisby.
“How about this, I’ll drive you to visit
Your mom and to ask her if she wants to
Live with us, ok?” the mayor asked.
“I would love that,” Timothy responded.
So they lived happily together in the mansion.