My Name Is Stilton, Geronimo Stilton Read online

  mouse.

  I was no longer the same plain old Geronimo

  Stilton.

  I had changed.

  94

  For one thing, I did not feel like listening

  only to quiet classical music anymore. When

  I heard a

  R OCK

  song playing, I found

  myself humming along with the tune.

  For another thing, I found that I did not

  like my wardrobe anymore. Yes, it was

  expensive. I had lots of wool suits with gold

  buttons

  and cashmere sweaters. But now

  they did not seem AS FREE AND COMFORTABLE

  as a simple pair of jeans.

  I looked at my closet and frowned. There

  was a neat row of mouse-gray suits. And a

  rack of tasteful ties from my aunt Sweetfur.

  She gave me a new one every Christmas. Last

  year’s tie had tiny pawprints on it.

  But everything looked so boring now. I had

  to do something. And I knew just the mouse

  to help me.

  I called Pinky. “I need a favor,” I said.“Will

  you go clothes Shopping

  with me ?”

  Pinky didn’t say anything at first. I

  thought I heard her giggle.

  “OK, Boss,” she finally said.“Give me

  ten minutes. And bring plenty of money!”

  We shopped until we dropped all

  afternoon. I bought all kinds of jeans.

  But that wasn’t all.

  With Pinky’s help,

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  “You are almost perfect, Boss,”

  Pinky said. “You just need one

  more thing.”

  Pinky took me to a fancy shop

  that only sold sunglasses. Cheese

  nips! I had never seen so many

  pairs of sunglasses in my life. I

  tried on 103 pairs (I counted).

  Pinky gave me her opinion on every pair.

  “Not those, Boss. Those make you look

  like a clown.”

  THE FINISHING

  TOUCH

  97

  “Not those. They make you look

  like a crook.”

  “Those make you look silly.”

  “Those make you look

  cheesy.”

  Pinky finally threw up her

  paws. “I give up!” she

  shouted. “You are a hopeless

  case, Boss. You’ve got the wrong

  snout.”

  “Wrong snout?” I asked,

  insulted. “What do you mean?”

  The sales clerk walked up to

  98

  us. “Yes, you do have a rather unusual

  snout,” she said. “Perhaps our sunglasses are

  not for you. You are a bit old for them.”

  Ouch ! That comment hurt. But Pinky did

  not give up.

  “Try these, Boss!” she squeaked. “I think I

  found the perfect pair for you.”

  I looked in the mirror. The
y were perfect !

  I could not wait to show off the new me!

  “

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  ”

  99

  TURNING OVER A

  NEW LEAF

  Mousella did not recognize me when I

  came into the office the next morning.

  “Mr. Stilton?” she asked, puzzled. “ARE

  YOU GOING TO A COSTUME PARTY?”

  I ignored her comment. I opened my office

  door and began to squeak loudly.

  “Everything here has got to change!” I

  shouted. “I need new furniture. No more

  boring wood. Maybe steel, or glass . . . no,

  plastic! In bright colors to match the walls.

  Red, orange, purple, yellow, and pink. Yes,

  pink!”

  I walked around the office, measuring and

  planning. “In that corner, I want a soda-and-

  snack machine. And a wide-screen TV with a

  100

  video game player over there.”

  Mousella scribbled notes onto a pad. “Yes,

  Mr. "Stilton,” she said quickly. “I’ll arrange

  everything.”

  She started to walk away. “I’m not done

  yet!” I shouted after her. “I want a stereo. An

  enormouse one! With giant speakers. I

  want to make my eardrums vibrate! ”

  101

  FUR KIDS ONLY

  I left my office and walked up to the next

  floor. I knocked on the door marked

  I could hear

  squeaks

  and

  giggles

  coming from inside. The door opened, and

  I stepped in.

  The room had walls streaked with bright

  colors and five or six desks covered in stacks

  of papers. All of the computers had animated

  screen savers: flying chunks of cheese,

  screaming rock singers, and whirling colors.

  A fur-raising rock song

  blared

  from the

  stereo. It was Fuzzy Fuzzborn’s latest hit! I

  F

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  102

  could not help myself. I started dancing on

  the spot.

  Pinky waved at me and turned down the

  volume. “Hi there, Boss !” she squeaked.

  Merry and the other young mice on the

  staff ran up to me. They all had a copy of a

  magazine in their paws.

  “This is the new issue of Fur Kids

  Only

  ,” Merry said proudly. “Look, Fuzzy

  Fuzzborn’s on the cover.You haven’t forgotten

  about the concert tonight, have you?”

  “Of course not!” I said happily. “I picked

  out an outfit to wear this morning. I’ve got a

  T-shirt with Fuzzy’s face on it.”

  Pinky smiled. “You

  rock

  ,

  Boss!” she said. “You used to be so boring.

