** In this fable, the lesson is to not be disobedient, because it could lead to disaster. It's important to listen to those who are older because they have more experience. Learning from other peoples mistakes can be just as important as learning from your own.
There had once been a little brown mouse named Timothy who lived inside the crack of a wall. Timothy had always been very curious. He had grown up listening to some spine-chilling stories from his granddad about the outside world. He warned him to never explore it, because he had himself and it was not worth the risk. He told him how important it was to not let his curiosity get the best of him. Timothy had always found it almost impossible to believe that all of that could go on in a place so close to him. The only object that separated his family from the human world was a wooden fence that could barely hold itself up. He lived in an abandoned little building with his family. His granddad told him that humans were horrendous, huge, and ugly looking beings. They supposedly walked around and destroyed everything in sight. They had these giant, moving, machines called cars that could crush anything that stood in their way. Timothy, being the brave one, longed to find out more. He wanted to see if these creatures were truly the evil beings his granddad had made them out to be, or if there was something more to them yet to be discovered.
One quiet evening when his family was away foraging food, he decided to finally go out and explore that unknown place. Timothy knew they would not return for a couple of hours, so he was free to do as he wished. He walked to his room and gathered a few things he’d need. He packed some cheese in a little folded napkin, water in a thimble, and a broken needle ( for incase he ran into any trouble). He stored it away into the little backpack his mother had made for him. He put it on, and he was ready. He had gone outside before but it was never too far away from home. It had also always been during the early morning when it was safe to be exposed. The most dangerous time of all he had always been told, was during the late hours of the day.
Timothy braced himself, and took his first step outside. He sniffed, and breathed in the crisp night air. He was going to do something so adventurous and dangerous! It was dark outside, and the moon barely lit up the lawn giving it an eerie feel. That couldn’t hold Timothy back. The sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars, reflecting Timothy’s feeling of life at that moment. He felt like the possibilities of what he could experience behind that fence were endless. There were several bushes and shrubs that covered it, so he quickly ran between them until found an exit. He poked his head out of the crack. There he gazed out at the land he had never seen until that moment. Timothy had spent his whole life wondering what the world outside looked like, building up his curiosity. This was the day that it would finally be satisified. His eyes grew large as he took in the amazing sight of the city. There were large billboards, and bright colored objects and buildings that were covered in sparkling lights. It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. He watched the creatures as they laughed, and ran about. As the excitement built up inside him, he scampered toward the nearest building. Timothy slowly raised his little head, and saw what looked like a see through door. Through the reflection of the glass, he saw a creature with a surprised look on her face coming towards him.
Timothy braced himself, and took his first step outside. He sniffed, and breathed in the crisp night air. He was going to do something so adventurous and dangerous! It was dark outside, and the moon barely lit up the lawn giving it an eerie feel. That couldn’t hold Timothy back. The sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars, reflecting Timothy’s feeling of life at that moment. He felt like the possibilities of what he could experience behind that fence were endless. There were several bushes and shrubs that covered it, so he quickly ran between them until found an exit. He poked his head out of the crack. There he gazed out at the land he had never seen until that moment. Timothy had spent his whole life wondering what the world outside looked like, building up his curiosity. This was the day that it would finally be satisified. His eyes grew large as he took in the amazing sight of the city. There were large billboards, and bright colored objects and buildings that were covered in sparkling lights. It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. He watched the creatures as they laughed, and ran about. As the excitement built up inside him, he scampered toward the nearest building. Timothy slowly raised his little head, and saw what looked like a see through door. Through the reflection of the glass, he saw a creature with a surprised look on her face coming towards him.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” screamed the human. She swung at him with her purse, but he was too quick for her. Timothy ducked underneath and she missed him by an inch. He ran the fastest he had ever run in his life. Behind him, he heard a crowd of humans screaming and shrieking.
“Why are they so scared? I am just a harmless little mouse. Oh granddad was right, they are demented beings!” thought Timothy as he ran across the street and ducked under the giant moving objects. He dodged the creatures in his way quickly and swiftly. Finally he saw the crack of the fence where he had come from. He let his teeny feet take him as fast as they could, but his path was blocked right before he could make it. A tall, dark, creature stood looking down right at him with a wicked grin on his face. Timothy was so scared and just looked up in pure terror.
“You are a quick little one aren’t you?! Sure caused a scene back there! Serves them right!” cheerfully, but mysteriously exclaimed the human. All Timothy could do was look up at him, afraid of what he was going to do next. “Aw, did I scare you little guy? I’m sorry.” said the man as he crouched.
Timothy responded, “It’s okay…” The man just looked back at him in shock, and stood up. Timothy couldn’t possibly believe that he could have understood him. The creature took a step towards him, which cleared the entrance to the fence. Timothy wasn’t going to waste a second. He dashed around the man. He dove into the crack, and before he knew it he was behind the fence . Timothy quickly went through all the shrubs and bushes, across the grass lawn, and once again back into the crack in the wall he called home. “Did he see me? Is he going to follow me and destroy my home?!” were the thoughts running through Timothy’s head. For the next few minutes he sat there panting and catching his breath, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Maybe the humans were just as bad as his family had told him. That short outing was enough to prove to him that most certainly, he should have listened to his grandad. He made the decision right there and then that he would not try that again. There was too much of a risk, and he had learned his lesson the hard way out there. He had just come face to face with death, and managed to escape it. “Never again…” thought Timothy.
“Never again…”
