The Long Night of the Little Mouse
The night was already very deep, and the big mouse had long fallen asleep in his big bed.
But the little mouse couldn’t fall asleep in his little bed no matter what.
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse!” the little mouse shouted, “What’s that noise going around the house?”
The big mouse opened one eye and perked up one ear to listen. “That’s just the sound of the wind,” he said.
“Can I come sleep on your bed?” the little mouse asked.
“No, there’s no space,” the big mouse turned over and went back to sleep.
The little mouse lay in bed, listening to the sound of the wind outside.
Suddenly, amidst the whooshing noise, he heard a “clap, clap, clap” sound.
The little mouse climbed down from his bed, pulled the front door open a crack, and peeked outside.
Boo-hoo… It was windy outside, and there wasn’t a single person around.
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse!” the little mouse called again, “It sounds like someone is walking and clapping! Maybe there’s a thief on the roof!”
The big mouse slowly got up, opened the curtains, and said, “Look, that’s just the branches clapping against the window. Go back to sleep!”
“Can I come sleep on your bed?” the little mouse asked.
“No,” said the big mouse, “you don’t sleep quietly.”
The little mouse returned to his own bed, listening to the sounds outside.
The wind whooshed, the branches clapped against the window, and there was something else making noise—whoo… whoo… whoo…
The little mouse climbed down again. This time, he looked under the bed and inside the wardrobe. Feeling very scared, he shouted:
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse! I think there’s a ghost in the house! It keeps asking, ‘Who’s there? Who’s there? Who’s there? Who’s there?’”
The big mouse sighed, sat up, and listened carefully for a moment.
“That’s just an owl. Just like you, it’s not sleeping either.”
“Can I come sleep on your bed?” the little mouse asked.
“No—” said the big mouse, “your little feet are always cold.”
The big mouse pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.
The little mouse returned to his own bed, listening to the whooshing wind, the clapping branches, and the hooting owl.
But shhh—what was that sound?
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse!” the little mouse shouted again, “Oh no, it’s raining inside!”
He jumped out of bed and opened his little red umbrella.
The big mouse also got up, opened the door, and shouted, “Wind, be quiet! Branches, be quiet! Owl, be quiet!” But no one paid him any attention. Then he ran to the kitchen to turn off the faucet and put away the umbrella.
“Can I come sleep on your bed?” the little mouse asked.
“No, you’ll sleep better in your own bed,” said the big mouse, as he carried the little mouse back to his little bed.
The little mouse lay in bed, listening to the whooshing wind, the clapping branches, the hooting owl, and the sounds of the big mouse snoring.
Just as he was dozing off, suddenly…
“Snore, snore, snore…”
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse, you’re snoring!”
The very sleepy big mouse got up, put earplugs on the little mouse, clipped a paperclip to his own nose, and then snuggled back under the covers.
The little mouse lay back down—huh? There was no sound at all!
It was just too—quiet!
The little mouse couldn’t hear the wind whooshing outside, couldn’t hear the branches clapping against the window, couldn’t hear the owl hooting, and couldn’t even hear the big mouse snoring. Everything was so quiet that the little mouse felt like he was the only one left in the world.
The little mouse took off the earplugs, got out of bed, and removed the paperclip from the big mouse’s nose.
“Big Mouse, Big Mouse!” the little mouse cried, “I feel so lonely!”
The big mouse pulled back the blanket and said, “Then come to me.”
With his cold little feet, the little mouse climbed into the big mouse’s warm bed…
The little mouse squirmed a bit in the big mouse’s warm blanket and soon fell asleep.
The big mouse lay in bed, listening to the whooshing wind outside, the clapping branches, the hooting owl, and the little mouse’s soft breathing. Before long, he also heard the morning birds chirping away…
“Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!” the alarm clock rang. But neither the big mouse nor the little mouse heard it, because they were both sleeping too soundly!
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
