was amazing.
But I still wanted to quit.
“This marathon is too long for me . . .” I
blubbered.
Thea rolled her eyes. “OF COURSE it’s
long,” she snickered. “That’s why it’s called
a marathon. Now stop whining and start
running. You don’t want to tell Champ he
wasted his time with you, do you?”
I gulped. Thea was right. Champ would
have a fit if I gave up now.
I kept on running. Oh, my acting paws!
Mile13
52
ROASTED MOUSE!
After twenty miles, the south wind started
blowing. It came from the Mousehara
Desert. Now it was hot, hot, hot!
I took off my hat, scarf, and tracksuit.
IT WAS BOILING My whiskers
were dripping with sweat.
At that moment, the sky turned a funny
yellow color. Before I could say cheese
niblets, there was a tremendous blast of
wind. A second later, I couldn’t see a thing!
I was covered from head to paw with sand.
It was a sandstorm!
“Everyone get down!” another runner
yelled. We crouched down together behind a
wall. It sheltered us from the wind and sand.
We covered our snouts with handkerchiefs,
54
so that the sand couldn’t get in our mouths
and noses.
A car motor rumbled in the distance. I
just knew it was that creepy rat in the pickup
truck
. He couldn’t wait for someone to drop.
I shivered. I hoped it wouldn’t be me.
I decided to pass the time by humming
nursery rhymes. Everyone joined in. We
were just finishing the second chorus of “Pop
Goes the Gerbil,” when the storm ended.
I wiped off my glasses, said
good-bye to the other runners, and
took off.
55
BZZZZ ... BZZZZZ ...
B
ZZZZZZZ!
I had only gone a little farther when I
heard a strange buzzing noise.
The buzzing got louder and louder.
All of a sudden, a black cloud
fell over me. It was a giant swarm of
bloodthirsty mosquitoes!
The mosquitoes made a feast of my
fur. I felt like the strawberry cheesecake
at my nephew’s birthday party. Every
bug wanted a piece of ME!
I tried slapping them away, but it was no
use. They just kept coming back for more. I
was being eaten alive! Headlines flashed
before my eyes: MOUSE-HUNGRY MOSQUITOES
MAKE A MEAL OUT OF PUBLISHER! GERONIMO
STILTON :ALL CHEWED UP AND NOWHERE TO
GO!
Finally, after I ran and ran, the buzzing
stopped. I opened one
eye. The cloud of black
mosquitoes
swirled off into
the sky.
WET UP TO THE
WHISKERS!
I was so happy to be away from the
sand and the mosquitoes. For a moment, I
almost forgot that I was running in a CRAZY
marathon. I felt the warm sun on my fur. I
listened to the birds singing in the trees. Ah,
what a beautiful day, I thought.
Then I noticed a pretty little pond off
to the side of the road. It looked so calm
and peaceful. I scampered over and dipped
one sore paw into the water. The cold water
felt fabumouse! I leaned over to splash my
snout. Big mistake.
SPLASH I fell headfirst into the pond.
I was wet up to my whiskers! Green scum
from the bottom of the pond stuck to my fur
57
58
as I pulled myself out of the water.
Just then, the rat in the pickup truck
pulled up. “You smell worse than the mice at
the morgue,” he snickered. “Ready to call it
quits? I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”
I shivered.
Smack! Some of it hit the driver right in the
snout. He took off with a scowl.
That’ll teach him, I giggled to myself.
REST IN
PIECES
59
A SCHOOL IN
FLAMES
I started running again. My paws
pounded the pavement. Just as I turned
burning. In the distance, I could see a school
building sitting on a hill.
BLAMES
shot from the roof!
I signaled to some of the other runners.
“Quick, they need our help!” I squeaked.
WE GOT THERE IN THE
NICK OF TIME
Crying mouselets
STUMBLED OUT of the exits, while
their teachers tried to keep them calm.
One mouselet was missing.
I didn’t stop. I just ran inside. Burning
embers were falling everywhere. The roof
started to cave in.
60
I was scared out of my fur. But what could
I do? I had to find that mouselet.
Finally, I found the terrified mouse in the
school’s music room. He was hiding under
the piano. I SCOOPED HIM UP AND CARRIED
him outside to safety
Everyone clapped and cheered when
we emerged safely outside. I felt like a big
cheese.
