"Sharp, check the cupboards to see If you can find any rice grains, beans, sugar or whatever else there is. I'll look in the sinks and on the plates. Burrow and Cheesy, both of you can cover the living room. Look under the couch and the carpets, and don't forget to search in the tight spaces of the cushions. The Giant is a sloppy eater, so there's always left-over fries, chicken and whatever else."
The next day all four of us stood on the Kitchen floor, listening carefully to Mother's instruction before we split into two groups and searched for food. The Giant was out of the house, and we were in between the closed off intersection of the marbled counter that stood by itself, and the tiled counter with the cupboards that was attached to the wall. Behind us was a black stove that was stationed in the middle of the counter, a white garbage bin with a lid beside it.
"Make sure you stuff those sacks around your shoulders and fill it up with food. Now we don't know how long the Giant will be gone for, so we need to do this as quickly as possible before he comes back. Well, you boys know the rules. We meet back at this very spot after I give the signal, which is how many times again?"
"Three whistles Mother. We are supposed to hustle back to the sound of three whistles" Cheesy answered enthusiastically, Sharp and I stayed quiet this time. We've come out into the Kitchen numerous times and the rule was that she would whistle three times; the first whistle was a warning for us to gather up our stuff and make sure we had everything we came for. The second one was for us to start walking and making our way back to the spot. By the third, we should either be right around the corner of the island or already standing in front of the stove, waiting. We would be scolded or punished if the third whistle went out and we weren't there, which had never happened before as I always made sure to get there as early as possible. Except for that one time....
"Let's get this thing going boys! Go go go we don't have much time" Mother rose her hands and fanned us off hurriedly, Sharp turning off and heading to the lower cupboard to climb up. I nodded my head with a Yes Mam at Mother's instruction, looking back at Cheesy as he acknowledged. Both of us turned to head off, but before I took a step forward, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Burrow" I wheeled around to face her as she called me, wondering what she wanted now. Even though I had agreed to watch over Cheesy, I still wasn't on speaking terms with her.
"Remember what I said. Watch over your brother very carefully. I'm putting his safety in your hands. I'm depending on you to bring him home " I responded with another short yes mam.
Of course, she would give me the heavy responsibility of guarding Cheesy, knowing he was a load. I was convinced she was still punishing me for questioning her...
Cheesy was already a few paces in front of me, seeing that Mother had stopped me he decided to come back as well to hear if she was saying anything important. Mother gave him a suggestive look and raised her hand; so he stopped in his tracks and waited where he was. Lowering his head, he turned back around from us.
"Good" with that mother turned around and walked up to one of the many cupboards beside the stove, hooking all eight of her claws into the wood, she mounted her way up the wooden cupboard effortlessly, reaching the top of the counter where Sharp stood waiting for her close by the Kitchen sink.
We both stood there watching her as she did. I sighed, my shoulders hunched as I turned my attention to Cheesy. He stood there, reminiscent of a huge scoop of ice cream. His tummy jutted out, a potbellied mound of jiggle, his chubby cheeks swollen up into two puffs as he smiled sheepishly at me.
"Here we go..." I rolled my eyes and shook my head, walking past him. He trotted behind me.
"Look you follow my lead no matter what, okay? Under no circumstances do not, and I repeat do not leave my side. You remember what happened the last time don't you?"
"Yes, Burrs it won't happen again. I'll stick to you like glue! No matter what!" Cheesy devotedly agreed.
"Right." I mumbled sarcastically. We were advancing out of the Kitchen and getting closer to the mid area. The Giant had a huge living space. Taking account from the blue wall to the very end of the room where our home was stashed in, there was a bathroom to the right of that wall, and then on the left there was another room down the hallway where he slept. To the top North from the wall we lived in, a huge wooden floor of the Kitchen spanded before us. The Kitchen was shoved to the extreme right of the room, and another room to the far left that's door was always closed. The Kitchen had a sizable marble island that had a small sink with a tiled countertop. Pots and pans hung over it, to its side was another lengthy counter that was bigger than the island one. Wooden cupboards were underneath and above it, with a Black and silver stove cached in the center adjoining with the rest of the counter. We managed to squeeze ourselves through a hole that was close by and go in anyway, the Giant stored all kinds of stuff that we used in there. Boxes of dirty clothes, old shoes, tools, and a ton of old, outdated stuff that wasn't being used was stored in barrels and closets in there.
A wall that was half the size of the Giant bordered off the Kitchen from the living room; Cheesy and I hid behind the wall. He was right behind me, being so close that every time I spaced back by just an inch, he would step on the back heel of my feet.
"Cheesy! Your too close. Give me some space for drats sake, please" I whispered to warn him.
"Sorry Brother Burrow" he apologized.
I peeked my head out. To the left of the living room the brown couch with floral patterns was empty, the clearing glass that I usually sat on above it. A round, miniature table was inches in front of the couch, on a red rugged carpet that covered half of that side of the living room. My eyes swerved to the other half of the living room where there was another couch that looked exactly the same as the first one, empty. Another glass above it and a mini table with some prickly plants next to it in a pot. The front door was closed.
"Coast's clear. Follow me" I busted around the corner of the wall, dashing across the floor till I reached the underneath of the table; I could feel that Cheesy was still paces behind me, so I paused by the table leg and waited for him, else I would've gone straight under the couch and began stuffing my sack.
"Bu-Burrow! Don't leave me I'm coming!!" I rolled my eyes and turned around to see Cheesy barely running along, the fat on his body jiggling as he trotted slowly across the space from the wall to the table. He finally caught up and landed in front of me, his body heaving up and down as he drew in exhausted gasps from whatever version of a "run" that he portrayed just now.
"Phew! that..was..a good..jog!" he was grunting between his words, breathlessly trying to get everything out. My eyes scanned him in disgust as he struggled.
"Cheesy I was not running that fast" I lied. "You must do better than this Cheese. What if the Giant came through the door? He would have caught you and given you a good smack! You're a rodent not a tortoise" I hissed. Cheese's innocent eyes gleamed at me as he looked up with a saddened expression. Here came the waterworks that I really couldn't bother with today.
"I know brother it's just I'm trying- "
"Just save it Cheese." I interjected. I shook my head and sighed. I was already in a pissy mood being trapped inside of this prison, so I really didn't have patience for his nonsense today.
"Listen you stay out here on this carpet as look out, you hear and see anything suspicious like that front door opening you call me. I'll look under the seats for crumbs, there's usually some biscuits here where the Giant has eaten. If I'm lucky I may even find a dice of cheese. Stay put now" I ordered.
Cheesy shook his head and puffed up his chest. Standing on his hindlegs and getting into a soldier stance, he straightened his paw and used it to cover his forehead.
"Sir yes sir!!! I'll be the most vigilant!!!" I peered at Cheesy and shook my head at his mockery, turning off and leaping underneath the couch to search for food. Before I went any further, I stopped, turning back and marching towards Cheesy. I came up to him in close proximity, almost breathing in his face as I warned him. This wasn't going to be like the last time where he wondered off for so long that I thought the Giant caught him. I came home panicked to find out that he had already been home, waiting while I looked and searched like a fool.
"I'm serious Cheesy, this is no time to mess around. I'll just be under there for a minute, so I won't take long. Again, I'm telling you no matter what you do"
"Don't move. If the Giant comes you dig off and come under the couch, straight to me. But apart from that, you stay right there where I can see you"
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