What's Under That Eye Patch?
Here were again, my best friend Danger Mouse and I captured by our worst enemy: Baron Greenback! "Well, It looks like were a bit tied up aren't we DM?" I said to my friend trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Penfold, shush." He replied, I could tell he was nervous from his tone of voice. Just then I heard a key in the lock of our cell. The door inched open creaking ominously. Baron Greenback stepped into the room closely followed by his Hench crow Stiletto.
"Well what do we have here?" the fat frog laughed, smirking. "It's a Danger Mouse and a Penfold Baronie." Said Stiletto, Baron Greenback rolled his eyes and hit Stiletto over the head with his cane. "I knew that you dolt! Now where was I? Oh right, Danger Mouse I have you this time! You will not foil my plans this time. This time you will die!"
I could not help starting to panic and saying "Oh crumbs, oh crikey, oh heck!" Baron Greenback walked over to my friend and leaned close to him "However before you die I would like to avail my curiosity." He removed my friend's eye patch and then stumbled back, the smirk on his face changing to pure abject terror. Stiletto started swearing in Italian and hid behind the baron while making the sign of the cross, as if to ward off a demon. I could not see what was under DM's eyepatch from my vantage point. My friend started growling in anger, it was a sound I had never heard him make before and it frightened me. "You should not have done that Baron, that eye patch was the only thing that was keeping the demon inside me contained." Danger Mouse growled in a voice full of barely contained rage. My eyes snapped shut in terror and I started to quake uncontrollably. I heard the rope holding Danger Mouse snap and he growled out one word "Run." I heard the Baron and Stiletto run out the door, slam it behind them and the sound of a key in a lock. I heard Danger Mouse throw himself at the door as if he was trying to break it down, all the while growling like a beast. He scraped his claws down it and snarled. After what seemed like an eternity of this I heard him walk toward me. Was this how it would all end? Killed by my best friend in a fit of uncontrollable rage? "Penfold, it's okay, you can open your eyes now." I opened my eyes slowly and cautiously frightened of what I might see. I looked into DM's eyes, the yellow one I knew so well and the one that had been hidden. It was bright red and the pupil was the same shape as a snakes. No wonder the Baron and his Hench crow were frightened, his eye was terrifying! "Penfold. Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you. All of that was an act. I don't have a demon in me." I tried to say "Yes chief." However my voice betrayed me and all I could do was whimper. "Penfold, I'm sorry I scared you. Will you accept my apology?" I nodded my head vigorously yes. "Alright let's get you untied now." My friend said. He slowly cut me free as to not hurt me, all the while saying soothing nothings to me to keep me calm. "Can you walk Penfold?" I tried to stand up but my knees gave way underneath me. DM caught me before I fell and picked me up like a child. We headed off in the direction of the mark three. I cleared my throat several times then judged it safe to try talking "how did you manage to break those ropes DM?". He smiled at my innocent question "Last time we saw the Professor he gave me a vial of strong acid to keep in my utility belt." I furrowed my brow in confusion "But how do not burn your skin with it?" "Remember how you have spray my jumpsuits before you press them? The spray contains the neutralization compound for the acid." I shook my head in surprise. "Um... If you don't have a demon in you, why does your eye look like that?" Danger Mouse sighed like he had explained this to people a hundred times over " I have two conditions that affect my eye, one that makes my eyes different colours and a birth defect that affects the shape of the pupil." Before I could stop myself I asked" Can you see out of that eye?" He blinked in surprise like no one had asked him that before "Yes I can see perfectly out of both of my eyes. I did not wear the patch because I was blind in one eye but because my eye has a tendency to scare people." I bit my lip and said "I kind wish you had told what was under your eye patch rather than have me freak out like the Baron and Stiletto." DM sighed "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to frighten you. I also could never find the right time to bring it up" Just then the mark three came into view. "I think I can walk the rest of the way DM." he gently eased me to my feet and while I stumbled a little I made it to the car. We both climbed into our normal spots in the vehicle. "Can we go home now DM?" I asked hopefully with big puppy dog eyes. DM laughed "Yes Penfold, Yes we can." The mark three took to the air and the vibration of the engine soothed me into a sound sleep.
I looked over at my friend Penfold. He looked so incent when he was deep in the arms of Morpheus. I couldn't help but feel guilty about not telling him about my eye before today. I had been thinking for years that I should tell him but I had always been frightened of scaring him and I could never find the right time to tell him. I was frightened of pushing him away because I needed him far more that I let on, Penfold was the one who stopped me when I was going too far. When I needed something or someone to remind me what I was fighting for I just looked over at my friend and he lent me strength. I circled our pillar box home with the car and gently landed as not to wake Penfold. I picked up Penfold carefully without waking him and carried him up to his room. I tucked him into bed and made sure he had his teddy. I tip-toed out of his room and gently shut the door behind me. I smiled and shook my head just thinking about how glad I was that I had Penfold as my friend. I walked to the living room and contacted Colonel K on the video screen.
"Hello Danger Mouse! Did the mission go well?" Just then the Colonel noticed that I was sans eye patch. "Why aren't you wearing your eye patch? What happed?" "The mission did not go as planned, Sir. Penfold and I were captured by Baron Greenback." Before I could continue he interrupted me "The rotter! Are you and Penfold alright?" "Yes, Sir we are both safe and fine. May I continue with my report?" "Yes, yes, do go on." "Thank you Sir, as I was saying we got caught by baron greenback. Baron greenback was about to kill us but he wanted to see what was under my eye patch first. When he removed it he was obviously very startled by my … deformity, so I pressed my advantage and acted as if I was possessed by a demon. He and Stiletto fled but I was unable to pursue because I had to free and calm Penfold. ""Good show DM, too bad the blighters got away, but it can't be helped. Sounds like you put the fear of god in them though." "I hope so too Sir, over and out."
Then next morning I stumbled out of my room only half awake heading for the kitchen for a cup of tea. When I reached the table Penfold had already left a hot cup of tea on the table for me. I sat down and started drinking it, only half awake. Penfold walked in the kitchen already wide awake and in his suit already. "Good morning, Chief." He greeted me perkily. "Did I sleep in Penfold?" "I thought it best to let you sleep, chief. You looked so tiered." "I did have trouble sleeping last night Penfold." "Was it because of the "Eye Incident" yesterday?" "Yes" I answered taking another sip of tea. "Good news though." "Hmm what the news Penfold?" he passed me the morning paper and said "See for yourself." On the front page the headline was "Baron Greenback and Stiletto have handed themselves in!" there was a picture of the terrible toad and Stiletto behind bars. I quickly skimmed the article one line stuck out to me; "When the Baron and his hench crow handed themselves in they were begging for protection from the "demon eyed mouse". At this time no one knows to which mouse they are referring." I put my head in my hands and sighed. Then I felt something poking me in the arm. It was Penfold holding out a sweetie to me. "Penfold, why are you giving me one of your sweeties?" "Positive reinforcement Sir. You obviously dislike your eye so was thinking enough positive reinforcement might get you to take your eyepatch off. You said it yesterday "that I don't really need it" that says to me you don't really want to wear it all the time." I smiled, how did Penfold always know what to do to cheer me up? I took off my eye patch and Penfold's big smile was enough to convince I did the right thing. I gave him a big hug and whispered in his ear "Thanks old friend."
