The Joy Of Mice: The Making Of Papa Mouse

Once upon a time, in a small clearing in the woods, there lived a mouse. This mouse lived modestly with his wife and his two little tiny baby mice in a small cottage. Inside the cottage was a cozy living room with a warm hearth and two small bedrooms that were painted the color of yellow dandelions on a ripe summer day. They all lived together in that tiny round house, and the two tiny mice would often go out and play in the babbling brook a little way into the woods. There was Papa mouse, who was tall and limber, and as clever as they come. Then there was Mama mouse, short and stout, who had the best jokes in half the animal kingdom and kept the family entertained for days. Lastly, there was little Timmy and Alice. They played all day long,
Papa mouse had educated little Timmy and Alice about all of the bountiful species that surrounded their house and he made sure that they knew which ones were delicious and which ones to steer clear of. The flowers were all different colors ranging from the deepest violets to the most luscious greens. Every so often, Papa mouse would need an herb for a recipe that would not be in his backyard, and he would go to the market to acquire it. Now he had gone to the market many times before, but this time was different, for someone was watching him.

As Papa mouse shuffled along the forest path to the market, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he slowly turned around. What he saw terrified him, although he didn’t show it. A giant rattlesnake slithered toward him and came to a stop about 2 feet away from him. Papa mouse winced as the vile breath which was foul and poisonous came his way.
“Now I apologize for that first impression,” the snake said sadly. “Everyone is always afraid of me and I have no companions. Will you be my friend?”
Now, Papa mouse was a very friendly and outgoing person, but he sensed that something was wrong with the snake’s story.
“Sure,” Papa mouse said cautiously. “What do you want to
“I have a mark I want to show you on my teeth.” Papa mouse knew where this was going and he quickly thought of an excuse.
“I would love to see that curious mark of yours,” Papa mouse said quickly, “but I have a terrible condition that makes me sneeze whenever I get too close to someone's mouth.”
Papa mouse could clearly see the disappointment in the snake's face. “Well, how about you come over to my house and you can taste some of my cooking. I make some of the best...the best...the best tomato...sauce.” The snake said. “I would...love to,” the mouse said, feigning disappointment. “But I know that my wife and children would be terribly worried if I did not come home on time. I guess this is goodbye.”
Then Papa mouse quickly scampered down the rest of the path to the market with a spring in his step, and he hummed a tune nervously as he went. Now the snake was very angry, for the tiny little mouse had outwitted him, and the snake had nothing in his stomach. This was enough to make any animal with an enormous ego very angry, and the snake was no exception. So he slithered off in lazy pursuit of that annoying little mouse. “I am going to eat that mouse if it is the last thing I do in this free life!” the snake thought angrily to