There was once an old field mouse who had six children; three sons and three daughters. The old mouse raised his children himself, as his wife had been killed by a farmer’s cat, and taught them all the important skills every mouse should know. Each of the mouse’s children grew up to be very smart and very good-looking--as far as mice go, that is--and were the envy of every mouse for miles around. But by far, the smartest and prettiest of the six mice children was the old mouse’s youngest daughter, Millie.

Millie was a kind, gentle and wise little mouse, with shimmering black eyes, pretty little ears, and a soft, shiny coat of brown fur. She was adored by her brothers and her father, but because of her beauty her two sisters grew terribly jealous. Her sisters were also very pretty by mice standards, but nowhere near as pretty as Millie, nor were they as kind and wise. They were both selfish and proud, and, because their father was one of the wealthiest mice in the land, treated most other mice like nothing more than vermin, preferring to keep company with the more well-to-do animals. While they wasted their time attending balls and parties, they laughed a their sister who preferred to spend her time in learning, and reading anything she was able to find, be it old newspapers thrown away by humans, or, if she was really lucky, whole books left lying on the ground.

As I had said before, the old mouse was very wealthy. In his home beneath an old tree stump, seated in the middle of a vast field, the mouse and his children wanted for nothing; food, shelter, all the comforts a mouse could wish for were theirs for the taking. And, best of all, their home was free of predators, like owls or cats. They were very happy together but their happiness was not meant to last, for one day humans came to the field and stripped it of all the plants and seeds and hiding places the mice had depended on. Worse yet, they had pulled their old stump out of the ground, forcing the mouse family out into the open where they narrowly avoided being stepped on or crushed by the humans’ machines. Finally, the old mouse was able to take his family away from the barren, desolate land that had once been their home. He knew not what the humans would build on the sight, but he decided he didn’t want to find out, and took his children away.

They traveled for many days, those seven mice, searching high and low for a new home. But, there was not another open field to be found. Everywhere, whatever land wasn’t inhabited by the humans was too overrun by predators, or too crowded by other animals. Finally, in desperation, the old mouse took his children to a small human house, in a crowded human neighborhood, and settled down in an old tool shed in the back yard. Here was their new home.

Life was hard at first, there in that cold, dark shed. They had to huddle together to keep warm until they could gather enough supplies for a warm nest, and to keep from starving the old mouse and his sons had to sneak into the house and teal food from the kitchen at night. The two elder daughters, just as selfish as ever, constantly whined and moaned about their pitiful fate, and complained day and night about their new home, and having to eat scraps to survive. But Millie, still a kind-hearted as ever despite her misfortune, was always full of cheer and optimism. “Crying about thing won’t help,” she said, “so for my father and brother’s sakes I must be cheerful, and carry on.” And, of course, she excelled at it. Her warm smiles and kind words were always enough to brighten her father’s spirits, and, whenever she could, she helped her brothers find food and supplies for their home.

After a time, things began to get better for the mice. The shed was still cold and drafty, and it was still difficult to find food, but with the brother’s hard work, the old mouse’s guidance, and Millie’s kind heart, the family soon had a snug little nest made from old bits of paper, scraps of fabric and old leaves, and no matter how difficult it was there was always food for them all. After awhile, even the elder sisters began to complain less--not much, mind you, but their family was grateful for even the slightest relief.

But, despite all this, the old mouse still wished he could give his family better. He loved his children, and knew they deserved so much more than to live in an old tool shed and eat old scraps for food. Millie, concerned for her father, would always assure him that she was truly happy, but it never seemed to cheer him. But then, one day, the old mouse received a visit from an old friend, a half-blind old squirrel, who told him of a field not far from their tool shed, which had not yet been taken by the humans, and was free from predators. There was even a cozy little stump, just like their old home, or so the squirrel had heard.

The old mouse was overjoyed by the news, as were his children, but he also feared to allow their new home to sit unguarded, in the event that these rumors proved untrue. So, he determined to go off alone to this field, and ordered his children to stay behind. If the field existed, he would return for them and take them all to live there. His sons, who he left in charge, bid him a safe farewell and gathered him some supplies to carry on the way. His daughters, greedy for the wealthy life they had left behind, begged him to bring back gifts: rare, tasty seeds, beautiful feathers, rare trinkets, and anything else a vain young mouse girl would want. The old mouse, of course, promised his daughters he would try and get what they asked, but was surprised when Millie didn’t ask for anything.

“Isn’t there anything you would like?” he asked her.

But Millie shook her head. “I only want you to come home safe,” she replied. The old mouse smiled and kissed her forehead, but insisted upon getting her a gift as well. Finally, Millie thought for a moment, and said, “Well, I would very much like a rose seed. We used to have a beautiful rose bush near our old tree stump, and I always loved to eat the seeds.”

The old mouse smiled at her modest request, and kissed her again before he set out. He followed the directions the old squirrel had given, and after two days had found the field. But, to his dismay the field was overrun with animals, all who had been forced from their old homes by the humans. There were mice, rats, moles, toads, even a few birds. He looked for hours and hours, but there was no place he could move his family, nor could he find any of the gifts his daughters asked for. Not even a rose seed for Millie. Finally, the old mouse had to give up and turn back.

Dissapointed, the mouse headed back towards the human house, which was on the other side of a small patch of woodland, full of owls and foxes, and other dangerous creatures. But none of these creatures worried the old mouse now. Now, all that concerned him was the dread of having to tell his children that they had gotten their hopes up for nothing. He could almost see the looks of disappointment on his sons’ faces, and almost hear the moaning and groaning of his elder daughters. But the worst of it all would be when he had to tell Millie. He knew she would just smile and tell him it was alright, that she was happy to have him back safe and sound, but still he would feel guilty that he couldn’t even get her a rose seed.

