Nutshell summary: Silvie, the mouse is taking all the other mice into her home. The miller, from whom the 'borrow' their food supply, has bought a cat. Can they figure out what to do?

I had been sitting there, happy as you please, in my home. My home was an oak tree known as 'Ivy Palace'. By its name, you can guess that the outside was screened in thick ivy, decorating my already lovely and charming home.

I had been sitting there in my bodouir looking out on the rest of Maple Ridge, my home town, when a horrid thing happened. There was no wind and sound traveled far, so did smell. I heard a muffled conversation between the miller, of which we were most fond because of his grain, and someone whom I had never heard before. They spoke of mice being a nuisance and of cats being much more respectably welcomed in a home. This made me quite flustered, but I stayed long enough to understand that the miller had bought a cat! He was going to leave it in the mill to keep all of 'those pesky rodents' in check.

My little heart skipped a tiny little beat and I scurried down the wide staircase calling to Missy, telling her to call Old Mrs. Jenny Lou and bring her to stay here.

I was in quite a dither, as you might say. If you haven't guessed, I am a mouse, one of very high social standing. To have one call you a 'pesky rodent' is quite embarrassing, at best!

Missy called all the people in Maple Ridge and soon my grand palace was brimming with mice of all sizes and ages, from Mrs. Jenny Lou down to little Lotice Wesley, all done up in blankets.

Mayor Dusty Dottle gave a speech and Missy made punch and sandwiches. All were made comfortable. Since there were many rooms in the palace and it only took a few minutes to hollow out more, the men were set to work building and the women settling the bigger families into rooms that were already complete. All was going well, but none of us knew then, what was creeping up the grassy hill towards Ivy Palace.

Comments are welcome!

PS I can post the ending if you want me too...Just let me know!

Me