Return Of a Night Owl

"And then the Snow Owl gently put me on the ground," Grandma Mouse continued. The grandchildren, there were four of them, listened with their jaws dropped.

"How did it happen, grandma, tell it again, please," little Pippi moved closer and cuddled grandma. Grandma put her knitting aside and opened her arms for all the little crew.

"Come on here, ya all, I'll tell ya again." The squeaking toddlers happily occupied the space on Grandma's thick laps and around thighs, so she could cuddle them all. She did, and also gave to everyone a kiss on their foreheads. "This is how it started," said Grandma, "I and my family lived on a large sail ship, that traveled as far as to Antarctica. Do you know where Antarctica is?"

"Far, far away, where are a lot of ice and snow", little Pippi replied, as she knew the story almost by heart, also she was the youngest and everyone in the family so much adored her that always gave her right-to speak-ahead.

"Far, far away, where are always a lot of ice and snow, and where the large snow owls live," Grandma Mouse confirmed, and continued: "The snow owls are wild and hungry birds, magnificent in their flight; with faces as round as the moon and the feathers as white as the snow. They have yellow, staring eyes, that can see at night, and almost never blink. They can spot every little bug on the ground when they up to it, and they can turn their necks ninety degrees around their bodies, so they can notice even more than the other birds do. For the centuries, they were perfect hunters and enemies of mice. Poor thing that would be on their way, because if a Snow Owl spotted one of our kind, it would fly down so fast as a rocket, it would catch the little thing and ... SWALLOW IT ALIVE!"

The grandchildren shivered and snuggled tighter to grandma's sides. She smiled. "Do not worry. We are safe here, and we are not in Antarctica, where the beasts live most of the time, besides, the owl in the story appeared not as dangerous as it could be."

"Because it was a special owl," Pippi whispered.

"Yes, Pippi, it was a special owl," grandma confirmed.

"Where is it now, grandma?" the crew asked, in unison, four tiny young voices.

"Will it come back?" Pippi asked, mostly because of curiosity, though also Pippi thought, it would be good to have a patron as scary as a wild beast, that is magically protective to their grandma and, therefore, to the whole family.

They lived in a nice, large house, that a human family shared with them. The house was situated in a lavish and generous WA state. They always had fruits, cheese and bread in designated places and didn't have to get into the wilderness in search for food. They were lucky, as they were a special mice family. Pet mice, or fancy mice, and they had very nice human family that adopted them. Nevertheless, the idea to be double protected by an owl was flattering.

Grandma smiled. She had an enigmatic smile, possibly the same as Gioconda by Da Vinci, though mice didn't ever see Gioconda, they only have heard that she had enigmatic smile, as if she knew answers to all the secrets in the world.

So, grandma smiled enigmatically and ... didn't answer.

"Will the owl come back, grandma?" the grandchildren kept asking, snuggling tighter.

"Maybe. Because I believe it never left us," finally Grandma answered, and the grandchildren dropped their jaws again. "How came, where is it, if it never left us?" Pippi asked.

"Listen, kids. This house has many, many rooms and the owl could be in one of them. Because, the owl, was also adopted by a human family, and that's why it didn't swallow me alive. The owl was trained by humans and domesticated."

"Was it? Why didn't tell it to us before, grandma? So, it is true, we might see the owl one day?" Pippi was agitated.

She exchanged quick glance with the siblings, and it was easy to read in her eyes that she was ready to look for the owl.

"Why didn't I tell you before? Because, what just came to your mind? Did you decide to get around the house and look for the beast? Tell me the truth, Pippi," grandma inquired with worry in her voice.

"No, grandma, not at all, not really ..." Under strict grandma's stare Pippi's agitation disappeared as suddenly as it came.

"There you are. You go nowhere without asking, do you understand? Without your mistress permission, never ever try to search the other rooms. Promise?" Grandma inquired.

"Promise." Pippi sighed and so did the siblings.

At that time the door in the room where they were, opened and the mistress with her daughter Dolly came into the room.

