The Mouse Story by Suzanne
The Mouse Story contains language not suitable for young children. Parental Discretion is Advised.
Chapter Four
Father Mouse sat on the livingroom sofa, pretending to read the evening newspaper. The baby had been crying now for nearly three hours, and Father Mouse was beginning to get a little worried again. He continually peered up over the top of the newspaper to see if he could somehow catch Morty's attention.
Morty Mouse was busy at work in the kitchen, helping Mother Mouse finish putting the clean supper dishes away, when Father Mouse cleared his throat very loudly.
"Father... you're not catching a cold, are you, " Mother Mouse asked as she quickly glanced over at him.
Father Mouse put the newspaper back up in front of his face. "No... it just seems a little stuffy in the house tonight, that's all."
Father Mouse waited a few minutes, and then tried to catch Morty's attention again as he cleared his throat even louder. This time Morty looked up at Father Mouse, who was carefully motioning towards the front door. Morty smiled and nodded, before he went back to work in the kitchen. Father Mouse was thinking very hard as he hid behind the newspaper. "How can we manage to slip away again without Mother Mouse growing suspicious," he thought to himself. He and Morty had already been out for several walks that day, and he knew that Mother Mouse was soon going to figure out what was really going on here. Yes, Father Mouse knew that he would need to come up with some kind of a new plan.
Father Mouse kept peeking around the edge of the newspaper, checking to see how Morty was coming along with his chores. After he watched Morty put the last dish into the cupboard, Father Mouse began to cough.
"Father... you sound REALLY terrible tonight," Morty Mouse said in his most concerned voice.
Mother Mouse walked over to Father Mouse and took the newspaper out of his hands. "Let me feel your forehead," she said looking quite concerned. "Well... you don't appear to have a fever, Father. Maybe it's just your allergies again."
"Father... maybe you should go take a little walk outside tonight. I think the fresh air might do you some good," Morty Mouse added in a very convincing voice.
"That's a very good idea Morty," Mother Mouse said, as she walked across the room and picked up Father Mouse's sweater. "And... Morty... why don't you grab your jacket too and join your father. I think a little fresh air would be good for the both of you."
Father Mouse couldn't help feeling a little guilty as he and Morty Mouse took off out the front door. "Morty, you know that I would never lie to your Mother unless I had good reason.. right?"
Morty Mouse winked at his father. " I think the baby IS a good reason, Father."
After Father Mouse and Morty were out of sight, Mother Mouse sat down in her favorite armchair and laughed out loud. "What are those two going to come up with next," she said to herself, still smiling. "Oh... the trouble they'll go to just to go out and check on that human baby," she said shaking her head.
The cold night air swept across the baby's bedroom. Morty Mouse shivered as he looked up at the little baby lying in the crib. "Poor baby," Morty Mouse said sadly. "No wonder he's been crying for so long."
Father Mouse looked over at the bedroom window. The curtains were standing straight up in the air, and he had a clear view of the broken curtain rod that had been wedged inside the window to keep it from falling closed.
"Can you close it, Father," Morty Mouse yelled as he climbed up into the crib.
"Morty... be quiet and let me think," Father Mouse shot back in an irritated voice.
Morty Mouse sighed loudly. He tried to imagine how Father Mouse would ever be able to think through all that screaming. "Don't cry," he whispered, as he attempted to pull a small end of a blanket up over the baby.
"FATHER.... THE BABY SMELLS REALLY BAD!"
"I KNOW MORTY," his father yelled back up to him. "But.... will you PLEASE be quiet for just a few minutes."
Morty Mouse sat down beside the baby and quietly watched as Father Mouse climbed up into the window sill. He could clearly see the frustration on his father's face as he frantically pushed and pulled at the white piece of metal, which didn't appear to be budging even the slightest bit.
Morty Mouse turned back towards the baby and began speaking in a calm voice. "I know that you're cold. My father is trying really hard to get your window closed for you."
Father Mouse let out an angry scream that startled Morty Mouse. Morty Mouse quickly turned around and watched as his father hit, kicked, and screamed at the curtain rod for refusing to cooperate.
Morty Mouse cuddled up closely to the baby and continued to speak. "He's just frustrated because the window won't come down," he said as his voice began to quiver. "He doesn't know that he's scaring you. Don't be afraid."
"WHERE'S THIS KID'S MOTHER," Father Mouse screamed in his loudest voice. He gave the curtain rod one more angry kick before jumping back down to the floor. Morty Mouse gave the baby a quick hug and hopped down out of the crib. He quietly followed behind Father Mouse, as he headed back out into the hallway. As they walked along, he began to study his father's face. He could clearly see those deep lines forming across his father's forehead, and he knew right away that it would be a good idea for him to remain quiet. Yes, Morty remembered those deep lines... that red face.... and those tiny purple veins that looked as if they were about to pop right out of his fathers face. It was that very same look that Father Mouse had the last time Uncle Milton came for a holiday visit. The same look that his father had when he showed Uncle Milton to the door, and told him not to ever come back again until he got some help. Yes, as much as Morty wanted to talk to his father, and ask him where they were going, he knew that this really wasn't the time to ask questions.
