This is the tail (get it?) about Rudy the Rodent. While it doesn’t have a happy ending, it does have a moral. Read on…

Rudy was different from the other hillside mice. For one thing, he was bigger than his cousins were. But more than that, he had an insatiable curiosity and a nose for trouble. When his family gathered for dinner, Rudy would still be wandering down by the Giants’ castle. His mother scolded him, "Rudy – you stay away from that place!"

But her warnings fell on deaf ears. Rudy knew about the rumors of great hordes of food that lay just inside of the castle walls. He also knew about his smaller cousins who ventured inside, but never returned. Some say they were living happily with warm beds of Kleenex and endless supplies of cherry Pop Tarts. The elder mice, though, declared the castle off limits and placed NO MICE ALLOWED signs along the border. One very strange mouse, who lives by himself, told how he made it through the castle barriers and, in fact, was eating some strange-tasting corn when the Castle Skunk saw him and chased him out. He was sick for weeks and now goes for days without sleep. Nobody takes him seriously.

Rudy had to do it. He was obsessed. One night, he crept out of his house and ran down the hill to the castle – a path he had taken a hundred times. "No guts, no glory," he said to himself as he squeezed through the barrier walls. Nervously, he looked around for the trail that would lead him to the castle chambers. He had to act fast, as he could smell the Castle Skunk, but could not see him. Slowly, he maneuvered around countless obstacles when he suddenly came upon the remains of a smaller cousin. Fear trembled through his body and as he started to turn back – there was the Castle Skunk staring straight at him. Rudy jumped on a huge, black pipe and ran as fast as he could. The pipe took a bend upwards, and Rudy followed until he could go no further. Looking backwards, he determined the Castle Skunk had not followed him but looking forwards, all he could see was a faint light shining through a small hole. Rudy could not go back. He knew his only option was to get through that hole, so he began chewing to enlarge it. All night he chewed and by early morning, it was ready. With all his strength, he pushed himself through and popped inside of a large cabinet. "I made it!" he yelled and promptly fell asleep.

Many hours later he awoke to voices. Peering through a crack, he saw two giants – a white haired one called Dad and a younger one named Mike. Since they didn’t seem to notice him, Rudy set about to explore the castle. He skittered from chamber to chamber, all the while keeping a low profile from the giants. His large eyes grew even bigger when he discovered huge stockpiles of food. It was everywhere – in little boxes on shelves, on top of eating platforms, in the sleeping chambers and even under the giants’ chairs. Delirious with delight, Rudy set up housekeeping under the giants’ couch and munched happily on discarded peanuts and popcorn. Needing water, Rudy made a dash back to his escape route when Mike The Giant saw him and yelled.

Rudy’s days were now numbered.

Time passed and more giants appeared at the castle. A female, appearing to be related to the existing giants named Kathy and a bearded one greeted everyone then heard about the "Rodent from Hell" scampering throughout the castle. Rudy wondered if they were speaking about him, but not wanting to find out, he decided to show himself only at night when things were quiet. To his dismay, even more giants appeared the next day filling the castle with boxes, clothes but fortunately, more food. He watched all of this with curiosity and amusement. Maybe these giants weren’t so bad afterall. He would find out that evening.

That night, all of the giants were gathered in the TV Chamber watching a movie, ironically called Rudy. It was about this football player in the giants’ world who attended Notre Dame, but never got to play. They all seemed happy and were eating lots of food, so Rudy decided it was time to test the waters. He darted across the couch, near the Red Haired Giant, who laughed at him. Encouraged by the reaction, Rudy crawled up on the windowsill to get a better view. The Bearded Giant approached him cautiously with a camera and before he knew what happened, Rudy was blinded by a flash and all of the giants laughed. Amazingly, they kept watching the movie and wanting a better view, Rudy saw an opportunity to elevate himself. With the skill of a squirrel, he climbed up the red drapes hanging next to the television. This startled the giants though, and some of them screamed. But in unison, they all started chanting, "Ru-dee, Ru-dee, RU-DEE, RUU-DEE, RUUU-DEEE!" over and over again. Rudy was pumped – they were cheering him, not the movie! He was both the conqueror and hero, and the giants feared him. His mother’s warning was now but a distant memory.

Rudy’s hours were numbered.

Craving adoration and peanut butter, he scrambled down the red drapes, across the TV Chamber and into the Food Chamber where his feeding station had been set up several days earlier. Rudy recognized it as a "mouse trap" but being a clever mouse, he defeated it night after night. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Kathy The Giant snuck up and also took his picture. Even though he was again temporarily blinded, he still had visions of fame, even appearing in family newsletters talked about by the giants. He got cocky and ran about taunting the giants with his nimble acrobatics. He did not notice that they weren’t laughing any longer or taking his picture.

Rudy’s reign of terror was nearly over.

There was one giant he hadn’t noticed. Maurice The Giant slowly got up from his chair and said, "Enough is enough." He put on his leather gloves, and with eyes of cold steel, stared directly at Rudy and announced, "This game is over." Shocked, Rudy decided he had better take refuge under the cold food storage box.

What happened next was something of a blur, but by most accounts, it went this way. The Bearded Giant grabbed a fireplace poker and started flailing it under the cold storage box in search of Rudy. Knowing that he could only run forward, Rudy darted for the open floor. With the agility and speed of a cat, Maurice The Giant scooped him up in his gloved hand.

It was over.

As Maurice The Giant held him firmly, the rest of the giants peered at Rudy and wondered aloud why he was so large. Maurice The Giant explained that Rudy was a "field mouse" which is different from the smaller and more common house mouse. He also explained that field mice were much more intelligent and cunning than house mice, but Rudy found little consolation in those words. As Maurice The Giant took Rudy outside of the castle walls, some of the giants felt sad but others were relieved. Maurice The Giant was now the hero.

Rudy died that night. But those who knew Rudy also knew that he would have wanted it that way. Rudy lived life on the edge and for generations, his successors told of his exploits with the giants. His legacy lived on in the hearts and imaginations of many young field mice. There would be more Rudy’s to taunt the giants.