"Come here, Grandma Mouse, and here, little crew," mistress invited. "Dolly, why wouldn't you help me, please?" Mistress handed comfortable carriage to her daughter. The mice diligently followed into the carriage, as Dolly invited.

"Don't worry, Pippi, don't worry Gizelle, don't worry Zhan, don't worry, Harry!" Dolly called every mouse by the name. The siblings cuddled together in the carriage looking at their grandma, who was responsible adult and therefore was allowed to travel without a carriage. Mistress usually let Grandma Mouse sit on her shoulder when they had to go places. Now, Grandma Mouse was already there, on the mistress's shoulder, as on a hill, looking down at her grandchildren.

"Grandma, are we going to see the Night Owl? Where are we going?" they asked in tiny voices, that sounded to human ear as "Pee-pee-pee!", from what Dolly and her mom could perfectly understand the mice were frightened and excited at the same time.

"Not very far," Grandma replied, "when we go far, humans wear different clothes".

"We are going to see your master Dave, " Mistress said to the mice, understanding the little squad is frightened. "He is not feeling well and cannot play with you as before; he is staying in his bed since yesterday. Let's cheer him up."

Dave was Dolly's brother, a couple years elder than his sister. He loved playing with mice and always had a lot of nice treats for them, when they followed the lessons. He taught mice jump and turn sides, run and play dead by his command. There were always a lot of laughter and joy when Dave was around.

"Dave is ill," Grandma Mouse repeated in the mice language, so the siblings could understand better. "We are going to pay him a visit."

They went through several rooms and upstairs, into Dave's bedroom. He looked pale, not rosier than the white pillows and blankets, that surrounded him. The white winter morning, behind the windows, was also pale and blurry, because of the snowflakes, twisting in the air.

The siblings turned quiet in their carriage. They were sad for their master was ill and couldn't play with them. They watched how Grandma ran down the Mistress's arm, onto Dave's bed, and sat at his side, where he could see her. A weak smile lightened his face.

"Mom, I want to see Snow Queen too. Please."

"Dave, it is dangerous", Mistress replied, "Remember, Snow Queen is a hunter. Mice, normally, are just a prey for the owls."

"Mom, please." Dave smiled at Grandma Mouse, "You don't have to worry, Grandma Mouse, Snow Queen isn't a simply owl anymore, as you are not a simply mouse. She and you are our family, and she understands she has to care."

Mistress left the room. Dolly sat at her brother's bed and opened carriage with the mice. They ran out to the bed and sat with Grandma at Dave's side. His face became brighter as he watched his pets. They sat quietly, listened.

Then the mistress came in, with a cage in her hands. A large white bird was sitting inside of the cage. "The Snow Owl!" Grandma Mouse warned the siblings and they stared at the bird. Their instincts were telling them to hide, though they didn't, for Dave was there, and Dolly, and Mistress and Grandma Mouse; they all were quiet.

"Mom. let her out. Snow Queen!" Dave called. Snow Queen turned to his voice. She had yellow, bright eyes and the mice, who were sitting close to Dave's face, on the blanket, came directly to the owl's view. They shivered under the stare but stayed put.

Mistress opened the cage, "You can go, Snow Queen," she said. The owl left the cage and spread her white, huge wings in a short flight. It took the owl only several seconds. She landed on Dave's pillow and peacefully put her head closer to his, as if the bird understood compassion.

"Snow Queen," Dave whispered, "I am so proud of you. Mom, can you believe me now, animals are not wild by their nature, they are wild by our nature. Stay with me, Snow Queen, stay for a while." Dave looked happy. The mice came back from their stupor as they realized finally there is no danger from the owl or the humans.

"Is this the Snow Owl, that you met, Grandma?" Pippi asked, and Grandma whispered, "Yes, Pippi, this is definitely the same Snow Owl that I met long ago."

... Dave healed in several days, and Grandma Mouse often would say, that if not her grandchildren and the Snow Owl, he wouldn't heal this fast, because they gave him strength and joy and peace and ...

"We strengthened his faith in the power of love and human' mind", she explained, "he proved to his mom, that the Snow Owl, was not a killer anymore, and we were not her prey, we became family and care for one another".