But, as he thought of all this, he soon began to pay less attention to which way he was going, and soon found himself lost among the trees. He looked this way and that, but could find no distinguishable path through the trees, and having been raised in a field the old mouse was unfamiliar with trees, and couldn’t tell one from another, so that he ended up wandering in circles. Soon, the mouse became afraid. All around him he could hear the footsteps of some large animal, or the flutter of giant wings above him. He also became aware of the fact that it was getting colder and darker. But finally, he found a break in the trees, and gladly entered it. What he found was a small clearing, and in the center was an old cottage. It was much older than any of the human houses he had seen before, and much smaller, too, and from the looks of the vegetation the grew freely about it, it was not inhabited by humans.

But surely, he thought, there must be some animal there. And surely not a large one, for the doors and windows are very much intact, and there are no holes big enough in any of the walls. Carefully, the old mouse searched about, and soon found a small hole in the wall just big enough for him to slip through. Inside, the cottage was just as impressive as it was outside. The furniture still stood, and was free of dust, amazingly enough. He could see that the room he stood in now was a kitchen, with a tall wooden table placed in the middle. After scurrying up the table leg, he found bread, cheese, cherries and seeds laid out like a banquet. In the middle of the table was a small candle which was lit, and illuminated the room in a gentle glow. How odd that a dwelling devoid of any humans would have such a feast, and yet it was all so delicious looking that the mouse, hungry as he was, didn’t mind at all. He called out to whoever lived in the cottage, hoping it was nothing dangerous, but received no reply.

“This food is undoubtedly meant for a mouse,” he said to himself and anyone who might be listening, “or at least some kind of friendly animal, for no predator would eat seeds or bread. I don’t think whoever lives here would mind if I had something to eat, especially since there is so much.” And having said that, the old mouse began to eat, until he had satisfied his hunger. He then looked out one of the windows and saw that the sun had set. “No point in venturing on tonight,” he said, “so I may as well find a place to sleep. And perhaps I can find whoever lives here and thank him for the food.” Having made this decision, the mouse climbed back to the ground and made his way into the next room.

There were no doors between rooms, so he had no trouble leaving the kitchen and entering what appeared to be the living room. There, in a large fireplace (or large to a mouse, at any rate) burned a warm little fire. Set before the fireplace was a soft, cozy quilt, laid out as if to welcome the old mouse. “It’s even better than my old tree stump,” he said to himself as he laid down upon the quilt, basking in the warm glow of the fire. “Perhaps the animal who lives here will come back soon, and I can meet him.” But, after waiting an hour for his host, the old mouse drifted off into a dreamless sleep, and he awoke the next morning fully refreshed.  

The fire had been put out, but from the kitchen the mouse could smell freshly baked bread. When he climbed up to the table, he found an entire banquet once again laid out before him, all of the food fresher than it had been the previous night. “I most surely have a gracious host,” he said to himself, and gladly ate his fill.

Finally, he mouse decided it was time to return on his way, and found the little hole again. He turned back and shouted a final thank you to the invisible inhabitants of the cottage, and hurried outside to continue on his way. But then, set beside a wall of the cottage, he found a glorious rose bush, even larger and more beautiful than the one Millie had loved so much back in their old field. Each of the blossoms on this bush were fresh and soft, and were each the brightest shade of red the mouse had ever seen. “If I could just take one of the seeds to Millie,” he said, “she would be more than pleased.” But the mouse didn’t stop at just one seed. Instead, he climbed up one of the stems, carefully avoiding the thorns, and chewed an entire flower free, o that he could gather all its seeds. But no sooner had he jumped back to the ground than the mouse heard a rustling of large wings, and the sound of a large creature landing on the ground behind him. And when he turned, he came face to face with a large vampire bat.

“How dare you try to take my rose,” the Bat roared in a terrible voice. “You ungrateful rodent. After I took you in, gave you food and shelter, you repay me by stealing my most prized possession? For your crime I should bite your neck and drain your blood!”

Immediately, the mouse fell trembling before the Bat and pleaded for his life. “Please,” he said, “I meant no harm. You had shown such kindness, I had no idea a few rose seeds would be so important to you.” The mouse went on to explain his misfortune, how he had lost his home and how he and his children were forced to live in an old shed. He explained how he had tried to find them another home, but had failed, and wished to fulfill the wish of his youngest daughter.

The Bat, despite its dreadful appearance, seemed to soften when he heard the story. “I will spare your life,” he said at last, “but this crime cannot go unpunished. You shall go free, mouse, but only if one of your daughters comes to take your place.” The mouse, of course, immediately objected to this, but a growl from the Bat silenced him. “Return home, mouse. But before the next full moon, one of your daughters must come to take your place as my prisoner. Do not fear, she will not be harmed, and shall be well cared for. However, she must come of her own free will, or I will not have her. And if none will come, then you must be my prisoner instead. And do not think you can hide from me, for I will find you no matter what.”

Once his speech was finished, the Bat turned to go, but paused. “Take your daughter a rose seed, a you have promised,” he added. “I will also send your family more gifts.” And with that, the Bat flew away.

The mouse, still trembling, hurriedly gathered a seed from the rose blossom, and rushed back into the woods, before the Bat could change his mind.