My Best Friend

It's Dead

Stiff as a board... reeked of death.... dead as a doornail...

That's what Mindy and Thomas saw. The mouse used in the test laid dead in the cage. Thomas looked at it afraid and unsure of why it was dead. What did it mean? Mindy looked at the dead mouse nervous, but excited.

"Tommy", she said. "Get the cage. We have to show Mama."

Thomas looked at her confused. Why did they need to show Mama? Was the mouse being dead a good thing?

"Tommy, the cage", Mindy said starting upstairs.

He looked at the dead mouse in the cage and picked up the cage. Thomas looked at the mouse wondering if it was really dead. What if it was just sleeping? He started shaking the cage to see if the mouse would wake up. He watched the mouse's body bounce around the cage as he shook it.

"What are you doing?" Mindy asked watching him.

Thomas looked as the mouse continued to lay lifeless in the cage. He looked at Mindy shaking his head. She gently put one of her hands over his.

"It's dead, Tommy", she softly said. "There's nothing we can do, honey."

Thomas looked down at his feet sad.

"Tommy, it's alright, honey", Mindy said.

Ever since they found out the mouse died, Mindy's voice sounded more beautiful than usual. She sounded like an angel. Thomas gave a small smile behind his mask as he leaned in and kissed Mindy's cheek. She smiled as she turned back to the stairs.

"Come on", she said. "We need to show Mama and the others."

Thomas nodded as they continued up the stairs.

"Mama?" Mindy called.

"In here", Luda Mae answered.

Mindy and Thomas went into the living room to see Luda Mae, Charlie and Uncle Monty helping Chop Top, Nubbins, Drayton, Grandpa Sawyer, Alfredo, Tex, Tinker, Mama Sawyer, Henrietta and the tea lady pack for their trips home.

"What do you need, dear?" Luda Mae asked.

"Look", Mindy said.

Thomas held up the cage for everyone to see.

"The mouse... it's dead."

All the women gasped as they looked at the cage. The men looked at them confused. What did that mean?

"Oh my", the tea lady said. "Oh my, my, my."

"What?" Chop Top asked. "What's going on?"

"So it's true then", Mama Sawyer said.

"Huh?" Alfredo asked. "Huh? Huh? What's true?"

"Mindy's pregnant!" Luda Mae said. "She and Tommy are going to have a baby!"

Everyone cheered as the women hugged Mindy and the men patted Thomas' shoulder.

"Never knew you had it in ya, son!" Charlie said.

Thomas smiled and blushed.

"Oh, honey!" Mama Sawyer said. "We're going to have to start teaching you how to knit clothes for the baby."

"So..." Luda Mae said. "What are we leaning toward?"

Mindy looked at Thomas and smiled.

"We're hoping for a boy", she said. "A boy who's as cute and sweet as his father. If it's a boy, we'll call him Tom."

Mindy giggled and looked at her flat stomach.

"Our little Tom-Tom."

"Tom-Tom", Charlie snickered. "And what if it's a girl?"

Thomas wrapped his arm around Mindy's shoulders as he kissed her forehead and gently pressed his hand against her stomach. She smiled as she rested her head against his chest.

"We'll love her just the same."

"Any names?" the tea lady asked.

"For a girl?" Mindy asked. "Not yet. We haven't given much thought to it yet."

"Well, we'll have to start thinking up some names in case the baby turns out to be a girl."

"Let's just hope it ain't a girl", Charlie mumbled.

"Charlie!" Luda Mae whispered.