by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 06, 2010

He wears a pin-striped suit, and he isn't an ordinary cat. Instead, Mr. Howard Maxwell dines at a fancy restaurant - the Paw and Claw - where he's greeted with a bow by the headwaiter. Mr. Maxwell - remember, he's a cat - has just been promoted to Vice Manager of Efficiency Control at his firm, Taylor, Bentwell, and Nipson. Mr. Maxwell usually orders a baked mouse for lunch, and his troubles begin on the day he orders a raw mouse instead.

"Excellent choice, sir," says the head waiter. "Would you like us to kill it for you?"

But instead, the mouse is delivered on a slice of rye toast - lying on its back as though sunning at the beach. "Good afternoon, sir," says the mouse, as the cat's mouth begins to water. "Aren't you going to add a little salt?" And Mr. Maxwell - still a cat, remember? - isn't used to talking to his meals. The mouse sneezes as Mr. Maxwell sprinkles it with pepper. And Mr. Maxwell says "Gesundheit."

Even though his mother always warned him not to fraternize with his food...

The restaurant has a "modern" style - which is to say, old-fashioned, with art deco columns and a black-and-white tiled floor. And the illustrations are genuinely modern, drawn by the author's son using Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter (according to a note at the start of the book). This creates extra tension, since Mr. Maxwell is obviously dining in a restaurant that's slick and fancy. There's obviously a lot of social pressure on him as he pins the mouse down with a fork, and then slides a knife towards its tummy....

The mouse requests that Mr. Maxwell say a prayer. Mr. Maxwell declines, saying he's not religious. The mouse suggests Mr. Maxwell enjoy a glass of wine with his meal, but Mr. Maxwell isn't a drinker. The mouse congratulates Mr. Maxwell on his promotion, as the cat decides this mouse is unusually wordy. Mr. Maxwell decides that he will have a glass a wine. The mouse offers a wine recommendation...

I loved this story - especially it's tricky surprise ending. There's real tension, since the cat is, obviously, about to eat the polite little mouse. But this makes it even funnier when the mouse is extra-supportive of the cat's attempts to eat him. "You can do this," the mouse says.  "I know you can."

"Thank you very much," Mr. Maxwell replies nervously. "You've been very patient with me..."

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.