6

The girl looked at the mouse blankly, and almost as if she expected further explanation. The mouse simply continued to smile up at her. After this long silence, which was quickly becoming awkward, the girl shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. Finally she responded. “Yes, but most mice don’t speak, at least not audibly. And isn’t it odd that you say you were a child? Do mice refer to their young as children? Also… most mice, to my knowledge, don’t’ wear clothes, much less shoes.”

The mouse cleared his tiny throat. “By that logic, we can deduce that I am not a normal mouse then.” He waited for a response. She nodded ascension. He continued. “I’m sure you’ve supposed by now, that I have not always been a mouse. In that; you would be correct. I once worked as an assistant to Bromney the wizard. He changed me into a mouse.” The girl was surprised and frightened by this news. Bromney was the wizard for whom her own father was now an assistant. The mouse noticed her surprised, and mistook it. “No my dear, I must assure you. It’s alright. I have now been a mouse for so long, I’m not sure I could function as a human anymore. And I’m sure I deserve my fate.”