Stories for children

Childrens Fables.
by Jan Luthman

"Well, here we are," Announced Millie, "This is the kitchen door."

Matilda stared up at it: it was quite the most enormous door she had ever seen in her life.

"How do we knock on it?" She whispered to Millie, "it's so big: nobody would hear us.

"We don't," Replied Millie, "We tap at the window instead. Come on, follow me."

Matilda followed Millie as she climbed up a bush growing beside the kitchen wall, then scuttled out along one of its branches and jumped onto the sill of the kitchen window.

"What do we do now?" Asked Matilda.

Millie rubbed snow from a corner of the window and peered through.

"I can see Mrs Katie's in there: I think she's baking a cake," She said, "Help me clear the window a bit more."

They wiped away pawfuls of snow, and knocked.

At the sound of two tiny pairs of paws pattering on the windowpane, Mrs Katie looked up from the great big kitchen table that stood next to the window. The table was covered in flour, and butter and salt and sugar and jam and bits of pastry, and there was a large plate of scones at one end. It looked wonderfully untidy in a comfortable, friendly sort of way.

"Good Heavens!" She exclaimed, "it's Millie!" She peered more closely, "And who's that with her?"

Mrs Katie dusted the flour off her hands on her apron, lifted the latch on the window and pushed it open.

"Hallo, Millie," She said, "What brings you here, my dear? I thought you'd be tucked up in your nest. And who's your friend?"

"Morning, Mrs Katie," Millie was jumping up and down, trying to keep warm, "This is Matilda."

"Hi, Mrs Katie," Matilda waved shyly and smiled as she hopped and shivered on the window sill, her breath steaming in the wintry sunlight.

"You two must be freezing," Said Mrs Katie, "Come on in where it's warm and tell me what's on your mind."

Millie hesitated.

"Is it alright if we jump on to your table?" She asked, "We've both got wet feet."

Mrs Katie smiled

"It's only snow," She said, "That never hurt anybody."

Millie and Matilda hopped from the windowsill on to the kitchen table and padded across it, their wet paws leaving little trails in the flour. Matilda sniffed; the plate full of freshly-baked scones at the other end of the table smelt quite delicious. She suddenly felt very, very hungry.

Mrs Katie seemed to read Matilda's thoughts.

"Here," Mrs Katie smiled, and slid the plate towards the two mice, "Have a scone: I've just finished baking them: they're still warm."

Matilda clasped a large crumb between her paws and nibbled happily: she had never tasted anything quite so absolutely scrumptious before.

"So," Said Mrs Katie at last, "What brings you two mice out in the middle of winter?"

Matilda was too shy and nervous to say anything, so Millie took charge and told Mrs Katie the whole, sad story of how Matilda had lost her home and had nowhere to go.

"So," Millie said at the end, "We were wondering if there were a little tiny space in the farmhouse where Matilda could build a nest, just to herself."

Mrs Katie thought a while, then smiled.

"Well," She said, "As it happens, I think there might be. There's a small burrow at the bottom of the wall in the back porch. It runs under the farmhouse, and it's very sheltered. I know one or two other mice have lived there before quite happily."

"Could you show us where it is?"

Mrs Katie opened the kitchen door and led the way to the back porch of the farmhouse.

"There," She pointed to the bottom of the stone farmhouse wall, "Close by the doorstep: Can you see it?"

In between two of the large grey stones, tucked away in a little corner, was a small doorway.

"Ooh," Matilda whispered in Millie's ear, "it looks so nice; sort of small and friendly."

"Could we look inside, please?" Millie asked Mrs Katie.

"Of course you can: I'll wait here until you come back out again."

Millie and Matilda opened the tiny door and nosed their way curiously into the burrow, not at all sure what they were going to find.

Inside, there was a comfortable little sitting room, with a small fireplace and two comfy armchairs with lovely plump soft cushions just waiting to be sat in; a bedroom with an old-fashioned box-bed tucked away cosily in one corner; even a tiny kitchen. It was exactly what Matilda had been hoping to find.

They scuttled excitedly back outside again.

"Would it be alright if I moved in today?" Matilda asked Mrs Katie, nervous in case she might change her mind and decide she didn't want a mouse living under the farmhouse, "I'd be very very quiet."

"Of course it would," Replied Mrs Katie, "And you look like a well-behaved young mouse. But I don't think there are any bedclothes and there's nothing for you to cook with."

"That's OK," Piped up Millie, "Matilda can borrow some things from us, and when the summer comes we can go out and gather lots of thistledown to make new quilts."

Matilda was almost glowing with excitement.

"Imagine me having my very own place," She murmured dreamily, "I've never had anything like that before."

"You could invite me round for tea," Suggested Millie, "Or supper, or something."

Matilda suddenly looked a little uncertain.

"But I can't cook," She said.

"That's no problem," Said Millie breezily, "Mrs Katie could show you how to bake cakes and things."

Matilda looked up at Mrs Katie.

"Could you?" She asked, "Really?"

Mrs Katie smiled.

"Just so long as you don't leave wet paw prints in the flour."

Millie reached out and took Matilda's hand.

"Come on," She said, "Let's go down to my place and see what we can find there for you to sleep in tonight."

Mrs Katie watched as the two mice scampered off through the snow. It was strange, she thought, how empty the farmhouse had seemed since the last mice had moved out. The sound of little paws was comforting during the evening when she was knitting, and she missed them when they weren't there. Something told her that she and Matilda would get along just fine.

Mrs Katie turned and went back into the welcoming warmth of her kitchen. It would be nice, she thought, to have another little mouse in the house.

The End
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