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ⓒ Copyright, written & illustrated by Jesse Steele (2019-2020)
Four little mice lived together, somewhere upstairs in the big, big city—a blue mouse, a green mouse, a pink mouse, and a yellow mouse.
The yellow mouse talked too much. The pink mouse didn’t talk enough. The green mouse didn’t listen anyway. And, the blue mouse wanted everything to be okay.
“I’m hungry,” the green mouse said one fine day. “I’m going out so I can find some yummy, crummy cheese to nibble on.”
As she turned to leave, the yellow mouse started talking to the others, “We can’t just let her go all by her lonesome self, out into the big, big city…”
As he kept talking, the pink mouse didn’t know what to say, so the blue mouse finally piped in. “Let’s all go along. I’m hungry too!” And, that’s what they did.
So, off they went—down, down, down their secret stairs in the wall, around the corner, and out into the big, big city.
“There’s some yummy, crummy cheese!” the yellow mouse screamed. But, the green mouse was already there, nibbling away on a large, half wheel of cheddar cheese someone had dropped, right beside the filthy, dirty street.
The other three mice scurried across the street, toward the dumpster by the wall where the large, half wheel of cheddar cheese had been dropped.
“Are you sure it’s safe to eat?” the pink mouse stopped to ask.
“You’d better hurry up,” the yellow mouse said. “The street is no place to stop and ask if cheese is safe to eat.”
The pink mouse moved along, just in time before a fast, skinny bicycle would have run him right over.
All four little mice nibbled and nibbled until they had their fill, then they crawled home, somewhere upstairs. They were in no hurry, for it is hard for a mouse to climb the secret stairs on a full stomach, even if it’s cheddar cheese. When they all four got home, they went right to sleep.
But, in the morning, they all had a tummy ache. “Pink Mouse tried to warn everyone,” the yellow mouse said. “Maybe he was too nice. Maybe Green Mouse was too hasty. Maybe Blue Mouse shouldn’t have gone along. And, maybe I said too much. But, we all wouldn’t think. Oh, well. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson.”
“I’m thirsty,” the green mouse said that fine day. “I’m going out so I can find some yummy, bubbly beverage to calm my angry tummy.”
As she turned to leave, the yellow mouse started talking to the others, “We can’t just let her go all by her lonesome self, out into the big, big city…”
As he kept talking, the pink mouse didn’t know what to say, so the blue mouse finally piped in. “Let’s all go along. I’m thirsty too!” And, that’s what they did.
So, off they went—down, down, down their secret stairs in the wall, around the corner, and out into the big, big city.
“There’s a yummy, bubbly beverage!” the yellow mouse announced. But, the green mouse was already there, lapping up a puddle of blueberry sodapop someone had spilled, right beside the filthy, dirty street.
The other three mice scurried across the street, toward the dumpster by the wall where the puddle of blueberry sodapop had been spilled.
“Are you sure it’s safe to drink?” the pink mouse stopped to ask.
“You’d better hurry up,” the yellow mouse said. “The street is no place to stop and ask if sodapop is safe to drink.”
The pink mouse moved along, just in time before a huge, noisy car would have run him right over.
All four little mice lapped and slurped until they had their fill, then they crawled home, somewhere upstairs. They were in no hurry, for it is hard for a mouse to climb the secret stairs on a bubbly stomach, even if it’s blueberry sodapop. When they all four got home, they went right to sleep.
But, in the morning, they all had a headache. “Pink Mouse tried to warn everyone,” the yellow mouse said. “Maybe he was too nice. Maybe Green Mouse was too hasty. Maybe Blue Mouse shouldn’t have gone along. And, maybe I said too much. But, we all wouldn’t think. Oh, well. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson.”
“I’m bored,” the green mouse said that fine day. “I’m going out so I can find some tumbly, bumbly wheel to run on and burn my energy.”
As she turned to leave, the yellow mouse started talking to the others, “We can’t just let her go all by her lonesome self, out into the big, big city…”
As he kept talking, the pink mouse didn’t know what to say, so the blue mouse finally piped in. “Let’s all go along. I’m bored too!” And, that’s what they did.
So, off they went—down, down, down their secret stairs in the wall, around the corner, and out into the big, big city.
“There’s a tumbly, bumbly wheel!” the yellow mouse squealed. But, the green mouse was already there, running inside the spinning rim of a wheel someone had left, just a little way down the busy, dizzy street.
The other three mice scurried down the street, toward the car shop where the wheel with the spinning rim had been left.
“Are you sure it’s safe to run on?” the pink mouse stopped to ask.
“You’d better hurry up,” the yellow mouse said. “The street is no place to stop and ask if a spinning rim is safe to spin.”
The pink mouse moved along and started running with the other three, just in time before a fat cat jumped up onto the same wheel the four little mice were running inside.
“I see you, yummy, little mice,” the fat cat meowed.
All four little mice scurried for their lives, each a different way, up the same busy, dizzy street, but all headed for home, somewhere upstairs. They were in a big hurry, for it is hard to be slow when a fat cat wants to eat you and get fatter still, even after burning energy on a spinning rim. When they all four got home, they went right to sleep.
But, in the morning, their bodies hurt all over. “Pink Mouse tried to warn everyone,” the yellow mouse said. “Maybe he was too nice. Maybe Green Mouse was too hasty. Maybe Blue Mouse shouldn’t have gone along. And, maybe I said too much. But, we all wouldn’t think. Oh, well. Hopefully we’ll learn our lesson.”
But, they never did.
