But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station C and waited there every day.

The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel while Haw banged on the hammer until they made a hole in the wall of Cheese Station C. They peered inside but found no Cheese.

They were disappointed but believed that could solve the problem. So they started earlier, stayed longer, and worked harder. But after a while, all they had was a large hole in the wall.

"Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later they have to put the Cheese back."

Their homes were not the nurturing places they once were. The little people had difficulty sleeping and were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese.

Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder we'll find that nothing has really changed that much. The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they just hid it behind the wall."

Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.

Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went home to rest and returned reluctantly with Hem to Cheese Station C. But Cheese never reappeared.

By now the little people were growing weak from hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of just waiting for their situation to improve. He began to see that the longer they stayed in their Cheesless situation, the worse off they would be.

Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, Haw, look at me. I keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous, it would be even funnier."

He asked Hem, "Where did we put out jogging suits and running shoes?" It took a long time to find them because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese Station C, thinking they wouldn't be needing them anymore.

Haw knew they were loosing their edge.

Haw did not like the idea of having to run through the maze again, because he knew he would get lost and have no idea where he would find any Cheese. But he had to laugh at his folly when he saw what his fear was doing to him.

As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're not really going out into the maze again, are you? Why don't you just wait here with me until they put the Cheese back?"

"Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't want to see it either, but now I realized they're never going to put the Old Cheese back. That was yesterday's Cheese. It's time to find New Cheese.

"I don't know," Haw said. He had asked himself those same questions too many times and started to feel fears again that kept him where he was.

Then he thought about finding New Cheese and all the good things that came with it and gathered his courage.

Hem argued, "But what if there is no Cheese out there? Or even if there is, what if you don't find it?"