Of Mice and Men

The storm raged for five days and five nights. The sun came out each morning, and by noon it was gone; replaced by a dark and turbulent sea that crashed relentlessly against the ship.

On the sixth day, the storm subsided. I ventured out on deck and watched a dove appear and circle the ship. I saw it swoop and soar, then fly west towards the setting sun. There was no sight of land and darkness once again engulfed the ship.

On the morning of the seventh day, Captain Murdoch appeared on deck to address his weary crew.

“The storm has led us into uncharted waters” He boomed. “We are alone on this ocean, and must gather all our strength in a bid to find our way home….”

The bolt of lightning came out of the heavens and hit the mainsail. I heard the mighty crack as it began to fall. I ran for cover and saw the Captain glance upwards as if in silent prayer. There was nothing he could do to save himself. His ship was doomed…..

******

The scream sent a shiver down my spine. It came from the shower; it was Janet Leigh in Psycho. I shut my book and ran down the hall.

The blonde spoke in gasps, her voice, punctuated by short, sharp screams.

‘A mouse…. The cat’s got a mouse. She’s under the bed… Get it OUT!’

I peered under the bed. I saw the yellow eyes squinting back at me in the dark. The mouse was gripped tightly in her jaws. I reached slowly for the handle of my gun. I took aim and gently squeezed the trigger. The water hit her right between the eyes and she shot out the other side of the bed. The mouse lay on its side, motionless.

I reached under the bed and gently picked up the mouse, and placed it in the nearest shoe box, which happened to be Jimmy Choo.

‘Have you got it?’ She shouted, stepping out of the shower.

‘Yes, I’ve put it in a box.’

‘What box?’

‘Oh, I don’t know, just some old box.’

‘Is it dead?’

;I’m not sure. It’s not moving. I think I’ll take it to the vet.’

‘Don’t be so ridiculous, just throw it out please and close all the windows.’

I gently stroked the mouse. There was no movement, just the cold stare of death. I went to the kitchen and took a small chunk of cheese from the fridge and put it in the shoe box. I closed the lid and hid the box in the hall cupboard.

The blonde walked into the lounge, pulling a black silk robe around her. ‘That damn cat! Why can’t it kill its prey somewhere else? Is that the book you bought this morning?’ She asked, placing a small vase of Peace roses on the black gloss table.

‘Yes, it’s a novel about a family lost at sea. It’s a fable.’

‘I love fables. I remember reading The Little Prince. I didn’t like the fox though, it scared me.’

The phone rang, and she stared at me, ‘I’m so fed up with all this intrusion.’

‘Let it ring.’ I said.

‘But it might be your mum, or your brothers.’

‘It isn’t. Let’s go to bed please.’

********

That night, I dreamed I was drowning in a shark infested sea of dark chocolate. My mother was rowing towards me in a small boat, but she was getting nowhere, and was tiring fast. The blonde eventually appeared in a Sea Rescue helicopter, and winched us both to safety. The sharks, on this occasion, were left hungry.

Early the next morning, I crept downstairs and opened the hall cupboard. I took out the shoe box and walked out onto the patio, just as the sun was beginning to rise over the woods.

I carefully opened the shoe box and peered inside. The mouse looked up, as if to question me. The cheese was gone, and the box was littered with droppings. I smiled to myself and gently turned the box on its side and let the mouse run free. I watched it scamper towards the opening to the woods. For a moment, I thought I saw it stop, and look back, before disappearing into the long grass. Even mice, I thought, deserve another chance.

The blonde breezed into the lounge. ‘Do you want some eggs, or your Greek yogurt?’

I smiled at her, and drew her close to me.

‘Be honest with me’ she said. ‘Did you really throw that dead mouse out last night?’

‘No. I didn’t.’

‘Oh God, don’t say it’s still under the bed.’

‘It wasn’t dead. I let it out this morning, into the woods.’

‘How come it survived, what on earth did you do to it?’

‘Its a little miracle. It survived, that’s all you need to know.’

I stood and stared at her, and immediately suffered a vision of the future. ‘You do realise don’t you’ I said. ‘One day you may have to deal with all this on your own?’

She thought for a second before replying. ‘Yes, perhaps I will, but not today Tony. My Grandmother always told me; that for every demon, there are a thousand angels.’

I opened the patio windows and stepped outside. I could detect a slight chill in the air. I looked out over the woods and thought about Robert Forester. I wondered how he was coping with the loss of his wife, and hoped he wasn’t alone. There is no rhyme or reason to the way people react to bad news. I suddenly felt the urge to see him, to explain how I misjudged him.

I lit a cigarette and watched the grey wisp of smoke billow, and then disappear into the crisp morning air.

The mouse who lived to tell the tale…