I pulled into the children’s rat casino with a gift nicely wrapped up for my godson’s fourth birthday party. It was a wwe ring that included several wrestlers from the attitude era plus some newer guys I didn’t know. I walked in the place and found my best friend, Lucas. He showed me where to drop off the gift when his son/my godson came up.
“Uncle Jake” he squealed.
“Hey Nelson. Man you’ve gotten big. How old are you now, three”?, I teased.
“Four”, he shouted as he showed me four fingers on his hand.
I snuck away and got $20 worth of tokens for him to slide in his arcade cup when he was rummaging in the play structure with his little friends. What can I say? I love that kid.
I found Lucas and caught up with him and we talked about old times, girls, sports, movies, really everything. Nelson and his friends were having a good time playing the arcade games, rubbing pizza on the carpet, playing in the ball pit. There were other parties going on and I watched as the animatronic band played happy birthday and sung some other lame songs.
Except the mouse. While all the other animals hung their head and darkened, he peered his head side to side. Some workers rushed the stage and pulled a curtain. There was some clambering and banging, but when they opened it again, the band all looked should be. They must have had an electrical fault.
One of Nelson’s friends was stuck in the structure and his mom begged me to get him out. I figured why not, maybe I could make a move on her after. That play structure reeked. It smelt like moldy pizza, feet, urine, and it was extremely sticky. I was able to find the frightened child and push him down the slide where his mother embraced him. I came down behind and she thanked me.
I chatted with her a few minutes when Lucas grabbed us to come sing happy birthday to Nelson. He lit his candles and we began singing, along with the animatronic band. When we stopped, the band did….except for the mouse.
His head began to bounce on his shoulders and we heard a chuckle. Staff rushed the stage, but they tripped on the chairs and tables left askew by some haphazardly kids. The mouse began to sing.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birth…..day to you. Happy birthday……tasty children. Happy birthday to you”. Along with a manic chuckle. The lights flickered off and the room went dark.
“Make a wish Nelson he he he he” and then the lights came on. The mouse was no longer on the stage.
You could hear a pin drop in that room it was so quiet and then out of nowhere, the noise came. Children screaming, tables flipping. The mouse running amidst the crowd. He set eyes on Nelson and charged him. Lucas jumped in the way only to get shoulder checked into a table. It killed enough time for Nelson to go up the play structure to seek safety. I immediately chased after him and the mouse.
Navigating the cramped tunnels was difficult and scary hearing the mouse laugh, but I found Nelson and drug him to a slide. I pushed him down and immediately was to follow when something gripped my arm.
The mouse.
He laughed and bit me. As I struggled watching my blood splatter all over the yellow walls, I got away, missing three fingers. The mouse was sliding after me, but I scooped Nelson and ran outside. Lucas had seen us and pursuits us as well. We loaded up in a van and drove to the hospital as the mouse took off into the woods behind the place.
I’m in the hospital now, playing with Nelson’s toys that the staff gathered. An employee is coming by later to talk to me about this mouse.