Daisy and the Mouse

The barn went dark with a loud thud. There was a clunk of iron. It was a bleak autumn night, and Farmer Harrison had just finished his last chore. Bolting the barn door shut, he trapped the mice and the dead blocks of straw in darkness. When the dancing arch of his torchlight was disappearing, Daisy realized she was locked in.

She ran up and jumped her two paws onto the old wooden door and barked and barked before starting to cry. Nothing moved outside except the wind, she began to panic. She barked, and whined again. Farmer Harrison did not come.

‘Why are you crying?’ said a voice from the darkness.

Daisy turned and stared into the gloom. Even with her canine eyes she could not see who had spoken.

‘Who said that?’ she said. Looking around. There was nothing but the solid bricks of straw.

‘Down here,’ the voice said.

Daisy looked and saw a little mouse at her feet, staring up with tiny, black eyes.

‘Who are you?’ Daisy asked.

‘I’m called Mouse, I think. That is what humans call me.’

‘I was crying because my friend has left me in here.’

‘Your friend? The human?’

‘Yes, the human.’

Then there was an awkward pause, causing Daisy to feel like she had to say something else, ‘he keeps me warm and feeds me, and in return I help him out,’

Then Daisy remembered what mice were.

‘I help protect his territory from things like you!’

That seemed to shock the mouse, it did not move but silently watched Daisy. The surprise made it silent for a few long seconds.

‘I would try to do the same if humans liked us, but they don’t, they just want to hurt us.’

‘Then why do you bother their things so much? Go into their hovels, eat their food?’

‘Because it is food, and there is nowhere for us to go. There is nowhere that is safe for us. We get so hungry, living as we do. Thank God the man-‘

‘Friend Harrison’ Daisy butted in.

‘Friend Harrison, sorry, thank God he does not have a cat. You dogs, you are like a god to us. You treat us better than the cats do. They like to play before they kill us!’

‘Cats?’ said Daisy, ‘Cats are not so bad.’

‘Cats are evil! They hunt us for fun! We here, we just try to live our lives. We do not hurt anyone or anything. We just take what we need to. It is not fair’

‘It is not fair that I am in here, Mouse!’ Daisy said, ‘I miss my friend. Why isn’t he coming back?’ and then she turned and barked and barked, but did not hear any footsteps outside like she hoped. She paced the doorway until she found a little hole in the wall where she could see the homestead, barked a few more times, then stopped.

‘It is not fair,’ she said, still standing – then she sat on the floor and started to whine again.

‘Do you think you are better than us mice?’ the mouse said.

‘I am bigger and stronger, and more useful than you are. I want to help my friend, he is nice to me – I love him, he gives me treats and keeps me warm in his hovel. Why does he not come for me?’

There was another pause, and then the mouse asked ‘what is it like in the house?’

‘Oh it’s wonderful, with space on the bed for me after Mrs. Harrison went away. I have not seen her since. I miss her too. There might not be a lot of food in the house, but there is always enough for me. And sometimes we will sit together … there’s a box-thing that master likes to sit in front of, it will shout and shout as it shines lights that dances across itself. I do not know what that creature is, but I do not really mind it, the box thing. It does not smell of anything. And, well, I enjoy spending time with Mr. Harrison too much to really care about it.’

‘Sounds like a strange creature.’

‘It is. I’ve tried to ask it its name, but it never seems to respond to me.’

‘Sounds like a bit of a jerk.’

‘Yes, but like I said, it never bothers me.’

‘Sounds like you really love friend Harrison?’

‘I do. He is very kind.’

‘Is there … is there any way that the master will be kind to me?’

Daisy thought about that.

‘No’.

‘Why not?’

‘There is no way you can possibly help him. I help keep the sheep in order, I help …’

There was a noise from outside, and Daisy’s head turned in its direction as she stood up and looked through the hole in the wall. A bright light, like a tiny sun, was burning out there – and it seemed to be getting closer. Daisy knew it was ‘Friend Harrison! Friend Harrison! I’m here! I’m here!’ – which to Farmer Harrison outside sounded like frantic barking.

The barn door was unbolted. When it opened, Daisy rushed out to thank him and lick his hand saying ‘Thank you thank you thank you thank you, you came back for me!’

Mr Harrison said something in the human language the mouse did not catch, and all Daisy understood was ‘There there, good girl’ which made her smile inside.

The mouse watched from the darkness, it was the image of a life it would never know.

Daisy and her master walked back to the homestead, but as they went Daisy remembered the mouse. She stopped to look back at the barn, thinking of the mouse still in there. Had she been too mean to him? She wondered, but did not know.

The farmer noticed his dog was not following. He turned and spoke to her. Daisy did not really understand, but she knew he was asking her something. Daisy, unable to communicate in the human’s language, turned and followed him back into the warmth, as if there was nothing to say.

THE END