Father Mouse stood motionless as he surveyed the scene in the mother's bedroom. He looked down at his young son, and wished that he wouldn't have let him come along with him tonight. Father Mouse new that he was much too angry tonight, and he took a few minutes to take some deep breaths and try to regain his composure, before attempting to enter the mother's bedroom.
"Are they dead," Morty Mouse asked in an almost half whisper.
Father Mouse was still lost in deep thought, and didn't answer. After a few minutes, he motioned for Morty to stay put, and he very cautiously made his way through the maze of scattered clothing and empty beer bottles that littered the bedroom floor.
As Morty Mouse watched his father climb up the white sheet that was hanging down off the back corner of the bed, he began to worry. "Father," he whispered. "Please don't leave me down here alone. Please let me come with you!"
Father Mouse stood there silently when he reached the top of the bed. He stared at the two lifeless bodies that lay sprawled out sideways across the top of the mattress. "Oh no... not again," he said to himself in a disgusted voice.
"What is it Father," Morty Mouse yelled up to him.
"Shhhhhhh..... stay there Morty," Father Mouse instructed in a firm voice. "Don't come up here son. Just stand over there quietly and wait for me."
Father Mouse tiptoed up near the baby's mother and very carefully attempted to awaken her. "Lady... your baby is crying. Please wake up," he whispered into her ear. "Lady... lady, wake up," he whispered a little louder. "Lady... your baby is crying. Why can't you hear him?"
Father Mouse looked up at the ceiling, and then back down at the baby's mother. "LADY," he screamed a little louder. "LADY... WAKE UP!" The baby's mother still didn't move and Father Mouse could feel the anger building up inside him again.
"I think they're dead," said Morty Mouse as he approached his father from behind.
"MORTY... WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE," Father Mouse shouted angrily. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU? WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LEARN TO LISTEN TO ME?"
Morty Mouse hung his head low. "I was afraid, Father. I didn't want to stay down there alone."
"Well... they're not DEAD, Morty," Father Mouse said in an angry tone. "They're PASSED OUT... but if they wake up and find us up here... we could both end up dead, Morty. Do you understand?"
Father Mouse pointed over to the pillow beside him. "Go over there, Morty. Go hide behind the pillow and don't you dare come back out until I call you. Do I make myself clear?"
Father Mouse leaned back over next to the mother's ear and yelled in his loudest voice. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP," he screamed again and again. Father Mouse stopped to take a quick breath and then continued. "Your baby really needs your help lady! It's freezing cold in his bedroom! You left the window wide open and I can't get it closed! Please wake up lady. Please go in there and close the window for him," Father Mouse pleaded.
Morty Mouse peeked out from his hiding place. He could see that the purple veins were starting to pop out of his father's face again. "I'll wake her up father," he said as he jumped up and quickly ran right up the mother's arm, and onto her shoulder. All of a sudden Morty stopped and put both of his hands over his eyes. "Father, they're not wearing any clothes," he called out slightly embarrassed.
"MORTY... GET DOWN," Father Mouse screamed, as he quickly followed him up onto the mother's shoulder. "Mortan, one of these days you are going to get yourself into some serious trouble," warned Father Mouse as he glared at his young son. "This is a very dangerous situation, Morty," Father Mouse continued. "When are you going to stop and think?"
Father Mouse thought he heard a noise in the hallway and turned around. When he did, Morty hoped up onto the mother's neck... and then onto her face. "I really do think that they're dead," he blurted out as he lifted one of the mother's eyelids and peered inside. "See...," he said as he turned towards his father.
Father Mouse was just plain furious. "PASSED OUT... MORTY! NOT DEAD, " he screamed. Now... GET OFF HER RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU GET HURT!"
Morty continued to ignore his father's demands, and reached up once again to lift the eyelid back open. "Hello..." he yelled into the mother's eye. "Father Mouse said your not dead... but you look sort of dead to me," Morty yelled in his loudest voice.
Before Morty knew what was happening, Father Mouse reached out and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him down off of the mother's face. "Stop it, Morty," he warned. "Stop it right now! This isn't a game!"
Morty Mouse got a very serious look on his face as he looked up at his father. "She's not going to wake up and close the window... is she Father," Morty asked as tears started to well up in his eyes.
"No Morty, she's not going to be able to close the window," Father Mouse said sadly.
The baby cried and cried until he was so exhausted that he eventually fell asleep. Morty and his father struggled to try and cover the baby with the end of a small blanket, and then the two mice spent the remainder of the evening cuddled up closely to the little baby, in a desperate attempt to keep him warm.
"Father," Morty Mouse said as his teeth chattered together. "That man... he wasn't the baby's father."
Father Mouse looked down in order to avoid looking into his son's eyes. "No Morty... that wasn't the baby's father."
"Father, what will happen if the baby's father comes home tonight," Morty Mouse asked quite concerned.
Father Mouse paused for a few minutes before answering. "Well... I don't really want to think about that right now Morty, but I imagine he'd probably do a much better job waking her up than we did."
"Father... I'm sorry that I disobeyed you tonight," Morty said sadly.
"I know you are Morty... and I'm so sorry that I got angry and yelled at you." Father Mouse cuddled in closer to Morty and the baby. "Let's try to get a little sleep now, son. Something tells me it's going to be a really long night."
"I love you father," Morty Mouse said as he kissed him on the cheek. Then Morty Mouse leaned over and kissed the baby. "I love you too, little baby!"
