Fester and the Christmas Mouse (short story)

Fester and the Christmas Mouse was a short, Christmas-themed story released on Paul Magrs' blog to coincide with the release of The Story of Fester Cat. The story was later collected in Paul Magrs' anthology Christmassy Tales, where it was the fifth story in the release.
The story was similar in format to The Story of Fester Cat, wherein Fester is recounting a story from his life during the 2010s, the chapter of his life when he wrote a book about himself, and how it features Paul Magrs (as a character within the DWU) and Panda, Iris Wildthyme's companion.
== Plot ==
In order to help publicise Fester's book, The Story of Fester Cat, Paul tells Fester to write a festive story.
Doing so, Fester decides to tell a story from when he first moved in with Paul and Jeremy.
Starting his story, Fester tells how he had once caught a baby mouse, Gleep, one early Christmas morning. Scandalised, Paul rescues the mouse from Fester, and lets it free outside, despite Fester's objections.
However, Fester objected to Paul setting outside, not because Fester wanted to eat Gleep, but becuase Gleep would have no way to return to his family in the basement.
After breakfast, Fester sets off outside to find Gleep. Fester cries out for Gleep, when Bessy hears, and comes over. Bessy tells Fester that she's found Gleep, but will only tell Fester where the mouse is in exchange for a turkey heart. Fester gets Bessy to accept smoe smoked salmon instead, to which she agrees, and the two set off.
While Bessy is eating the salmon, Whisper and Three-Legged Freddie are drawn in by its scent. Fester tells the two cats that he's searching for a mouse, but as the cats don't know anything, Fester and Bessy set off, with Bessy now being uncooperative, so Fester has to try to pry information from her.
Now searching through a garden, Fester spots Rowan and Scooby. Scooby knows nothing about Gleep, but Rowan decides to be vague and not reveal anything to Fester.
Fester then sees Smokey, and he wishes Fester a "Merry Christmas". Smokey helps how he can, which isn't much.
Fester and Bessy scamper over the Beach House in Fester's back garden, all while Panda watches from a window. Bessy gives a snide remark about Panda, which Fester refutes.
They ask a squirrel, Derek, about Gleep, and Derek tells them that he saw Gleep, but now doesn't know where he is.
The day progresses, and the duo contemplate asking a group of foxes, but they decide to leave the foxes alone. Fester, with no other choice, runs back home, retrieves the turkey heart, and brings it to Bessy. Bessy thanks him for the heart and for being with her on Christmas, and she runs off, leaving Fester behind without Gleep.
Fester spends the day with Paul and Jeremy, hiding his worry about Gleep. That night, Fester hears the cats of Levenshulme singing during their Cat Passeggiata, and Fester excitedly joins them. He sees Smokey, Rowan, Scooby, Three-Legged Freddy and Whisper, and even Ralph.
Fester starts to sing with the other cats when Bessy arrives, spitting something at Fester. He thinks it might be a hairball, before realising its Gleep! Bessy had somehow kept the poor mouse in her mouth all day long, to keep Fester with her so she wouldn't be lonely.
Fester wishes the other cats a Merry Christmas, and he runs home, into the cellar, reuniting Gleep with his family.
== Characters ==
* Fester Cat
* Paul
* Gleep
* Bessy
* Whsiper
* Three-Legged Freddie
* Rowan
* Scooby
* Smokey
* Panda
* Derek
* Ralph
=== Referenced only ===
* Jeremy
* Mr Joe
* Gleep's father
* Gleep's mother
== Worldbuilding ==
* Paul and Jeremy's home has a basement. Gleep and his family live down there.
=== Books, magazines, and newspapers ===
* Fester is writing a book about his life, entitled "The Story of Fester Cat".
=== Food and drink ===
* Paul is eating toast and drinking Prosecco when Fester leaves to search for Gleep.
* Whne Fester tells Smokey about Gleep's dead father, Bessy jokingly suggests frying him with breadcrumbs, dipping him in salsa, and covering him in sour cream, jalapñnos and cheese.
* When Fester doesn't see Bessy after a while, he speculates she's eating her turkey heart like a gobstopper.
== Notes ==
* The story expands the details surrounding Fester's Christmas in 2006.
* The story seems to combine events from The Story of Fester Cat that happened in 2006, 2007, and 2013 - that is, the story, using evidence from the aforementioned story, seems to be set in 2006, but references events that happened in 2007 and 2013. This is likely due to Fester being an , a trait that was also shown in The Story of Fester Cat.
* The spelling of Scoobie's and Three-Legged Freddie's names are spelled as "Scooby" and "Three-Legged Freddy", respectively, in this story. These spellings were corrected in the story's re-release in Christmassy Tales.
* Fester's scepticism about Panda being alive is resolved in this story, with Fester accepting Panda's nature.
== Continuity ==
* Fester is writing a book about his life, with help from Paul. (PROSE: The Story of Fester Cat)
* Fester mentions that he had the rotting stumps of his teeth removed by Mr Joe in his "hairdressers". (PROSE: The Story of Fester Cat)
* Fester lies in wait for mice that try to scavenge food from his smorgasbord. (PROSE: The Story of Fester Cat)
* Bessy lived with Fester, Paul, Jeremy, and Panda for a while. (PROSE: The Story of Fester Cat)
== External links ==
Category:Life on Magrs short stories
Category:Paul Magrs short stories
Category:Fester Cat stories
Category:Christmassy Tales short stories
Category:Stories set in 2012
Category:Stories set in Levenshulme
Category:2014 short stories