The surprise guest

I got in my spaceship and took off into space. I didn’t have a destination in mind this time. I just went.

The thing about shooting through space is you don’t feel like you’re going anywhere. You don’t pass things that let you know you’re moving. So there I was, traveling at 5,000 miles per hour, feeling like I was still in the middle of nowhere, and liking it. Perhaps my destination was not to have one.

That’s when I noticed a tapping at the spaceship’s door. I got up from my driver’s seat, went to the door, and looked through the peep hole. I didn’t see anyone or thing. I figured it was pebble meteor and went back to my seat. The tapping returned. I got up and looked through the peep hole. Again, nothing.

I turned to head back when the tapping repeated. I looked through the peep hole, saw nothing again, and this time shouted through the door, “Who is it?”

A weak sounding voice from outside my spaceship said, “Can I come in, please?”

To be on the safe side, I said, “Who are you?”

The voice said, “What? I can’t hear you.”

I said, “Who are you?”

The voice said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell what you are saying.”

I went back to the driver’s seat and put on the breaks. I got dressed in my spacesuit and helmet. I cautiously opened the door. Gripping onto the outside door handle was a mouse.

The mouse said, “I’m sorry to interrupt your travels. I’ve actually been tapping for a while. I happened upon your vehicle before you left and decided to see if you had any cheese. I tried the door handle, but it was locked, and then you took off. A few times I almost fell off, but managed to hold on.”

I said, “But I don’t have any cheese.”

The mouse looked at me.

I said, “Okay, I have some. You can have a little, but no more.”

I invited the mouse in and closed the door. I took off my spacesuit and helmet, and got the cheese from the refrigerator. I cut off a tiny piece for the mouse and a much larger one for myself. We sat down at the dining table and began to eat.

The mouse said, “This is delicious.”

I said, “Thanks, but that’s all you’re getting.”

The mouse said, “That’s okay. Your cheese, your rules.”

I said, “That’s right.”

The mouse finished its cheese and watched me eat. I was self-conscious because my jaw moves from side-to-side when I chew. I’ve been to chewologists in order to learn to chew up and down, but couldn’t make it stick.