I took off on the race again. But this time,
I had a huge smile on my snout.
61
EARTHQUAKE!
I was still smiling as I scampered by
a grassy field. But before long, I noticed
something ODD. The grass seemed to be rising.
I squinted. What was going on? Was I
dreaming? Was I going blind? Was I headed
for the Mad Mouse Center?
Just then, the earth began to shake
beneath my paws. Now I knew what was
going on. I had read about it in The City of
Nibbles Guidebook. Every ten years or so,
the place got hit by an earthquake.
Rat-munching rattlesnakes
I felt faint with fear. I took off my glasses
so I could cry freely. “I want my mummy” I
squeaked. Then I noticed a blurry figure to
one side of me. I squinted. It was Honey Fur,
62
the pretty rodent I had met at the beginning
of the race. Oh, why did I always have to act
like such a ’fraidy mouse?
Just then, we heard someone shouting. A
gaping chasm had opened up in the middle
of the road. One of the runners was about to
F
A
L
L
to the bottom.
I had an idea. Quickly, I gathered
everyone’s running jackets. I tied them
together to form a rope. Then, we pulled the
runner to safety.
Honey Fur patted my paw. “Great idea,”
she whispered.
I grinned. Score one for the ’fraidy
mouse!
I tied our jackets together
to form a rope...
64
HOLD ON TIGHT!
I was so proud of myself. I felt a sudden
burst of energy. I felt strong. I felt focused.
I felt... WET? I looked down. Holey
cheesecake! I was so busy rescuing the other
runner, I hadn’t heard the sound of rushing
water.
“Look out! The Rattenburg River has
burst its banks!” a mouse called.
All of the marathoners began to panic.
65
Crashing waves suddenly surrounded us.
I was TERRIFIED. I grabbed the paw of the
mouse next to me. That gave me an idea.
“Hold on tight to each other. If we do that,
maybe we won’t be swept away!” I yelled.
We formed a MARATHON MOUSE
CHAIN
. It worked! We didn’t get carried
away by the river. Slowly, the waves
subsided.
We were ready to race again!
66
GREAT-
G
RANDMOTHER
STINKYFUR
I was about to take off when I saw a runner
by the side of the road. She was staring sadly
at the ground. Tears trickled down her fur.
“Are you OK?” I asked.
The rodent wrung her paws. “I’ve lost
my WATCH. It means so much to me. It
belonged to my great-grandmother Stinkyfur.
Oh, I just have to find it,” she sobbed.
I felt sorry for her. I felt sorry for Great-
Grandmother Stinkyfur, too. I mean, did her
fur actually STINK? I figured now wasn’t the
time to ask.
Instead, I searched the ground for the lost
watch.
67
time passed. The other runners
were long gone.
“I don’t want to keep you, Mr. Stilton,”
the mouse said, sighing. “Please go back and
finish the race.”
At that very moment, I thought I saw
something SHINING in the dust. I bent
down. Could it be? It was!
“My watch!” the mouse squeaked.
She threw her paws around me in a bone-
crushing hug.
68
CHEESEBALLS IN
THE
ROAD?
I took a deep breath and rejoined the race.
I was feeling pretty STRONG. I could
hardly believe it. I was doing it!
Two seconds later, the muscular rodent in
front of me fell to the ground. What was it
this time? Cheeseballs in the road?
I looked around. Nothing seemed unusual.
“Are you okay?” I asked the muscular
rodent. By now, he was rolling around on
the ground, clutching his tummy.
"Oh, I am such a fool!" the mouse cried. “I
stopped at that Spicy Rat stand on the side of
the road. Now I have an awful stomache.”
I nodded sympathetically. I mean, who can
resist a piping-hot cheddar burrito? Yummy!
69
“Ahem, well, maybe I can help,” I offered.
“I have a weak stomach, too.” I pulled a
Swiss–cheese– flavored mint from my pocket.
“HERE TRY THIS” I squeaked.
The big mouse sat down on the curb and
popped the mint in his mouth. A few minutes
later, he jumped up.
“Geronimo, you’re my hero! I feel like a
new mouse!” he squeaked. Then he smacked
me on the back in thanks and took off.
Forget Bigpaws, that mouse should
change his name to Gigundo Paws!
