Some Try, Brisbys Do

Kristy Brisby

Kristy Brisby squeaked as she roamed the outskirts of the field. She and her brother Jonathan Brisby were scourging for food to feed the two of them. They lived in the fields of a farm that belonged to a family called the Fitzgibbons. It was a hard life for two mice like them. The family owned a cat named Dragon.

"Find anything yet?" Jonathan squeaked.

"Nothing."

Kristy sniffed looking for something edible. She stood sharply on her hind legs as she heard rustling in the grass.

"Did you hear something?" she squeaked.

"Hear something? All I hear is my stomach."

Jonathan scurried along the dirt road hoping he could find at least a grain of wheat from the recent harvest earlier in the month. Kristy followed her brother into the road not wanting to be left alone. She froze as she heard the grass rustle again.

"Jonathan, something's out here", she squeaked.

"It's probably just a bunny or something", Jonathan squeaked.

"What if it's Dragon?"

Kristy curled up in a ball frozen in fear. She kept her eyes on the grass in front of her waiting for something to come out. What she didn't expect to see was a pair of human feet rushing toward her and Jonathan.

"Run!" she squeaked running past her brother.

Jonathan turned to see a human running toward them with a net. He followed Kristy who ran back into the grass. The two little mice ran through the grass trying to find a place to hide from the humans.

"Look, there!" Jonathan pointed.

There was a dark spot in the grass. Kristy and Jonathan ran to the spot hoping the darkness would be enough to hide them from the human's view. The minute they stepped into the darkness, they heard the slamming of metal.

"What was that?" Kristy squeaked in fear.

"I don't know."

Kristy held onto Jonathan in fear. They gasped as they felt everything shaking and moving around them as they felt themselves being picked up. They were in a cage. They scurried to the back of the cage as the human held it close as he looked at them.

"Will these two do?" he asked.

"Yeah they'll do fine", another voice said.

The human carried the cage down the road where a van was waiting. There were more humans carrying cages that held more mice and some rabbits. The human tossed the cage with Jonathan and Kristy into the back of the van. He slammed the door shut leaving them in complete darkness.

-------------------------------

Kristy jumped as she woke. She sighed in relief as she looked around and took in her surroundings. It was all just a bad dream. A bad dream of the nightmare she and her brother endured a few years ago. Kristy looked at the beds in the room to see her nieces and nephews sound asleep.

Theresa, Martin, Cynthia and Timothy... Jonathan and his wife, Elizabeth's children. After that horrible encounter with the humans, Kristy and Jonathan returned to the farm where Jonathan met and married Elizabeth. The Brisby family lived happily in their cozy cinder block in the field of the Fitzgibbons' farm.

Kristy looked over to the center of the room where Jonathan and Elizabeth's bed was. There was no one there. Kristy's ear twitched as she heard what sounded like sobs coming from the other room. She got out of bed and put on her loose-fitting dress to see what was going on.

"Elizabeth?"

Kristy saw Elizabeth sitting on the stairs near the entrance to the block. Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed. There was another mouse standing at the entrance. An elderly mouse with gray fur and glasses.

"Mr. Ages", Kristy said. "How nice it is to see you again."

"I wish it were nice, my dear", Mr. Ages said with a grim look on his face.

She frowned as she saw his face. She looked down at Elizabeth who continued sobbing.

"What's wrong?" Kristy asked. "Where's Jonathan? Where is my brother?"

"I'm so sorry", Mr. Ages said shaking his head. "Jonathan is... is dead."