Brain trembled as a shopper almost stepped on his zig-zag tail. The two mice were in Trader Joe's. The lights were bright, the music was loud, and it was extremely crowded. Brain felt a hand slip in his and he gave it a grateful squeeze. Pinky always knew when Brain was feeling bad and always knew how to comfort him.
Brain shivered again, this time because they were in the refrigerator aisle. Pinky wordlessly gave Brain his jacket which he accepted with a smile. But then Brain felt a sharp pain in his tail. A shopper! The person looked down.
¨Eek! A mouse!¨ Chaos ensued. Amid all the turmoil, Pinky led Brain into a small mouse hole in the wall. The poor small mouse was hyperventilating.
¨It's alright, I'm here," Pinky soothed. Brain reached out for a hug; he was totally overwhelmed. Pinky gladly obliged, tightly yet gently. There was something comforting about being in Pinky's arms. Brain couldn't quite explain it. It just felt... safe.
The two mice could hug for an hour and never tire of each other. Alas, they had shopping to do and could not stay there forever. So Pinky smiled at Brain and said, ¨Ready?¨
Brain grinned. ¨Let's do it.¨
And together they walked hand in hand into the store.
