Brave New Mouse: Ellis Island Approved Immigrant Book #5
Chapter 1 FAILED AGAIN maximilian could not believe it The feeling he had now was most definitely that of being on water But it wasn't the calm slow moving tides of the Mississippi River The inside of this ship was nothing like the beautifully crafted ship he had left back in 1875 The time machine had failed again Maximilian was just as disappointed and frustrated as the previous times But he did not have time to wallow Maximilian was on a mission to save his home in Tanner's Glen When he learned that Farmer Tanner was being foreclosed on he knew he had to do something as mouse of the house He had met Nathaniel Chipmunk III and borrowed Nathaniel's time machine Besides the Mississippi River in 1875 the time machine had taken Maximilian back in
time to Boston in 1773 Gettysburg in 1863 and the Utah Territory in 1869 What he thought must be another rather large wave rocked the boat Maximilian's stomach dropped a feeling he was not at all fond of Eyeing a nearby crate Maximilian scurried up it He used the wooden hatches like a ladder He climbed and climbed until he reached the top What he saw next was absolutely heart wrenching
The ship was carrying hundreds maybe thousands of people They were all tightly pressed next to one another Maximilian saw men women and children of all ages sitting on top of one another These were not the wealthy passengers of a fine Southern paddleboat These people looked scared tired and downtrodden Maximilian climbed back down from the crate He nearly slipped on more than one occasion rattled from what he had just seen He made his way through the boxes and bags and back to the time machine He would wait the day out inside it if he needed to At least there he felt safe As he turned the corner of the last crate he neared the time machine Maximilian watched in horror as the time machine swayed to one side with the next lurch of the boat The time machine teetered unsteadily for a brief moment and then tipped over with a loud crash
Chapter 2 FROZEN maximilian was horrified by the sight of the time machine lying on its side The blood slowly drained from his face Before he could fully understand what had happened the boat rolled again The egg shaped time machine rolled back to its normal position Maximilian jumped into action He grabbed a nearby leather luggage strap and ran two quick laps around the time machine He tightened the belt as much as he could Then he fastened it and breathed an uneasy sigh of relief Maximilian began to carefully examine the time machine The acorn shell was strong But he almost immediately saw a long clean crack down the left side The crack did not appear to be very deep He hoped it proved to be nothing
