Chapter One: How Unlikely This Came To Be

So, this is how I ended up here. Me. Kiara L. Phoenix, your regular everyday girl, came to a place that only existed in a cartoon. Do you think I'm dreaming? I already pinched myself. Nope. It's real, alright. And how did I end up in this place? Unfortunately, I don't remember. I was about to go to sleep, then I heard someone talking, and that's it. I just came here. And what place did I end up in? You probably won't believe me. I'm in the world of my favorite Disney movie of all time. The Great Mouse Detective. And, to make it worse, I'm rodent-sized! I could've been a mouse for all I care. But no! Instead, I was shrunk. Man I thought while rubbing my head. Why of all places did I end up here? I started to walk around, not knowing where I was going. I had to hide myself, but where? Where could I go? Who can I turn to for help? My thought came up with one name. Basil. Only he can help me. Sure, he may be surprised at first to see a rodent-sized human, but he's bound to help me. I could just go to Baker Street right now and…and… wait a minute. I DON'T KNOW WHERE BAKER STREET IS!

My head hung low. Great. Just peachy. I can't ask anyone because they'll freak out and run away. I started to walk more. I had no idea where I was going. My thoughts kept running through my head, trying to remember how I got here. I felt like I was walking for hours. I ended up under the pier, close enough to the sewers. Sewers. Oh, they give me the chills. Not only they're creepy, but there was a certain someone that lived down there. You might already guess you it might be. I kept walking and walking until I came across a familiar place. A wooden sign was posted above the door. It read: The Rat Trap. I remember that place. It's where Basil and Dawson dressed up as sailors while solving the Flaversham case. I wonder if I could find a place to stay. I was wearing my robe with a hood attach to it. I put it on so no one could see my face. But, of course, they'll stare at a girl in her pajamas and slippers. Oh, what am I to do? Well, it's better than standing out in the cold I thought. I covered my face with my hood, took a deep breath, and went inside.

The first thing I could was the piano playing a merrily tune. I peeked inside to see thugs and drunks everywhere. Some were playing cards, some were hitting on the girl mice, and others would jeer at the performers on stage and throw stuff at them. I quickly made to the bar and sat down; making sure no one saw me. The last thing I ever want was to be spotted by him or his thugs. I put my head down on the bar table, either trying to remember how I got here, or debating whether I'm in during or after the movie. Then, I heard an Australian female voice.

"Whut can I git you, miss?" I looked up, trying to keep my face hidden. I remember the mouse. She was the same bar maid who took orders from Basil and Dawson. She was still plump and had curly light brown hair.

"Do you, by any chance, have root beer?" I asked softly. I'm too young to drink. I'm only 16.

"Shure." She answered back. She seemed sweet. But, don't underestimate her. I remember seeing her beat the crap out of a drunken mouse who tried to kiss her. I laughed so hard at that part. She handed me a cold jug filled with root beer. I gulped it down quickly.

"'ey, slow down, miss. Don't want you chokin'." The bar maid chuckled. I smiled. I wanted to ask her something, but I also don't want her to think I'm crazy, either.

"Sorry about that. It's just that I have no idea of where I'm going." I told the bar maid. "In fact, I have no idea where I'm at."

The bar maid both gave me a look of concern and confusion. "Well, yer in the outskirts of London, that's fer shure."

Well, of course I knew that. I'm in a place where his thugs use to hang out. I wonder if they still do. I looked around carefully, trying not to expose my face. I only know two certain faces from the movie, so I kept an eye on one of them. Surprisingly, I found both of them! A green lizard with no shoes had his head down on the bar table, playing on the rim of his beer jug. The other was Fidget, the peg-legged bat. He was sitting beside the lizard, not too far from where I was, gulping down his last drop. So, he's still alive I thought. This means, that I'm in during the Flaversham case itself.

"Hey lady, hand me a newspaper." A mouse sat beside me said. She quickly bent down under the bar table to reach for what the mouse wanted. As he was reading, I took a glimpse at the date. March 26, 1898. Wait a second! 1898! Am I reading that right! I rubbed my eyes and looked back at it. March 26, 1898. This is impossible! I'm here the rodent world a year later! The setting took place in 1897. This is so weird. I looked back at where Fidget and the lizard were sitting. How could he still be alive? I thought, looking at Fidget. I remember he was thrown from the dirigible and into the river. Is he a good swimmer? I don't know. I'm not too sure.

"'Ey, Miss." The bar maid almost made me jump. "Whut are you doin' out here with yer sleepwear? Are you some runaway?" How could I forget? I was still in pajamas and slippers. What excuse do I have now? How can I explain this one?

