Squeak, Squeak

It was a lovely Sunday morning.  My husband was outside pulling snow off the roof and shoveling. I had settled on the couch with my A&P book, attempting to do some reading.  I had read the first two pages of the chapter for the third time when I heard that unmistakable sound - "squeak, squeak."  I froze, listening for any noise.  Nothing.  Phew.  I hunkered back into my book, relieved that the noise was just in my head.  I flipped the page and heard it again. "Squeak, squeak."  I got up off the couch, carrying my book with me (you never know when you need something for defense), and went to the bedroom where I thought the squeaking noise came from.  I crept in the room, trying not to make a sound and hoping not to see anything.  "Squeak, squeak." There it was again, but coming from the other side of the house.  I tiptoed past the living room and peered inside the kiddo's room.  I couldn't see anything, but maybe it was in the closet....  I opened the door and jumped back, just in case.  A huge sigh of relief when I couldn't find anything.  "Squeak, squeak." A panic fell over me as I realized I hadn't seen our cat in a while.  Find the cat, find the mouse.  I looked in all the usual places: the bath tubs, her food dish, litter box, bed.... Nothing.  "Squeak, squeak."  The living room.  It was definitely coming from the living room.  What if all this time while I was on the couch Lily was right behind me toying with a mouse?  I shuddered at the thought.  I jumped on the couch, just in case, and cautiously glanced behind.  There was Lily, on the windowsill, no mouse in sight.  "Squeak, squeak." I raised my gaze out the window.  There was my husband, diligently putting up mainline on the wire we replaced out front.  "Squeak, squeak."  The sound of the wire ties being twisted to hold up the mainline mimicked that of a mouse.  I was both relieved and embarrassed, having let my imagination get the better of me, and also thankful that my husband had no idea I was going through the house like a crazy woman searching for the imaginary mouse.  He would have never let me live it down.  My distaste and fear for rodents had gotten the better of me this time, but I'm glad I can say they are not in my home.