The Danger of being a VIM (Very Important Mouse)

LongBeard the wise gnome cleared his throat and touched his nose with his left index finger. The other gnomes went silent. It was story telling time in Bigroot Oak Village! “Tonight I would like to share a story with you which was told to me by the Spirit Guides. I hope it will help you in dealing with big events in your life.”

‘Omni Mouse peeked from his tunnel. It was well camouflaged next to a knot in the wooden skirting board and so far the owner of the house had been too lazy to close it up. He had other more important things to do and therefore left it to the cats to deal with any mice that might venture into the house.

Omni saw some delicious crumbs lying under the dining room table. However, he also noticed the big ginger cat sitting close by, licking his paws and grooming himself.

As much as Omni desired the food, concern for his personal safety prevented him from giving in to his impulses. He knew it was possible to grab the morsel of food and run back to the safety of his tunnel, but he also knew he stood an equally good chance of being caught by the cat and becoming a tasty morsel in return! Omni did not hesitate. He retreated to the safety of the tunnel and joined the other mice. They still had enough food. He wasn’t so desperate that he needed to risk his life to become cat's prey or toy!

A couple of days later Omni noticed they only had one little piece of bread left, so he went to explore his usual food sources. His first stop was always the dining room. Oh dear, as he peeped out, he saw not one, but two cats lurking about!

He quickly retreated and explored the other tunnels. One tunnel led to a field where there was always corn or other seeds lying about. Again he cautiously peeped out of his tunnel. This time he saw hawks circling over-head.

Retreating again he tried the next tunnel. This tunnel came up inside the farmer’s shed. As he peeped out, Omni noticed a barn owl sitting high up on a beam. This time he retreated very cautiously, knowing that a mouse like him was the owl's most favourite food type!

Omni wasn’t seriously worried, as he still had three other tunnels that he could use. The next tunnel took him to a big oak tree where there were always delicious acorns. Careful as always, he first peeked around to see if it was safe to collect food. However, he saw some big birds with sharp beaks sitting in the tree above him and decided not to risk it.

As quickly as his little legs could carry him, he ran along the next tunnel which took him to a rock pool where he knew picnickers often left scraps of food behind. Carefully, he studied the surroundings. Everything looked quiet, but almost too quiet and his inner senses were alert to hidden dangers. Then, suddenly he saw it! Quiet and dark as a shadow, a snake lay stretched along a fallen branch on the rock. To all but the attentive eye, it was invisible. Omni's brother had been hyponotised and swallowed by a snake, so Omni was always extra cautious around these creatures.

Omni retreated and headed up the last tunnel. It was quite a long tunnel, and it emerged at the end of a very busy street. The journey was always well worth it though, as he had never returned empty handed from this route. As he reached the tunnel opening, he could smell the petrol fumes and dank garbage. This was his least favourite destination, but also the safest. Even though he knew there was always easy food to be had here, he preferred to check all his other options first.

He peeked out of the tunnel and watched the cars race by. People were blowing their horns and everyone was staring straight ahead. Some people walked past him on the pavement. They were walking fast and looking at where they were going. Nobody looked down and nobody saw the little mouse. Omni was used to this and it made it easy for him to hunt for food there. He had very quickly learnt that people were creatures of habit and there were times when they seemed to be in more of a rush and less aware of their surroundings. He always chose these times to hunt for food on the street. He knew that all he needed to do was avoid being stepped on and nobody would notice him. Still, occasionally people put out traps to catch mice, which they regarded as vermin responsible for causing diseases and destroying their property, so Omni moved about very carefully.

He studied the environment but saw nothing out of the ordinary, just a smelly piece of cheese lying next to the large garbage bin. He quickly scurried out of the tunnel and grabbed the cheese. As he did so, he noticed a very big piece of cheese lying close by. Greed and desire for the cheese almost overwhelmed him. “Whoa,” he cautioned himself, “safety first!” He took the small piece of cheese back to the tunnel and peeked out again cautiously.

The big piece of cheese was still there. It seemed to be calling out to him. In his mind he could see himself picking it up with his strong front paws and carrying it back to the nest; he could hear the other mice cheering his name, “Omni, Omni…” He could see the red carpet being rolled out as he entered with this gigantic piece of cheese…

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a small voice. “What are you staring at?” It was Rosy, his little niece, who had followed him. At first Omni felt annoyed at her interference, but then he felt ashamed as he realised how he had been daydreaming about becoming a VIM (Very Important Mouse). “There is a big piece of cheese over there,” he pointed with his nose. “Shall I help you carry it?” Rosy offered. Rosy adored her uncle, who was the most famous provider and nest builder in their community. “You know, Rosy, it’s actually so big it won’t fit into the tunnel. Just help me bite off small chunks that we can handle and then we’ll see how much of it we can carry home.”

As his common sense returned, so did his sense of safety. Omni and Rosy approached the Big Cheese carefully, always careful of danger.. Bit by bit they chunked the cheese down, always keeping a watchful eye on their environment and never carrying anything bigger than what they could easily manage. Quick as a wink the Big Cheese was reduced to Bite Size Chunks which they carried back home to Share with the rest.’

2010 Copyright © LongBeard Stories by Susan Bellingan Fourie

Acknowledgement: shamanelder, thegrowspot, kingsnake, dreamstime, parigigi wordpress, millionface, paw-talk.net, flickr, shutterstock, anatom, hoboken411, fotosearch, jrcompton, naturfoto-cz.de, thingsville, connexionz