Searching for his friends one day
Mouse found them round a board
‘What’s this?’ he asked, then ‘Can I play?’
‘You play! On No, Good Lord!’

They nudged up to allow Mouse in
And said he was a shoe,
He looked at his friends blankly
As they showed him what to do.

Mouse had not played this game before
But in no time at all
He was earning just like all the rest
Which proved he was no fool.

A few tunnels from the hub
Word spread to Father’s place
Mouse is amazing everyone
‘Just come and show your face.’

Father groaned ‘now what?’
For he’d heard such things before
That usually meant disaster’s struck
With ceiling gone or floor!

Perhaps he’s doing something right,
But then again perhaps not
Then Eric ran full pelt at him,
“Father! Come see what Mouse has got!”

Head in hands a groan expelled
Father hobbled on
Why oh why was Mouse like this?
Soon everything’d be gone.

For Mouse took things from Above
To him it wasn’t stealing
'I needed it' was all he’d say
Leaving Father reeling.

Geoffrey came now into view
‘Oh hurry, Father do
You must see this you really must’
Father hadn’t got a clue.

There was still yet far to go
When Mary came in sight
‘Mouse has the electric company now’ she said
Giving Father such a fright.

He hurried faster hobbling forth
His temper on the boil
Of course he’d wondered yesterday
When he’d seen Mouse with some copper coil.

He’d also had a bulb or two
And a row had broken out
‘We don’t need electric light down here’
Father had been made to shout.

‘Gizmo good, the best you’ve seen,
Just connect it here and there,
Just flick the switch and you’ll see, Father
We’ll have light then everywhere.’

‘Mouse, no! I forbid you to do this
we don’t need light down here
taking electricity from above is wrong
and fills me full of fear.

If the authorities chase up on this,
And discover the loss in power
We’ll be in so much trouble then,
It’ll be worse than Burch’s tower.’

‘But must have light,’ heard Vincent say
and Vincent is my friend.
Surely won’t be stealing
Just a little light to lend?’

‘Mouse!’ Father had exasperated
‘It’s stealing through and through
Above you would be sent a bill
For everything you do.’

Mouse had shook his head and gone
His departing words not good,
When Vincent entered dressed in cloak
And lowered down his hood.

‘Was that Mouse?’ he fondly said,
To Father’s trembling face,
‘What’s wrong, Father are you ill?’
Clawed fingers his brow did trace.

‘No no, I am well.’ his father said
full of grumble and grouse,
‘It’s not me that needs attention
It’s that headstrong, numb-skull Mouse.’

‘Mouse said that you wanted light.’
Father accusingly had said
Vincent’s eyes gave not a clue away,
He’d just wordlessly shook his head.

‘Well he thinks that you want light down here,
and not from wax and wick
He’s stealing electricity from Above.
You’ve got to stop him quick!’

‘I don’t want electric light down here’
Confused his son had sighed
‘I wonder where he got that from?’
‘Just stop him!’ Father cried.

At once Vincent had gone to Mouse
For his father dear
Found Mouse and asked a thing or two
And everything came clear.

‘Oh no, not that, Mouse, oh no’
Vincent laughed real hard
‘I didn’t mean that sort of light
just the sort that’s on the Monopoly card.’

That night Vincent went above
At Catherine’s he was staying
And never reported back to Father
Of the game he had been playing.

Remembering now the words they’d said
And anxious now of mind
Father wondered when he reached the place
Just what it was he’d find.

So now as Father trod the way
Driven by horrors grand
He envisaged bright light everywhere
And this he couldn’t stand.

To see the coil and light bulbs blazing
Instead of soft candle light
And holding his breath he stumbled on
Prepared for such a sight.

And as he neared Jamie’s chamber
Cheered voices met him first
His anger rose to throaty bile
His fury fit to burst.

By the entranceway he hesitated
Listening to the chatter within
‘Mouse you’ve now got water and light
at this rate you could win.’

Hand to heart his eyes closed tight
Father stepped inside
If Mouse knew what was good for him
The boy would run and hide.

Announcing arrival with tap of stick
Father’s presence sounded
‘Here he comes – he’ll be so surprised
to see the empire Mouse has founded.’

Brows drawn tight over suspicious eyes
Father noticed first the light
Not harsh electric as he’d presumed
But candles flickering bright.

‘I don’t understand. Where are the bulbs?’
he asked on seeing Mary
‘Light down here?’ she exclaimed in stunned surprised
‘Is your stick a wand? You fairy!’

People laughed and Father blushed
His face turned beaming red
‘But I heard you say that Mouse had light’
he accusingly then said.

‘And so he does and water too
as well as hotels and lots of money.
Oh, Father you didn’t think…
Oh no…not that…Oh, Father that’s so funny.’

‘Then what is happening here?’
On the table his eyes did fix.
As Mouse jumped up gleefully shouting
‘I’ve rolled a double six!’

Slowly realisation dawned
And with relief and pleasure
Father saw how much Mouse had
Not electricity but rather treasure.

So it was Monopoly that Mouse played
Father exhaled a sigh of bliss
But just as he turned to go,
He exclaimed ‘oh no what’s this?’

A box of bulbs, a roll of coil
Lay in a cardboard box
And plastic explosive and a plan
Lay there upon some rocks.

‘It’s all right, Father, don’t fret so
Mouse is not to blame,
Vincent said he’d needed light
Mouse didn’t know it was for the game.’

Again Father sighed with relief
And returned back to his place,
Fortunately not noticing as he left
The look on Mouse’s face.

‘Mustn’t waste anything
Must use it really should
Father’ll see, be oh so pleased
Next Gizmo really good!’