Of Mice and (Half-Dressed) Men

For example, acrophobics -- those who are afraid of heights -- may drop to the floor of a tall structure or hug a part of the building which they are convinced is immovable.

The stereotypical response for muriphobics -- people who are scared of mice -- is to stand on a chair, pull their skirt tight around their knees and scream like a banshee; that is if the muriphobic is a woman or a character from a Tom & Jerry cartoon.

But even those who study phobias cannot say for sure how a person will react to being faced with their nemesis. There is no standard response apart from total and irrational fear.

So who to say that the German muriphobic who ran out into the street in sub-zero temperatures wearing just his boxer shorts and a pair of fluffy slippers is any crazier than the next person battling a fear of mice?

The local police who then led a search of the petrified man's house, that's who.

No time to dress as fear strikes

After being seen cowering semi-naked in a phone booth in the town of Goettingen, the man was approached by the officers hoping for something a little racier than just some sleepwalker or an extreme jogger who had forgotten his keys.

But instead of accosting a pervert lurking for prey, the local cops found the quivering 23-year-old to be the victim -- of mouse-stalking.

The man told police he had seen the mouse scurry across the floor while he was watching a film, and had immediately fled his home. He did not elaborate on what kind of film he was watching, sat at home alone in just his underwear, and the police chose not to pursue this line of enquiry.

After the intrepid cops tried and failed to track down the offending rodent, the man ignored their assurances that it was safe to return and instead trudged off through the snow to stay with nearby relatives.

"He said there was nothing he was more afraid of," the Goettingen police said in a statement.