The Little Mouse Named Tiny

The Snake Hole

As the sun began to hide behind the mountain, the little mouse came out of his hole. Scurrying around, he looked for roots and seeds. He was lucky, because a small plant had recently been dug up. He ate the roots, and kept moving. This was his daily routine: run, eat, run. The little mouse happened upon an abandoned nest on the ground and laid for a nap. Leaving the troubles of the world behind him, at least for now, he drifted off to sleep. He dreamed about prancing around the forest floor, laughing and feasting with friends.

The little mouse was named Tiny. That's what his mother called him, anyway. He was a quiet little mouse, quite shy. Everyone thought he ran too much. But the truth was, he ran because he was scared. The little mouse was jumpy, scared at every little noise. None of the other mice know why. Only the little mouse does. Tiny was small and brown. He was one of the cutest little mice on his little island. Here, mice overran ever other animal. They outnumbered them greatly. Some mice adapted to swarming larger mammals and either scaring them off or killing and eating them. But Tiny wasn't like this. He preferred the sweet taste of seeds and plants. This was his paradise.

One day, Tiny began to explore. He always called this place "The Garden Of Eden." He thought it was fitting, since it held all his needs while maintaining a beautiful status. Though it was his paradise, he still worried. After all, swarms of mice were never far. They wouldn't take kindly to him invading their territory. No animal tried to harm them. This just made him more worried; it proved how strong they were. He scurried around, looking for another meal. Little did he know he would never find it. He fell down a hole and landed with a squeak. Tiny felt a disturbing presence... But he hadn't realized what animal called this nest home. It was a snake hole. Looking around, the little mouse heard a hiss and saw two eyes in the looming darkness. Immediately sprinting down another tunnel, Tiny desperately ran away. But poor Tiny seemed to have no hope of escape. He tripped over a root...

...Which made a pile of dirt fall right on the snake's head! Using this chance to escape, Tiny scurried to a halt at a fork in the tunnels. Hesitantly, he ran left. He reached another fork, but needed to make no choice. Down the tunnel to the right, the snake slithered determinedly toward the small mouse. Running to the left, Tiny saw something up ahead. Light! He had found the exit. Thankful, he climbed up the tunnel and escaped through thick foliage near the hole.