  Always with your fur in a frazzle. But you’ve

  really loosened up. Good for you!”

  DEAR BOSS ...

  This morning I got this e-mail:

  Hiya Boss,

  It’s Pinky and Merry here at the keyboard.

  We’re using our mouse, of course ! :-)

  Our mission is accomplished! You are a

  brand-new mouse.

  You have a new wardrobe. A new life. No

  girlfriend yet, but we are not miracle workers,

  Boss. LOL!

  And we both have something we have

  always wanted: our own magazine!

  We are fourteen. And we rule the world!

  What could be better than that?

  By the way, we still need to talk about our

  payment—or should we say, our RAISE.

  There are two of us, after all. Wait until you

  get our bill. Your fur will probably turn white

  with shock!

  Speaking of white fur, we thought we should

  tell you that even though you are pretty cool,

  you are still old. Maybe you should take up a

  nice quiet hobby, like collecting cheese rinds.

  TTFN,

  Pinky and Merry

  Many readers ask us where we work . . .

  These are the busy streets of

  New Mouse City.

  This is the headquarters of The Rodent’s Gazette.

  And fi nally, these are the offi ces of

  F

  u

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  K

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  O

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  y

  .

  Born in New Mouse City, Mouse

  Island,

  Geronimo Stilton

  is

  Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic

  Literature and of Neo-Ratonic

  Comparative Philosophy. For the

  past twenty years, he has been

  running The Rodent’s Gazette, New Mouse City’s

  most widely read daily newspaper.

  Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his

  scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and

  The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also

  received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of

  the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook

  Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His

  works have been published all over the globe.

  In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique

  cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most

  enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.

  A

  BOUT THE

  A

  UTHOR

  1. Main entrance

  2. Printing presses (where the books

  and newspaper are printed)

  3. Accounts department

  4. Editorial room (where the editors,

  illustrators, and designers work)

  5. Geronimo Stilton’s office

  6. Helicopter landing pad

  The RodenT’s

  GazeTTe

  6

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  1. Industrial Zone

  2. Cheese Factories

  3. Angorat International

  Airport

  4. WRAT Radio and

  Television Station

  5. Cheese Market

  6. Fish Market

  7. Town Hall

  8. Snotnose Castle

  9. The Seven Hills of

  Mouse Island

  10. Mouse Central Station

  11. Trade Center

  12. Movie Theater

  13. Gym

  14. Catnegie Hall

  15. Singing Stone Plaza

  16. The Gouda Theater

  17. Grand Hotel

  18. Mouse General Hospital

  19. Botanical Gardens

  20. Cheap Junk for Less

  (Trap’s store)

  21. Aunt Sweetfur and

  Benjamin’s House

 
22. Mouseum of

  Modern Art

  23. University and Library

  24. The Daily Rat

  25. The Rodent’s Gazette

  26. Trap’s House

  27. Fashion District

  28. The Mouse House

  Restaurant

  29. Environmental

  Protection Center

  30. Harbor Office

  31. Mousidon Square

  Garden

  32. Golf Course

  33. Swimming Pool

  34. Tennis Courts

  35. Curlyfur Island

  Amousement Park

  36. Geronimo’s House

  37. Historic District

  38. Public Library

  39. Shipyard

  40. Thea’s House

  41. New Mouse Harbor

  42. Luna Lighthouse

  43. The Statue of Liberty

  44. Hercule Poirat’s Office

  45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s

  House

  46. Grandfather William’s

  House

  Map of New Mouse City

  1. Big Ice Lake

  2. Frozen Fur Peak

  3. Slipperyslopes Glacier

  4. Coldcreeps Peak

  5. Ratzikistan

  6. Transratania

  7. Mount Vamp

  8. Roastedrat Volcano

  9. Brimstone Lake

  10. Poopedcat Pass

  11. Stinko Peak

  12. Dark Forest

  13. Vain Vampires Valley

  14. Goose Bumps Gorge

  15. The Shadow Line Pass

  16. Penny Pincher Castle

  17. Nature Reserve Park

  18. Las Ratayas Marinas

  19. Fossil Forest

  20. Lake Lake

  21. Lake Lakelake

  22. Lake Lakelakelake

  23. Cheddar Crag

  24. Cannycat Castle

  25. Valley of the Giant

  Sequoia

  26. Cheddar Springs

  27. Sulfurous Swamp

  28. Old Reliable Geyser

  29. Vole Vale

  30. Ravingrat Ravine

  31. Gnat Marshes

  32. Munster Highlands

  33. Mousehara Desert

  34. Oasis of the

  Sweaty Camel

  35. Cabbagehead Hill

  36. Rattytrap Jungle

  37. Rio Mosquito

  Map of Mouse Island

  Dear mouse friends,

  Thanks for reading, and farewell

  till the next book.

  It’ll be another whisker-licking-good

  adventure, and that’s a promise!