Cartoonist -

He blew on the wet ink to help it dry, resting his head on his arms for just a moment to close his eyes.

Arthur stared at the living cartoon, picked up his pencil with a shaking hand, and began to draw a steering wheel. cartoonist

He turned his head toward his inkwell. Standing right on the rim of the glass jar was Barnaby. He was three-dimensional, perfectly inked, and completely alive. The tiny mouse tipped his top hat toward Arthur, leaning casually on his drawn cane. He blew on the wet ink to help

Arthur blinked his eyes open. He looked down at the paper. The panel where he had drawn Barnaby was completely blank. "What on earth..." Arthur muttered, rubbing his eyes. Tap-tap-tap. Standing right on the rim of the glass jar was Barnaby

"The line work on my left leg is a bit heavy, don't you think?" Barnaby asked, his voice sounding like the squeak of a wet marker on a whiteboard. "But overall, a splendid job, Creator!"

Arthur froze, convinced he was dreaming. He reached out a finger to touch the mouse, and Barnaby swat it away playfully with his cane.