The Very Unwise Mouse
by Lavinia Rossetti
Chapter 1: Me!
Hello! My name’s Mousey, but some people call me ‘The Very Unwise Mouse’. I don’t know why, because I’m perfectly wise, but they say that I’m not. Can you be nice, and call me Mousey? Thank you.
I live as a pet in a cage. My owner is the owner of me and the owner of the Imperial War Museum. She gives me the shivers when she talks about war with some people who come round and learn about it. They seem to like her better than me. Hmph.
Anyway, I’m a normal, nice and mainly wise mouse. That’s all I need to say, isn’t it? Okay, good, I can get on with the story.
Chapter 2: The Beginning
Guess what? My owner (Ms Liz) is taking me to the Imperial War Museum! Today! I got into my very best uniform, my wedding one. It’s got a black waistcoat, a white shirt with white buttons, a bright red rose in the corner and black trousers! That’s good enough. Right, we’re ready to go! Oh, and by the way, Ms Liz is quite forgetful about important things, like me, so hopefully she wouldn’t forget me that day.
Oh. Great. She had, look, she had! She’s just strolled out the door forgetting about her pet. I quickly opened my cage door (the lock doesn’t lock) and slipped out of the door before she banged it shut. She was already sitting down on the bus when I came, so I leapt into someone else’s basket, which was luckily full of berries – I ate them.
When the bus slowed down and stopped, I skidded across the floor into Ms Liz’s bag. She got off and walked to a BIG building with a plane model outside. We entered the building and Ms Liz sat down on a big, leather chair. She reached into her bag and pulled out a big lunch box. In her hand at the same time as the lunch box was me.
“Mousey!” she cried, scaring some elderly people out of their wits. She picked me up and slid me onto the table, forgetting about an old lady who had tripped over her walking stick rudely from the sight of me. “Now, how did you get here, Unwise Mouse of Unwiseness? In my bag? You would’ve starving hungry and rather hot in there!” I looked down at my berry-filled belly. While Ms Liz started helping the rude old lady, I skittered off the table and beneath a weird-looking plane, gazing at it strangely.
Chapter 3: The Baby and the Ambulance
It turned out that the plane was an air-ambulance.
Just at that time, before I turned away, a baby was hugging its mummy, crying, over on the balcony above me. Its mummy was tapping its head gently, probably trying to get it to sleep. But the baby (who looked about one month old) went on crying. I hopped onto the air-ambulance’s propeller and looked at the baby, who seemed to be having a miserable time.
Then I looked at the ambulance’s writing behind me, on the wind-screen It read:
CAN CURE ANYTHING
in big, big, more gigantic than gigantic writing. I gazed at it. Each letter looked like the Eiffel Tower it was big. Then I read it. I didn’t know I could read – but I read it. Then, I looked at the ‘anything’ word. I took one look at the baby, and one look at the writing.
I climbed up the steps (which were quite steep) that the visitors were allowed to go on. The huge door lay open, right in front of me. Gasping at its might, I stepped inside the plane. It wasn’t as big as any other plane, especially not the Concorde. But then I saw – the door to the First Aid stuff.
I jumped as high as I could, but I couldn’t reach by miles. A little girl came over at that time. Before she opened the door (unfortunately before) she picked me up. Finally, a person who actually noticed me. She grinned, her huge, shiny, strong teeth facing straight at my eyes.
Chapter 4: I’m Wise
“Hello, little one!” she said. Have you seen or read ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’? Well, if you have, it would’ve been better if you’d read me – but anyway, the girl looked exactly like Veruca Salt. “Hi, dear!” She certainly looked strange and salty, but I didn’t care – at least she didn’t call me The Very Unwise Mouse. “I’m Veruca Salt, and I want to keep you! I’ll call you…ooh, I know! This is funny – how about The Very Unwise Mouse! Isn’t that cute!” V-V-Veruca Salt? I shivered, crazily. She grinned more. Veruca Salt? At least she called me –
Wait a sec. Did she decide to call me The Very Unwise Mouse? I felt as if I could blow up! Luckily, I didn’t, though. Anyway, Veruca hugged me tight and opened the First Aid door. I clawed her chest, but she didn’t seem to realise. I stabbed her shoulders and she looked down, startled. “Unwisey!” she cried, in an angry voice. “Bad girl! Bad girl!” I seemed quite offended at the fact that she thought I was a girl. I wriggled out of her hands and scampered across the floor towards a First Aid kit. Realising that Veruca was chasing me, I dragged the handle of the kit with my sharp little teeth and skittered (slowly, for the kit was heavy) along the floor. I squeezed in between her big, gripping fist and a set of drawers. I climbed into one of the drawers and hid there. Veruca grabbed the handle, but just in time I hung onto the drawer above’s bottom, clinging there for dear life. Miss Salt pushed her fat hand in as far as her chubby arm would go. I squeaked a loud scream and climbed up into the next drawer. Veruca scratched and rumoured, but she still couldn’t find me. I climbed out to the rim of the drawer, looked down (to see Veruca’s big, fat face all screwed up in the first drawer) and jumped onto Veruca’s squishy bottom. I plunged myself on to the floor, dragging the kit with me, out of the door. I slowly, but as fast as I could, ran down the steps and up the balcony slope. The baby was about 15 metres away. I couldn’t see it (an aeroplane sign was blocking it) but I could almost definitely hear it.
“Baby!” I squeaked, heaving the First Aid along behind me. “Baby, calm down! I’ve got this kit for you!” The baby’s mum looked around, as if she’d heard or seen me, but she hadn’t; she was just looking at a sign which had an aeroplane holiday on it. I skidded across the floor and pushed the First Aid kit forwards so that it’d skid and I’d have a rest. Fortunately, it went CRASH by a lady’s feet. She tripped, unaware that the kit would slide and knock over a lot of other people – including the baby’s mum.
“No!” the lady screamed, trying to reach the kit but failing. It went straight into an old man, then a group of teenage girls and boys weren’t looking and tripped over the lady who first fell and then the lady who had the baby. The lady clung onto her baby, realising its head would crack open. The women fell and the baby screamed even more and the baby’s head went CLUNK on the floor like china smashing. I felt sorry – rather sorry. The lady screamed and immediately stood up, nursing the baby.
Then I realised. I was quite unwise, wasn’t I – but then I turned wise…the First Aid kit! It holds things like bandages and stuff – and the baby’s head was bleeding!
I opened the kit with my claws and pulled out a bandage, passing it to the lady. She took it and wrapped it round the baby’s head. The baby (called Sebastian – Sebby) turned around and looked at me as if he’d never seen a mouse before. But I forgave him.
According to Sebby’s Point of View
At first, I was crying because I needed my nappy to be changed, and I was wondering why the mouse was dragging a First Aid kit out of the air-ambulance – I only needed my nappy to be changed! Anyway, after the mouse was being very unwise I was in a REAL ACCIDENT, and he helped! I love Mousey!
Well, at least he didn’t call me the Very Unwise Mouse!