The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Ralph is a mouse who lives in Room 215. He’s been observing Keith and is disappointed because kids younger than Keith tend to spill tasty food crumbs. As a consolation, Ralph considers that at least the Gridleys don’t have a dog, and “medium-sized boys” (12) are more likely to leave a candy bar wrapper on the table. Ralph is momentarily excited when Keith leaves an apple core on the table, but then Mrs. Gridley puts it in the wastebasket before the family leaves for dinner: “Ralph knew that anything at the bottom of a metal wastebasket was lost to a mouse forever” (12).

The mouse is eager to explore the toy cars, which are rife with adventure. From the mouse hole, Ralph’s mom warns him to stay away from the phone cord, but the young mouse already is climbing it. She worries about Ralph, who likes to wander the hallways, where vacuums and cats might catch him. She also worries because humans leave more than food crumbs lying around, and Ralph’s father died from ingesting an aspirin tablet.

On the table, Ralph heads for the motorcycle. He admires the new shiny exterior and thinks the motorcycle is “too perfect” and “real” not to work. He kicks the tires, sits on it, and pulls at a lever. He’s determined to figure out the secret to making the motorcycle run. He pushes with his feet, and the motorcycle rolls on the table. He pushes faster and faster, planning to swerve before the table edge, but the phone rings loudly. Startled, Ralph sails right off the edge. He and the motorcycle crash-land in the wastebasket.

Ralph is dizzy but unhurt. The motorcycle has a bent handlebar and a paint chip. Caught in the basket, he sits and thinks of his Uncle Victor, who also accidentally fell into a trash can and got dumped into the hotel incinerator. He thinks about how his selfishness got him into this situation, and he realizes that his mother was right.

Ralph hears Matt the bellhop talking to a younger staff member outside of Room 215. As a mouse, he knows that there are two types of employees: the old regulars like Matt, and college students who only work during the summer. Ralph becomes determined to escape when he overhears them talking about mice in the hotel. Ralph tries to put Keith’s apple core atop the motorcycle, but even if he climbs onto it, he can’t reach the rim of the wastebasket. Depressed, he eats some of the apple core. Before he falls asleep, Ralph is hopeful that Keith will search the basket for his toy.

Keith returns and promptly notices that his toy motorcycle is missing. Ralph knows he will get to the wastebasket eventually, so he curls up and tries to be unnoticeable. Keith searches the room, finally looks in the wastebasket, and pulls out the toy. He can’t figure out how it got there, so he looks in the basket again and unexpectedly finds Ralph: “How did you get in here?” (32). Ralph does not react, and after a pause, Keith gently asks, “Are you asleep?” (33).

Ralph still doesn’t move. Keith tells him to wake up and assures the little mouse that he’s safe: “I won’t hurt you” (34). Ralph opens an eye. Keith smiles, and then asks if Ralph rode the motorcycle. Ralph confesses that he did. Keith doesn’t seem to notice that they’re both talking. Ralph explains what happened with the loud phone ring and asks to be let out of the basket.

Keith’s parents tell him to bathe and get ready for bed. Keith tells Ralph he will get back to him as soon as he has said good night to his folks. Ralph must wait.

The light goes out, and suddenly Keith is shining a flashlight into the basket. Blinded, Ralph protests, so Keith sets the flashlight on the bed. Ralph asks politely but urgently to be let out of the basket, but Keith instead asks if the mouse would like to ride the motorcycle again. Ralph says sure, so Keith tips over the basket, and Ralph walks out.

Keith retrieves the motorcycle and sets it on the floor. Ralph apologizes for the bent handlebar, but Keith tells him not to worry. The mouse sits on the motorcycle, then confesses he doesn’t know how to run it. Keith explains he has to make a noise like an engine. Ralph makes a noise—“pb-pb-b-b-b”—and the toy moves across the floor. He stops making the noise, and the motorcycle stops.

Keith warns Ralph to watch out for his tail, lest it get caught in the spokes. Ralph thanks him, grabs his tail, and holds it against the handlebar. He rides around on the carpet and learns he can speed up by quickening the noise he makes. Riding feels glorious. Keith enjoys watching; he says his mom will never let him ride a real motorcycle. Ralph feels sorry for him. Keith, envious, says the mouse is lucky. 

Ralph asks if he can take the motorcycle into the hall for a spin. Keith says sure, and he even offers to let Ralph have the bike at night if he promises to return it in the morning. Delighted, Ralph agrees to park it under the bed, where the maid never cleans.

Keith opens the hall door, and Ralph rides out. Although he is nervous at first, he drives down the hallway and feels exhilarated with the breeze in his face. He pauses at the staircase, where he can smell aromas from the downstairs kitchen. He passes his Aunt Sissy, who’s out searching for crumbs, and waves at her.