"Um, well…" I stuttered. I don't know what to say. What am I to do?

"Well, if you need a place to stay, I could give you a spare room." The bar maid said.

"Really?" I exclaimed.

"Shure thing. I'll git you set up after my shift."

"Thank you." I was relieved. But, another problem struck me. If I'm to stay here, how will I explain the part of the fact that I'm human? Maybe I should tell her. But, then again, there's no one to trust. She could probably babble to the authorities, then get the scientists and do experiments on me. No thanks!

I waited until she was done, then she took me to a little room with a lamp on a night stand, and a bed. It wasn't too bad from the looks of it. I also had a window that had a nice view of the river. It was alright from my perspective.

"If ya need anything, just ask." I turned to the bar maid. Should I tell her?

"Um, thank you." Was all I could say.

"No problem. My name is Mary Ann." She said.

"Kiara." I stated back. Mary Ann smiled and went out the door. "Wait, Mary Ann!" I exclaimed. She poked her head back.

"Yes?" she asked. I have to tell her. It's now or never.

"I need to tell you something." She came back in and closed the door. When she turned around, I revealed my face. Her eyes widen. My short brown hair with blond highlights was a mess. I had on my semi oval glasses, which made my chocolate eyes show up more. Mary Ann's mouth dropped. She was staring right back at a rodent-sized human.

"Ah- you- I-wha…" she stuttered.

"I know this is shocking, but I'm more surprised than you are. I don't know how I got here, how did I become small, and even worse, I can't remember anything. It's confusing for me, too." I told her. She took a moment to relax. I heard her say wow a couple of times as she paced back and forth in the same spot. Well, what else could I say?

Finally, she calmed down. "So, you dunno how ya got here?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not." I replied. She sat down on the bed.

"You don't want anyone know yer here?" she asked.

"Until I can get everything situated, I don't any business with criminals that come pass here. I need to be able to remember everything that happened if I'm going to explain to Basil."

"You know Basil of Baker Street?" she exclaimed. Of course, no human knew of the mouse world. I took a moment and told her that where I'm from, their place is viewed from a movie. She didn't understand, but she accepted it.

"Well, miss, if yer going to be here for awhile, you'll have to work. You can pretend to be like a freak or something. You perform?" Well, I did Oklahoma in my freshman year. I'm going to be a junior if I ever get out of here.

"Yeah, I do." I replied.

"Well, gewd. You can be the Human Mouse." I liked the idea.

"But, if I'm going to walk around like this, won't they get suspicious?"

"Naw, I'll just tell the staff that the makeup stuff ya put on was permanent and it won't come off."

"Clever." I complimented her plan. She seemed smarter than the way she speaks.

"All right then, yer secret's safe with me."

"Thank you, Mary Ann. You don't know how much this means to me." I thanked her. She smiled big and went to my door.

"Well, it's late. You need some sleep to catch on." But, before she closed the door, she said, "As long as the Big Man doesn't come along, you're safe."

My stomach hurt after she said that. I had a feeling of who she was talking about. Before she really closed the door, I quickly asked, "Who's the Big Man?" she looked at me.

"You should know." And with that, she closed the door. The pain in my stomach kept me up all night long. How could this be? The one I thought that was dead is alive. How? How? How is it possible? He fell off Big Ben. I saw the whole thing. How could he have survived? My mind kept on buzzing with questions. I couldn't sleep. My stomach was really hurting. I needed something to cool me down. I must've been awake for a couple of hours after Mary Ann left. I looked out my window. It was pitch black. The moon was nowhere in sight. I walked around the room to feel for the door. I opened it and noticed that lights in the room were dimmer. I looked around to see if there was a bathroom or something. I looked behind the bar to see if there was anything to drink. Nothing but beer and wine. Where did she put that root beer? I thought, trying to remember. I looked through all the labels. When I reached the end, I found it. But not only that, I found the trapdoor. The trapdoor that lead to his lair. I wonder if he's still in the same place I thought. Knowing him, he would've moved to a different place. I moved closer to the trapdoor. Maybe I should take a quick look. But then again, I don't want to get caught. Why do I have a feeling that something bad is gonna happen? I reached for the handle. Just then, the door began to move. Someone was coming! I have to hide! I quickly hid under the bar table and put some bottles in front of me so no one could see me. The bar table was surprisingly wide enough for me to fit in. I peeked through to get a good view of the trapdoor. Out popped Fidget's head, looking about. He looked around to see if any one was there.

Then, he grunted, "All clear." He came up, followed by other thugs and what not. The last person came out of the trapdoor and quickly closed it. It's him. The one that I was talking about the whole time. The one that was suppose to be dead. Professor Ratigan.