Sam Snail in the Mystery of Queen Lake Chapter 2: Sam meets the Mouse “I, I, I have to find the princess,” Sam said. “Someone has to warn her about the evil plot of the Wizard Aster and Anna. I have to find someone brave and fearless, someone who is not afraid of big tall giant wizards.” “Like, like.... Nobody! It’s no use,” he said sadly, “every one is afraid of big giant wizards! You’d be nuts if you were anything else.” Sam began to straighten his long neck from its crooked position. “I know, I’ll ask someone to help me find the Princess but I won’t mention anything about rotten wizards. Yeah, that’s it. I’ll find a....a....a... helper! Yeah!” Sam crawled away from the windowsill where he had been enjoying a sunshine nap. The sill had been the perfect place to rest in the morning sun. It was there that he had overheard the housekeeper and wizards plan to trick Princess Olivia and take her away to Queen Lake. He slid under the green bushes and into a small garden bed. The ground sme lled rich with dirt and was moist from the rain shower the night before. Sam ducked his head as several bees darted by in search of the perfect flower. He began to climb up a limb into the thick spring blossoms of an apple tree on the gardens edge. He reached the top and called out. “Help! Help!” he said. “Oh helper, can you hear me?” He sat back waiting, looking this way and that. “Okay, so much for Plan A,” thought Sam. “We’re going to Plan B.” Sam sat still for a long moment before admitting out loud, “There is no Plan B. There’s just me! One small and skimpy snail.” All was quiet until he heard, “But one snail is better than nobody!” “Hey, who said that?” Sam half shouted. He listened but no answer came. “Who said that?” he called again. Sam looked down in time to see a mouse scurrying along the rocks. “You can do anything you want to do,” said the mouse without looking up. “How do you know?” asked Sam. “You don’t even know me.” The mouse sat down and began to unwrap a chunk of pie from a piece of red cloth. “Rule number 8 says, if you think you can do something, you can do it.” “Who made up that rule?” asked Sam as he began to climb down the tree. “I don’t know, what does it matter who made the rules?” the mouse said as he nibbled on a piece of pie crust. “They’re still the rules.” “So! If I think I can fly, I can fly?” laughed Sam moving closer to the mouse. “Most definitely!” answered the mouse. “Then you fly!” challenged Sam. The mouse put down his pie and looked at Sam. “I don’t think I can fly,” he said quietly. “But, do you see this?” he held up the fruited crust for Sam to see. “I had to go through castle guards, stalking cats and bakers with knives ... to get to this pie. And, I used rule number 7 to do it!” “You said rule number 8,” protested Sam. “First I had to use rule number 7,” said the smiling mouse. “Rule number 7: First you see it and then you believe it” said the mouse, talking with his mouth full. “I saw myself entering the castle, sneaking past the castle guards, running faster than the nasty cats and slipping right past the bakers. I saw myself wrapping up as big a chunk as I could carry and leaving before anyone noticed.” “Delicious!” he exclaimed taking another bite as fruit dripped down his lips. “I used rule number 8 when the baker picked up the carving knife and started to tip toe towards me.” Sam’s eyes grew wide with fear as he listened to the mouse’s story. The mouse spoke excitedly, “I said to myself, I can do this!” He held up the red cloth and waived it in the air. “And I did! I ran so fast the baker almost cut his own finger as he swung for my tail”. Jumping to his feet he turned to Sam and said, “You can help the Princess, if you want to. You decide!” With that the mouse turned and threw the red wrapped pie over his shoulder and scurried away in the underbrush. “Wait!” Sam called after the mouse. “What are the rest of the rules?” he shouted. “You only told me 7 and 8! 1 and 2 must be really, really important! And what about 3, and 4 and 5 or 6? And is there a 9 or a 10?!?” he yelled. Sam started after him, “Hey, come back here! I’ve got a rule for you! It’s listen to ME!” he shouted. Sam did his best to follow the mouse, but the mouse moved so quickly Sam couldn’t possibly keep up. A large beetle crossed in front of Sam. His antennae waving in the air as he turned and looked his way. “Don’t worry little bug, Sammy Snail’s on the move. Everything is under control!” The beetle dashed into the grass and disappeared. “I want to help the Princess. I want to help the Princess,” Sam said with mounting enthusiasm. “I’m going to help the Princess, I can help the Princess, I will help the Princess, I am helping the Princess, I know I can.” He sat down next to a mass of lilies of the valley. The sharp-smelling flowers filled his head. A yellow butterfly danced past him but Sam didn’t notice. He was listening quietly for someone or something to tell him what to do next. It was in that still and quiet moment that he heard it. It came like a breeze through the trees, above the flowers and swirled around his head. The sound of the most beautiful voice he had ever heard sang somewhere in the distance. Questions for our readers for Chapter 2 Email your answers and they may be posted in our Kids Want to Know page every other month. What do you think will happen next? What did you like about this chapter? Write a poem, draw a picture, make a play or puppet show of this chapter. Written by: Lesley Smith © 2004 All Rights Reserved. © 2004 "Sammy Snail and Friends". Sammy Snail, all puppet characters of Lesley Smith's Theatre of Life Puppets and logo are trademarks of LAF productions. All rights reserved.