Good Mouse Manners
Soc liked his mouse friends. So he would bring them inside to play.
This time he brought his new friend back home to introduce his homeowner, Doris Plum.
Isn't that the right thing to do? It’s just good mouse manners, no less.
The only problem was this slightly grumpy house human who
would sometimes do a very fast dance all over the floor. Unexpectedly.
Soc (and Mouse) was startled when
she jumped on a chair and hopped around on it
screaming "Get it! Get it!" instead of politely saying "How do you do?"
Soc wondered what was the matter with his human. Jumping on a chair was not safe for humans, she should know that.
He would have to teach her how to welcome his new friend
So he carefully picked up his cute friend and put it
in her shoe - Mother Hubbard who lived in a shoe, surely she remembered that story?
Doris didn't remember. She stayed on the very creaky chair… too quiet and giving them one big eye.
So Soc carried it around a bit and then put it
in the bath - where one could pretend to row, row, row your boat, right?
Doris didn't know that one either and instead of 'gently down the stream' she STOOD on the TABLE and screamed 'HELP!' And she gave them TWO big eyes.
Soc frowned. Very bad mouse manners, very loud and definitely not safe.
Alright then, maybe she would prefer to watch them play. They need to get her down from the table quick!
So Soc and his furry friend played hide and seek for a bit, doing a few zoomies across the floor, watching Doris all the time.
Now Doris was lying down on the table - was Doris sleeping on the table now?
It didn’t look like it was working, Soc thought. Should we go faster then?
So Soc and the little mouse ran big zoomies in circles through the house
faster and faster until OH NO they accidentally ran straight into
the wood by the stove
CRASH! BANG! CLATTER and CLUNK!
Then things happened very quickly.
Doris woke up, she grabbed the broom.
She didn't look friendly at all and screamed
OUT-out-out! OUT!! so
Mouse and Soc both charged for the door and JUST made it
before the broom landed with a THWACK! on the floor.
Doris SLAMMED the door shut.
It took a cup of strong tea for her to calm down. She was still mumbling to herself and talking to the woodpile as she packed the logs back where they belonged.
Socrates thought he would try to introduce his mouse friend again another day.
Mouse manners were important and mattered to him.
So he apologised to Mouse and said:
She didn’t have her glasses on so maybe she thought you were a big
fat
scary
RAT!!