70
I LOST
MY MOMMY!
I was still checking for broken bones
when I heard a mouse crying. What now?
Had someone twisted a tail? Lost a lottery
ticket? Forgotten to cross at the green and
not in between? Then I spotted a very small
mouse crying behind a bush.
“I LOST MY MOMMY” he wailed.
I had to stop. What could I do? After all,
I am a gentlemouse. I picked up the tyke and
dried his tears.
“My name is Geronimo Stilton,”
I told him. “Why don’t we go find a nice
policemouse? He’ll be able to help us look
for your mommy.”
The little mouse smiled. Then he blew his
71
nose on my shirt. Oh, the price of being a
gentlemouse.
I led the little mouse to the police station.
Within a few minutes, a female mouse came
rushing in. “PIPSQUEAK! ” she cried. “I was
worried sick about you! My glasses fell off,
and I couldn’t find you in the crowd.” She
picked up her son and hugged
him tight.
Then she hugged me.
Then a policemouse.
Then a chair, a desk, and
a filing cabinet before she
headed out the door.
I grinned, and set off on
the race again.
72
THE PRETTIEST
BLUE EYES
I was just starting to pick up the pace
again when the mouse next to me tripped.
“
Ouch
” she cried, rubbing her paw.
Her name was Sugarsnout Snap, and she
had the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen.
“I think I sprained my paw! I guess I'm
out of the race,” Sugarsnout said, sighing.
I felt awful. I just had to do something.
“Let’s go to the first aid station. I'm sure
they'll be able to help you,
” I suggested.
Sugarsnout leaned on my shoulder
, and off
we went.
It took us a while to get the first aid station.
It must have been two thousand miles away.
Well, OK, maybe not two thousand, but you
73
get the picture. It took us forever!
Lucky for me, Sugarsnout was great
company. We talked about books and
food. Two of my favorite topics! Yep, that
Sugarsnout was a mouse after my own
HEART.
When we reached the first aid station,
I was having so much fun I didn’t want
to leave. But Sugarsnout told me to go on
ahead. She’d meet me
at the finish line.
Now I had
another reason
to make it to
the end!
74
JUST LIKE
SUPERMOUSE!
I scampered off again. As I passed the
twenty-third mile marker, I saw a mouse
who looked just like my dear aunt Sweetfur.
“That’s it, young mouse! You can do it!”
she shouted encouragingly.
I SMILED and waved. That’s when I noticed
a shifty-looking rodent.
He was standing
right next to the
Aunt Sweetfur
lookalike. In a
flash, he GRABBED
her pocketbook and
LOOK OFF into the
crowd.
I had to do something! I ran after the thief.
My heart pounded with fear. What if he
had a weapon, like a can of rodent spray? Was
I ready to go paws-up for a pocketbook?
I glanced back at the little old lady
mouse. She was sobbing into her little-old-
lady-mouse handkerchief. I felt a surge of
energy. With one final lunge, I grabbed the
thief’s tail. I ripped the bag
out of his paws
and returned it to the old lady.
“You were just like SUPERMOUSE,”
she sighed.
I wished it were true. I was
feeling more like Totally
EXHAUSTED
Mouse.
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76
THE BRIDGE OF
SQUEAKS
I stumbled back into the race. At last, I
reached an enormouse bridge. I remembered
Champ had told me this was called the Bridge
of Squeaks. Now I knew why. It was at such
a steep angle, it took every last squeak to
make it across!
All of the runners around me were
groaning. I heard one cry,
Another sobbed, “I've got too many
BLISTERS I'LL NEVER MAKE IT TO THE
END
”
“This is CRAZY!” a third wailed.
I felt the same way. What kind of a nutty
mouse wants to run a marathon, anyway?
Just then, I spotted Old Rat Rickety
“
T
H
A
T
´
S
I
T
I
´
M
D
O
N
E
”
running nearby. He had
a huge smile on his face.
Speaking of nutty!
Then I remembered
the old rat’s words of
advice: Never give up.
Never stop believing in
yourself.
I took a deep breath.
If Old Rat Rickety
could do it, so could I.
I scampered forward
with every last bit of
strength in my paws.
I was almost to
the top of the bridge
when a terrible thing
happened. A runner
fainted and fell into
77
78
the water below!
What could I do? I had to help.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I