Ma and Pa Mouse were visiting the forest. Everyone wanted to hear about their new jobs at the college.
“Are you doing the same jobs as Betty and Ralph?” asked Porcupine. The Rats had been her long-time friends, but they didn’t get together as often since Ralph and Betty had gotten their college jobs — which came with on-campus housing.
“At first we did,” said Ma, “but you won’t have heard about this because it just happened a couple of days ago — Ralph and Betty got new jobs!”
“Are they still at the college?” asked Beaver.
“They are,” said Pa, “but they’re not working in the lab any more. They’re spending all their time over at the gym now.”
“What’s a gym?” asked Squirrel.
“We’ve never been there,” said Ma, “but Betty explained that it’s a great big room where people run around.”
“They run around inside a room?” asked Hare. “Why?”
“I’m not sure,” said Ma. “Betty didn’t say — but I didn’t think to ask about it. I’m sure she’ll be able to tell me the next time we get together.”
“And that’s not all our news,” said Pa. “The college has all sorts of new things. There’s even a van that will take you places. We took a ride one day and ended up at a huge building with the best treats out back.”
“Oh yes,” said Ma, “the building is called a ‘mall’, and they bring out all sorts of food out back and put it in big metal packages so it’s easy to find. I think it’s called a ‘food court’.”
“That’s right,” said Pa, “you’d all love it; it’s just like the restaurant in back of the place in town they call a supermarket, only better.”
“And we met some new friends there,” said Ma, “Buffy and Chad Rat — they’re distant cousins of Ralph and Betty, and they live in the mall.”
“They’re mall Rats?” asked Dog. “I think I’ve heard of them somewhere.” Dog put her head on her paws the way she did when she was thinking.
“They’re ever so nice,” said Ma, “and when they heard we were from the college and knew Betty and Ralph they said to say hello, and next time we should all visit the mall and make a day of it.”
“Just a moment,” said Dog, “I must have heard this story before, somewhere. You’re saying that Betty and Ralph were lab Rats, but they changed jobs so now they’re the gym Rats, and you met their cousins the mall Rats? This all sounds so familiar, but I can’t put my paw on where I’ve heard it before.”
“Oh, no, you couldn’t have heard it before, Dog,” said Ma. “Like we were saying, Ralph and Betty only started their new jobs a day or two ago, and it was about the same time we met Chad and Buffy.”
“Hmmm,” said Dog. “I know, it doesn’t make any sense. But it really seems like I’ve heard all this before somewhere. Oh well. It’ll come back to me at some point.”
“Do you get this feeling often, Dog?” asked Hare.
“Just once in a while,” said Dog. “Do you remember last March, Hare, when I said something seemed different about you? Or that spring when Chicken vacationed in the forest? Those times I had the same feeling.”
“Weird,” said Hare. “Let us know when you figure it out, Dog. In the meantime, everyone, look, I made some tea-cakes!”
