Snap of the Trap

A soft click broke the silence, and the thread snapped taut against my fingertips. I lunged from behind the book stack, thumb slamming the flashlight switch. The beam pierced the gloom: the wooden toothpick lay kicked aside, and the plastic cup had crashed flat against the floorboards. Trapped under the clear dome sat a gray field mouse, clutching the stolen pepperoni chunk between both paws. Its black bead eyes blinked under the glare as it froze mid-nibble. The thief has been caught red-handed. Justice for every missing topping is served.