Let's get ready to enter the Bassa Parmense, where the scent of cheese defies danger!
Once upon a time, among the golden fields and morning mists of Fontevivo, there was a small mouse, but with a heart as big as a whole wheel of cheese: his name was Alex.
Alex lived in a cozy hole carved out among the roots of an old poplar tree, along with his father, Artur, and mother, Marta. Despite their advanced years, both parents were always cheerful and lively, thanks to a special elixir: Parmigiano Reggiano Pratichiera. Aged for over 55 months, it was so sweet, intense, and intoxicating that it was like a fountain of youth for them.
For Alex, the 55-month-old Pratichiera was simply THE DREAM.
Mission Impossible!
That day's mission was clear: Papa Artur, after consuming the last flake, sighed: "Oh, if I had a spark of Pratichiera, I could run the Parma Marathon!" Alex clutched his stomach. He had to get the elixir for his parents, kept in the Pratichiera company warehouse, right there, a few meters from their hole. The warehouse, with its fresh brick walls, was a veritable Cheese Fortress, and the main obstacle wasn't the lock, but its guardian, Kicca the Squint. Kicca was a tabby cat with thick fur and one eye always half-closed (hence her nickname). She was lazy, but when she smelled a mouse... she became a lightning bolt.
The Entrance and the Unexpected Feline
Alex approached the service door, crawling along the baseboard. The scent of aged cheese was so powerful it made his head spin. Mmm, 55 months of pure bliss! he thought.
He reached a tiny crack under the hinge and, with a true adventurer's push, slipped into the warehouse.
Just then, Kicca, dozing on a sack of coarse salt, stretched out a paw. She hadn't seen Alex, but the smell of cheese and the rustle of mouse fur woke her. Her half-open eye widened, and her tail began to wag slowly.
Alex, who had just entered, stopped behind a jar of rennet.
"Mroww... It smells like a picnic," Kicca whispered in a hoarse voice, her ears cocked.
The Scalere Race
The enormous warehouse was a maze of wooden shelves, piled high with golden cheeses. Alex immediately spotted his prize: a Pratichiera cheese labeled "55+" gleaming on the top shelf.
He began his climb up the curing ladders. Up, up, up... the distance was enormous. Kicca, finally seeing him move, jumped off the bag like a wild rubber band.
The game "Tom and Jerry" had begun.
Alex ran along the narrow ledge; Kicca, below, tried to climb up or paw at him.
Kicca's Attempt 1: The Surprise Assault
Kicca used the shelf as a catapult. She leaped into the air to land on the same shelf as Alex. Alex, with lightning-fast reflexes, let himself fall using a spiderweb thread (he hadn't noticed before, but it was fine!) and swung just as Kicca, missing her footing, landed on the pile of shapes below, sending three younger shapes tumbling down (only 12 months old, what a waste!).
Kicca stood up, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Damn flying mouse!"
Kicca's Attempt 2: The Scab Trap
Alex continued running up a higher ledge, almost reaching his goal. Kicca had an idea: she picked up a large discarded crust and threw it forward, hoping to trip Alex.
The mouse, instead of tripping, used the crust like a surfboard! He jumped on it and slid along the smooth surface of another shape, crossing an entire corridor in a flash.
Kicca gasped. "Did he... did he surf on cheese? I'm tired."
The Gourmet's Victory
Alex, full of adrenaline and driven by the intense scent, finally reached the summit. There he was: Pratichiera 55+.
Without wasting a moment, Alex got to work. He didn't have to eat it all, just take a piece. He used his sharp little teeth like scalpels, chipping away a golden scale half the size of his head.
Kicca, meanwhile, had reached the ledge below and was ready for the final leap.
"I'll get you now, you little thief!" Kicca meowed.
Alex took his scale, slung it over his shoulder, and with a mischievous grin, dropped it... right into a cart the cheesemaker had left there for the morning inspection.
Kicca lunged, crashing into the pile of shapes she'd knocked over earlier. BOOM! The warehouse shook slightly.
Alex, protected by the trolley, rolled silently to the entrance slot.
He emerged from the Cheese Fortress, with the 55+ Pratichiera scale shining like a trophy.
The Return Home
Arriving at his hole, Alex announced triumphantly: "Mom Marta! Dad Artur! The refill is here!"
The two elderly mice grabbed the scale and, with a bite, felt the intoxicating sweetness melt on their tongues. Their wrinkles smoothed out, their eyes shone.
"Oh, Alex, you're a hero!" exclaimed Mama Marta, jumping up and down. Papa Artur started doing push-ups.
And while Alex enjoyed a tiny piece of his prey and fell asleep dreaming of mountains of aged cheese, Kicca the squinty-eyed was still sitting in the warehouse, licking her sore paw and muttering: "Tomorrow... tomorrow I'll be careful of those damned trolleys!"
But he knew well that, as long as Alex was around, the warehouse would never be boring... or safe!
