The bungalow would have been completely abandoned if not for a family of mice that dwelled at the base of the kitchen cabinet in a hidden nest made of stolen fabric and paper.
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For as long as Father Mouse cared, the occupant of the house had gone on a journey and had forgotten his way back home, since the books, cluttered somewhere in the house, gave the mouse the impression that the humans cared enough for them to have left a stack of books in a carton some rooms away from the kitchen.
Before they would explore all the nooks and crannies of the house, the mice family realized that their endless adventures of nibbling on old books, chasing one another and shrieking now and then would come to a pause. Or maybe they'd have to give up their transformed haven at the arrival of this new entity.
But they weren't willing to surrender to either. Not with four pairs of both tiny and large, black eyes widening in curiosity at this bigger creatures — the humans, who seemed lost in their own world, unaware of the intricate world they were coming into.
“Wow!”
Mr Cole and his wife exclaimed in amazement at the horrible sight their eyes met. They returned their gaze to the boxes of clothes they'd brought in and shared a laugh, nodding at each other.
Granted, they were excited about getting their house back, after over four years, but this wasn't the time to bring in goods, they agreed, lifting the two heavy boxes out of the sitting room. For now, they had to do some cleaning.
Lisa, the Coles’ only child, gazed at the sitting room like she was stepping into the house for the first time. Even though her parents had cautioned her to remain in the car, she had stubbornly refused, claiming that she wanted to see what their once beautiful home had become. As she studied, her eyes stopped at the sofas and the wooden side tables beside them. They weren't just covered in a thick layer of dust; the milk-coloured sofas had some brownish stains on them. The wall, originally white, had turned yellow, and with the portrait covered in dust, one could barely see the images it bore.
Lisa was ten, but the sight before her transported her back to age six, and she found herself and her little brother running around the house in a play, laughing and bubbling with energy. Her mother stormed into the living room, her eyebrows raised and her face stern.
“Stop it immediately!” She commanded with a stern tone.
Lisa returned to the present, her eyes glistening with tears. There was no play and there was no brother. Her mother was out working with her father.
Father Mouse stared long at his family — his wife and two little mice. For the first time, he was blank.
“What do we do?”
He had succeeded in stealing some materials to insulate their nest but he knew that wasn't enough.
The two little mice looked at each other with fearful eyes. A week ago, they had been fascinated by everything, especially by the fact that the humans had made their little world worthwhile.
What did they not do the first night?
Twitching their little tails with excitement, they feasted on the delicious food crumbs left in the kitchen. The discarded fruits were next. The next day, some pieces of food unattended to, was their dinner. It was as though the humans were compensating them for keeping their house while they were away. Or so they thought.
Things felt different now. And they knew better than to provide a solution to the hanging question posed by Father Mouse.
What would they do?
_____________
“Get rid of them! As simple as that.”
Mr Cole's tone was a bit firm. His wife was seated next to him, her expression a mixture of sadness and worry. She hated rodents, pests and insects. And she was worried about how many more mice she'd have to find before her husband did something about them.
It first started with some scratching, scurrying and squeaking sounds at night, and then it graduated to some dark droppings almost everywhere in her house. On the fourth day of their arrival, she wondered how her husband could sleep so soundly while living creatures partied around in their house.
And in two weeks, she couldn't count the number of times she'd woken up to crumbs and some trails. She concluded that there must be a mouse somewhere around.
Two days ago, she found it. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she found a big mouse peeking out from underneath the kitchen cabinet. Luckily, it was quick to flee. The next day, she awoke at night only to find two little mice on her kitchen floor. They did not rush off to hide as they were engrossed in something she couldn't tell. Carefully, she picked a wooden rod, and that was enough signal for them to escape.
Mrs Cole sighed in frustration. She turned to her husband.
“How do you expect me to?”
___________
Lisa turned off the electric kettle and brought out a tin of powdered milk to make herself some tea. As she picked a mug, something big ran out of the cabinet. She screamed, instinctively releasing the mug and renting some shattering sounds to the air.
Her parents rushed to the scene. Mr Cole made up his mind that day. He was going to eradicate every single mouse.
__________
Father Mouse looked at his family one more time. They were set to vacate their nest.
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His children asked. “Where are we going to now?”
“Anywhere,” Mother Mouse, with eyes as gentle as moonlight, spoke first. “Anywhere that will not threaten our existence.”
