Eulogy for a Mouse!

A couple of weeks ago, as I sat watching television, out of my left eye, I thought I saw something small and black fall from the stairs to the floor of the living room. But, when I looked again, there wasn’t anything there. That’s when I realized that we had a mouse in the house!

What a brave mouse you were, never afraid to show yourself, at least to me, not so much Douglas. You figured out quickly that I was the one you did not have to worry would try to squash you under the heel of my shoe. You would come out of the bedroom at full speed, see me, and slow down, so courageous I thought. Your supple body, seemingly loose-jointed, allowed you to be in every room of the house and still remain invisible and free.

I will admit that the gnawing sounds in the night that appeared to be behind the walls took some of the admiration away. At those times, I couldn’t wait for you to be found, so that I could go back to sleep. But, even then, I admired your stamina, as it seemed you needed a lot less sleep than us.

But, Douglas heard you, too, and he wasn’t so enamored of your antics. He bought mouse traps, the kinds that my aunts used when I was a child. He put peanut butter on the traps and set them for you. I hated the thought of you dying in such an ignominious manner, having your world come to an end with a substance to which I am allergic.

Then, Douglas told me that you had outsmarted him! Mouse 1, Husband 0. You had licked all of the peanut butter off the trap without getting snared! I found myself rooting for anything so clever and adventuresome. I did not tell the husband, though, for I am supposed to always be on his side.

Alas, this morning the husband was ecstatic, for he had won the battle. He heard the satisfying whack of the trap, and he knew that you were defeated. Thankfully, I did not have to see your dead body, all rigid, never to run again.

I am ambivalent at the news, for I was hoping to buy one of those sound traps that were so annoying that you would just leave, free to find another home. Yet, I guess I owe my neighbors the courtesy of not sending you scampering to their house. Also, I recently read a study that concluded that mice can bring ticks and other undesirables into the house, spreading disease, so I had a turnover on my beliefs regarding your being welcome here.

But, I will give you your props, for you gave us a good run for our money. Our world is quiet once again, and hopefully it will stay that way. My nerves cannot take watching another mouse and my husband participate in a tug of war. Rest in peace, Blackie!

True story written for the Opposites Attract Writing Challenge from The Haunted Wordsmith: supple, rigid. Fandango prompt is Turnover. Ragtag prompt is Wait. Word of the Day is World. Your Daily Prompt is Participate.