[RiddleRose]: 298.Gold Dust - NaNoWriMo '07.Chapter twenty

Chapter twenty.

Wren went to Neil's house. Thankfully, Livia and Neil weren't there. Wren decided to be a bastard, and read some of Neil's stories. He opened one of the easiest secret panels, and took out a manila folder at random. The pages were bound together with a black spiral plastic thing, so that it functioned like a book. The title of it was Animal Stories.
The first story was about a mouse. It was adorable. It read:

“I look out from my safe place, ears perked and alert, nose quivering. Everything is very large, not like what I am used to in my home. I look back once, reassuring myself that everything is still there, everything is still safe. My mother and father look at me, bright eyes like berries in the dim light. I can see well though, my eyes are very good.

“My whiskers quiver. I look back out there, out in the big world. The light is much brighter out there, I could be seen easily if I went out there! One of my brothers, who went out into the big world yesterday, said it was alright. He said there were no snarling monsters, like the stories my mother says her mother told her. 

“I advance a step. This is a journey every young mouse must make. This is a journey that some return from, and some don't. This journey, a young mouse must take alone, without the guidance of his parents and siblings. Before this journey, a mouse is merely a mouselet, after it, he or she is a mouse.

“The journey must last for one hour. We mice always know what time it is. It is a trait born into us. So I will know when I have been out long enough. I will know when I can return to my safe haven. I advance another step, and curl my tail a little. I can see many large shapes out there, strange shapes. They frighten me, but I must do this.

“All at once, I run out of my safe place, and into the big world. I am in a wide open place. It is flat. There are no holes to hide myself in, no walls around me. I cringe, and run as fast as I can across it. There is a dark and welcoming place over there, I run into it. 

“At once the light is dimmer, and the size of things diminishes to manageable proportions. It is a strange place I find myself in, as my heart stops beating so quickly, and I calm myself a little. I run around a little, determining how large this space is. It is quite large. The ceiling is low, as low as my safe place, but there are no walls like there are there. Four posts hold the ceiling up.

“I peep out of it. I have been out in the wide world for five minutes already. I have not been killed. My heart slows a little more, and my eyes adjust to the brighter light out here.

“Then I see something terrifying. It is a giant! A huge, massive, enormous, moving monstrosity! It advances towards my hiding place, and I just know it has seen me! I cower, whiskers quivering, ready to run as fast as I can, but frozen for the moment, paralyzed by fear.

“But the giant stops. Something makes the ceiling of my hiding place sag, and I feel it brush my back. I hear a great rush of wind, and I realize that the giant has just sighed. The ceiling creaks and moves, as the giant adjusts itself. I don't like this place. It is definitely not safe! What id the ceiling should fall? I would be crushed!

“I peek out, then make a dash for another dark place. This one is better. It is warm, and the ceiling doesn't move. It does hum and vibrate a little, but it does not attract giants like the other one. I recover there, basking in the warm air which blows over me occasionally. I realize that I've been out on the big world for almost half an hour.

“The giant left a while ago. I creep out. There is a soft squishy thing covering the floor here. It catches at my feet, and I can't run as fast as usual. I don't like it much to walk on, but I lie down briefly, and it makes a nice bed. I get up quickly though. I wouldn't want a giant to catch me napping!

“I remember that one of my brothers told me about the giants, when I was very little. He said they were bigger than anything. I think I agree. They're scarier than anything too! I wish I could go back to my safe place, but it's only been three quarters of an hour. I still have fifteen minutes left. 

“I spend my time exploring. I dart from here to there, and eventually build a sort of map of the place in the space behind my eyes. There's a place with shiny things, white, and there's a lot of water, I can smell it. There's a space with squishy stuff on only part of the floor, and lots of four legged things, which I see giants sitting on. They look silly when they sit, all folded up.

“I have lost most of my fear of the giants too. With only three minutes left, I go to explore the last place. It has squishy stuff on the floor. There is a giant in it, but it is a frozen giant. It is lying on the ground, and it does not move when I look at it. Feeling a little daring, I dart closer. There is a dark space under what must pass as the giant's front legs, although I don't think they walk on them. I go there.

“It is warm there. I can hear the giant's heart beating, so it must be alive. I wonder why it can't move? I realize that my two minutes are up. I am staying out in the big world for longer than I have to! That will mean that I will get a feast in my honour when I get back. None of my brothers stayed out longer than they had to.

“I saunter out from beneath the giant's paw. I turn to look at it. It is looking right at me! It's eyes are big, and blue, not like mine! My eyes are black, and look like berries. The giant has giant sized eyes, and they are looking right at me!

“My courage deserts me, and I flee to the nearest dark place. The giant moves, and makes a noise. I wonder if it is the giant's way of speaking. It must be, for soon another giant comes over. They confer, and the first giant points to my hiding place. The second giant looks, but I don't think it sees me.

“It must not have anyway, because it goes away after a while. The first giant goes back to looking at the bright box thing it had been looking at before, but now it moves its paws, and there is a clicking noise. I peep out, wondering if it is safe to move. It is. I run for my safe place. The giant sees me, but I am fast, and it doesn't move.

“I am safe. My family welcomes me back. My mother begins to prepare the feast. I am a hero! I actually hid underneath a giant!

“The End.”

Wren smiled. It was an adorable story about a mouse. How could he not smile? He went on to the next, which was about a newborn giraffe. It read:

“I stumble around, light blinding me. I can't see, and this is not the comforting dark, with the swish and gurgle I am used to. This is bright, and blinding! There is no heartbeat to reassure me. I am... cold, and I do not know where I am! 

“Suddenly, a huge bulk nudges me. I lean blindly towards it, and discover something which, when I suck on it, sends something delicious into my mouth. This must be my mother! I nuzzle against her, and hear faintly the thump thump thump of her heartbeat, reassuringly there, even if it is softer than I am used to.

“I am full now, and tired. I lie down., and fall asleep, vaguely aware of her tongue licking me all over, comforting and warming me, and cleaning me of birthing fluids.

“I wake much later. The sun is just coming up, and my mother is breathing beside me. My eyes seem to be working a little better now, because I can see her vaguely. She had two long ears, and two little tufty horns. Her neck is long and graceful, and curved gently around me. I nuzzle around a little, and find the thing that gives me the wonderful milk.

“She wakes as I suckle, and licks me a little. When I am done, she stands up, back feet first, then front. I try to imitate her, but my legs shake, and I fall over. She bends her long neck down to me, and nudges me until I try again. This time, with her helping me, I succeed. I am standing!

“My legs are still wobbly, but at least I can stand. Mother takes a step forward, and, tottering, I follow. I nearly fall over, but I manage a few steps. I look around. I can still only see shapes, but the ones I see are fascinating! I take some more steps. They are becoming easier as I get used to them. Coordinating four legs is hard, especially when I also have to pay attention to my neck, and my legs are very long.

“I collapse a few more times, but mother helps me up each time. I drink the milk from her when I am hungry, and she stretches her neck high high up out of sight to munch on what she tells me are leaves. I wonder what leaves taste like, but she tells me that I am too young still to try them. When I am older, she says.

“I wish I was older now. There is so much to explore! My sight is fuzzy, but I can tell that the grass goes on for a long way. I want to explore all of it! I feel... frisky! I want to... kick up my heels, and run! 

“I try to run a few steps, but that is beyond me. Oh well. I pick myself up off the ground, and walk sedately after my mother. Someday, I will be able to run if I want to.”