Don't Get Caught

Don’t get caught.

Shamelessly, Mickey snuck into the corridor. Although small, he was bold and confident. He listened in the silence for any signal that the owners had returned. He quietly moved from one door to the next until he found the one he was looking for.
The latch was awkward, but with perseverance he managed to wiggle it and move it across until it came free. Still he listened, no noise from outside the corridor.
The door had swung slightly ajar when the latch was freed. Mickey pushed it enough so he could get through. He was inside the room that was always out of bounds for him. He stopped and listened, no sounds.
As his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness Mickey could make out the old 44 gallon drums and large wooden bins. Some of the containers had lids that lifted up, and some had lids that lifted off. All he had to do was shift them and get to the treasures inside and sneak out before he got caught.
He hesitated, ears alert, he couldn’t hear any sound of approaching people. He concentrated on moving the lids aside. He went from one to the other until he found a bin that he could open. He pushed the lid across and it clattered on top of the next container.
Excited by what he had discovered he relaxed and stopped listening. He leaned hard on the edge and reached down and he never heard the footsteps........
A hand touched him. “Mickey.”
Startled, he tried to move away, but quickly, a rope was put around him and he was led out into the corridor.
Savannah, Mickey’s 10 year old child owner told him off while she led him back out of the stable area to his paddock.
“Mickey you’re very bad for getting into the feed room, you’ll give yourself a stomach ache and mummy will have to call the vet,” she giggled, “and you don’t like when the vet comes.”
She led him through the gate and let him go. He nuzzled her pocket for a carrot he knew she would have. Savannah gave him the carrot and he wondered off content and thinking what mischief he could get up to next.
He looked back at the little girl he loved putting an extra chain around his gate.