The man in Room 211 steps out sleepily with his small terrier. Ralph races away as the dog barks at him. The man shushes the dog. Ralph hides behind a stand-up ashtray. The man does not see him, but the terrier knows he’s there. They take the elevator downstairs and come back up a few minutes later. The dog barks again at Ralph, who sticks out his tongue at the angry canine. Ralph feels cocky, but the hoot of the owls outside frightens him. He imagines being brave enough to gather seeds outside despite the owls.

As dawn approaches, Ralph drives back to Room 215, but the breeze has shut the door. He can’t get the motorcycle under the door, so he sits and prepares to wait. He dozes off, and wakes up to see Matt staring down at him. The bellhop remarks that Ralph must have gotten tired riding around all night on the toy motorcycle. Ralph realizes Matt can talk to him and isn’t an enemy. He asks if Matt can open Keith’s door a crack so he can return the motorcycle. Matt does so, and Ralph scoots into the room.

Keith’s mother, standing in a connecting doorway, sees Ralph and squeals about a mouse. Ralph zooms under the bed. Keith tells her he will look; then, he bends down, lifts the bedspread, and motions Ralph to come to him. Ralph runs up Keith’s arm inside the pajama sleeve. Keith picks up the motorcycle and shows it to his mom, but she insists she saw a mouse and will report it.

When they’re alone again, Ralph scurries down Keith’s arm and jumps onto the bed. Keith chastises Ralph for being out too long, and Ralph explains that the door blew shut. Keith warns Ralph that his mom will be on the lookout for mice, so it will be harder to find chances to ride the motorcycle.

Ralph admits he’s hungry, and Keith offers to bring him whatever he wants from the cafeteria: “Ralph was astounded. This was the first time in his life anyone had asked him what he would like to eat” (66). Delighted by this good fortune, Ralph asks for the spread from a jar that smells like peanuts. Keith promises to bring a peanut butter sandwich for them to share.

Ralph asks Keith about what will happen to the motorcycle, and Keith thinks it’s best to keep the motorcycle locked away in his suitcase. Ralph is disappointed, and Keith reminds him that he shouldn’t be driving around during the daytime because someone could see him. As a compromise, Keith offers to leave the motorcycle out for Ralph if Ralph promises to only ride it at night. Ralph happily agrees.

Ralph returns to the knothole, his home in the wall of Room 215. His mother is horrified to learn he’s been chatting with a human. Ralph argues that the boy is good. He adds that he’s growing up and should explore, especially downstairs: “I want to go out and see the world” (72). His mom insists he’s not old enough. She reminds him that his Uncle Leroy’s bones were found in an owl pellet.

Keith returns and pushes some peanut butter sandwich through the knothole entrance to Ralph’s home. His mom is impressed: “Just like room service” (74). Ralph shares the great feast with his many little brother and sisters.

Ralph naps, and then crosses to the room’s bed and finds the motorcycle beneath it. He reminds himself to honor the deal not to ride the toy during the day, but he can’t help walking around it and admiring it. The maid enters suddenly, and Ralph hides while she cleans. The head housekeeper appears and tells the maid that there’s been a complaint about mice. She orders her to vacuum under the bed, something the maid rarely does. She switches on the vacuum.

The maid clicks the carpet attachment to the end of the vacuum tube. She vacuums the floors and pushes the attachment under the bed, where it sucks up dust balls dangerously close to Ralph: “[H]e watched the hungry machine devour dust and lint that lay in its path” (79). The attachment slips off, but the maid, paying no attention, keeps pushing the tube back and forth. She leaves it there, still on, and checks her makeup and hair in a mirror. Ralph hears the maid singing to herself as he gets pulled into the tube. He grabs the motorcycle and holds on for dear life.

Ralph manages to pull himself onto the little bike and free his tail: “Ralph felt considerably safer sitting on the motorcycle and very much pleased with himself for having outwitted the vacuum cleaner” (84). He decides he has to gun it to get away from the vacuum. He reasons that he’s justified in breaking his promise to Keith just this once. He makes a loud engine noise, and the motorcycle shoots out from under the bed and into a pillowcase lying in a heap of laundry on the floor.

The dog from down the hall gets out and wanders into 215. The little terrier heads right for the laundry and barks threats at Ralph, who thinks it is better not to respond. The owner enters and pulls the dog away. Before Ralph can get out, the maid carries the dirty linen heap down to the laundry room. She dumps Ralph and the motorcycle into a deep, dark hamper.

Ralph knows the washing machine is his next stop. Dragging the motorcycle with him, he chews his way through several layers of linen. He finally realizes he must abandon the motorcycle if he’s to save his own life. He manages to work his way out of the laundry hamper. He finds his way back to Room 215 and crawls under the door. Exhausted, he goes through the knothole to his home and sleeps.