The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Ralph’s mother wakes him up to announce that “room service” brought them a muffin and a cookie. All their mouse relations arrive to enjoy a feast and a family reunion. Aunt Sissy mentions seeing Ralph on the motorcycle, and the other mouse kids want to ride it. When Ralph admits he lost the bike, the kids decide he made the whole thing up. Ralph’s mother is upset because Keith might stop bringing them breakfast.

The family reunion feast is noisy and chaotic. Keith comes over to the knothole and tells them to be quiet or his mom will hear them. He has Ralph come out, and Keith puts a tiny helmet on him. It’s made of half a ping-pong ball filled with thistledown, with a rubber band for a strap. Ralph confesses that he lost the motorcycle. Keith feels hurt and disappointed that Ralph broke his promise: “I guess I should have known you weren’t old enough to be trusted with a motorcycle” (104).

In the night, Ralph can’t bear to go home, so he sits on the windowsill and looks out into the darkness. In the morning, he sees Keith looking at him.