The Mouse Who Lived in a House with Walls
the Color of Sky
By Emily L Kellow-Graham
There once was a Mouse Who Lived
in a House with Walls the Color of Sky: warm oranges, rose pinks, yellows,
purples and blues, all the color of the sky.
One day that Mouse decided to
visit her Grandmother to gather some lavender for her morning tea. Her favorite treat was a warmed corn
kernel biscuit soaked in neighbor Bumble Berry Bee’s honey and a thimble cup of
lavender tea from Grandma’s garden.
She woke that day and stretcher
her arms and yawned, “ah.”
Mouse went to the kitchen and she ate her breakfast. She went to the bathroom and
brushed her teeny-tiny teeth and combed her downy fir. She went to the door, wrapped her body
in a comfy sweater, slipped on her tiny-tiny boots (for she did not want to
muddy her paws or get a chill) and opened the door to enter the outside
world.
Many smells were carried to her
with a swaying wind and she took a deep breath in, for this was her favorite
part of the day. Mouse would wrap
her arms and hug her heart feeling gratitude for this moment of calm and
clarity.
“Thank you gravity that holds me
to this beautiful earth, I feel rooted like a plant today!” Mouse sang
out-loud. Today and she
found pride in singing instead of whispering her thanks yesterday or thinking
her thanks last Monday. Although
she did not mind those quiet moments, she loved when she felt like singing and
not caring who heard or how she sounded.
It felt good to say her thanks.
Mouse Who Lived in a House with
Walls the Color of Sky began her walk and squeaked and squealed with joy when
she came across and mud puddle to stop in, for those were harder to find this
time of year.
She gathered momentum as she
approached her Grandma’s house.
Mouse loved her Grandma and her younger Aunties and Uncles. Her family worked hard together to
gather food and water to prepare for the winter months and when her Mama and
Papa Mouse needed to work extra hours, Mouse was able to spend time with her
Grandma and younger Aunties and Uncles who lived with Grandma. They always told her stories and asked
her fun questions and made her laugh a lot.
“Grandma, Grandma I am here and
where are you?” sing-sang called Mouse into her Grandma’s house. No answer.
“Aunties come chase me and
nuzzle my neck! Uncles I’m ready for
adventure and to laugh! Where are
you?” again no answer.
Up the stairs and down the
stairs, up the stairs and down the stairs Mouse searched but did not find her
family.
Again she called, “Family,
family where are you and cannot find you my family?”
At first this seemed like a fun
hide and seek game and then the cold fearful feeling crept in and she felt her
heart pound a little faster, her paws shake and her sight seeing her Grandma’s
house larger than usual and too quiet, way too quiet.
Where were the smells of her
family?
Mouse Who Lived in a House with
Walls the Color of Sky walked out in the garden, so much larger than yesterday,
sat down under her favorite apple tree and closed her eyes.
“My heart will tell me how to
listen and I will hear what to do,” thought Mouse.
“I am rooted in the ground like
a plant today” Mouse said out-loud.
Her heart did not feel that yet,
the chill of fear was still there.
Again and again she repeated those words and breathed in patience to
listen.
Finally, Mouse was able to hear
it. She rushed to her feet and
swiftly ran to her trusting neighbors.
Bumble-Berry lived with hundreds
of family and friends. Their
neighborhood honeycomb hive was a bounty of layers as thick as the honey and
just as loving. Duncan Dog had
played with Mouse’s Grandma since they were little and he had always been a
trusting friend to all of Grandma’s family.
Mouse remembered as she ran what
her Mama and Papa told her since they worked so much,
“Little Mouse Who Lived in a
House with Walls the Color of Sky, be like the sky and reflect the colors of
life you see. If you are ever
afraid, ground your feet and ask your heart that you seek an answer to find
safety. You will be calm as the
evening twilight purple and just as clear and bright as blue-hued Noon. If ever you cannot find family, go to
Duncan Dog. He is as old as our
apple tree and sweet as a pie. Or
run to Bumble-Berry Bee, the Queen of her neighboring hive and a loyal,
compassionate and safe space. “
Mouse ran until her heart beat
faster than her feet against the gravel.
She arrived at Duncan’s house out of breath and yet her body immediately
started to relax to gravity again when she saw her old friend bent over a
garden bed about to trim lettuce leaves.
“Mouse, darling one what brings
you over on such a nice day?” When Duncan spoke his voice sounded like molasses
warming over a winter-warmed stove.
Mouse ran to him and hugged his
twitching hind leg and squeezed. “Duncan, Duncan here you are, here you are my friend.”
Duncan Dog hugged Mouse warmly
and offered her a thimble of warmed milk from Cassie Cow’s farm. “You looked a little worried when you
entered the garden, are Mama and Papa at work? “
Mouse nodded silently.
“Did Grandma tell you she was headed
to pick up pickling supplies from Cassie Cow’s farm today and that all your
Aunties and Uncles needed to join your parents to clear a new area for the
harvest? “
“No” Mouse weakly squeaked.
“Come on then love, lets put on
our imagination and think of some fun ways to pass this generous day until your
family comes looking for you. You
are a smart-hearted lass to remember how I’m always here for you whenever you
need.” Duncan’s voice bumped a bit
when he finished his thought, like a pebble connecting with pond water.
And although her squeak was
weak, she felt much stronger holding onto Duncan’s warm paw. She felt the soft cracks in the
well-worn pad. That felt safe and
warm and she knew her family would be home soon, ready to embrace her and ask
how her day was spent. And while
she waited, she’d surely enjoy the bounties of food and fun that Duncan was
offering to provide.
Dear readers: this story is intended to be the first of a
series on Peace development from the inside out. Using a variety of inner and outer world peace methods, this
series will begin with the self and move to the outer connection making with
the world to nurture children and family ability to seek empathy, compassion
and greater awareness of earth, self and other living forms we share this space
with.
Inspirations of these stories are from Beatrix Potter,
Fred Rogers and a family of diverse, amazing love and compassion capacity
individuals the author was and continues to be afforded generously.
