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Chapter 1
DOWN BY THE RIVER
It was a lovely spring day. The flowers and trees were in full bloom, the birds were filling the sky with happy songs, and the butterflies were dancing from flower to flower. Every living thing seemed to burst with joy and peace and fresh new life.
In a far corner of a meadow, near a little stream where turtles liked to come for a swim, there lived a very unusual field mouse. This mouse was an only child, a very rare creature indeed in mouse families. Her name was Aurora and she was happy by nature but her friends sometimes made her
feel sad. They were jealous of her because they knew she was smarter than they were and she didn't need them to have a good time--her imagination could keep her busy for days at a time. Aurora was a friendly mouse but she also liked to spend time by herself, dreaming on the edge of the stream.
The other little mice didn't have any dreams and they couldn't understand what she was doing down by the river. It often happens that mice don't like things they don't understand. What was Aurora dreaming about? She sometimes imagined herself as one of those shiny fish she came to visit everyday. She wished she was free to travel like them, downstream into other rivers, and perhaps to the great ocean itself. When she looked up at the sky, she knew that the world had to be larger than her beloved meadow. And the stars! They seemed to twinkle just for her, whispering down through space wonderful stories of other worlds to the little mouse who took the time to notice them. Her mom and dad were always upset with her because she never did what all mice are suppose to do.
"Where is she today?" Dad-mouse would ask.
"Down by the river, talking to the fish," Mom-mouse would answer.
"Again? Why, she's the laziest mouse I've ever known," Dad would say as he hurried off to work."Bring her back home and tell her she's grounded
for three days. And no sesame seeds for desert!"
"But that's her favorite!" Dad shrugged his tail and left.
Mom was sad. She always defended her little girl-mouse, especially when Dad wouldn't let her have sesame seeds for desert. But this time she knew
that there was nothing she could do. Aurora had gone too far. This was the thirty-second day in a row that she had gone to the river bank instead of
helping the family gather their grains.
The mother mouse headed for the river with a heavy heart. She had wondered many times why her daughter was so different. She had even gone to
see Heronimus the know-it-all owl who lived at the edge of the forest. It had taken her a whole afternoon to get there and the father mouse was very
worried when she came back long after the sun had set. For all her trouble, the old owl had simply told her:
"Your daughter is a dreamer."
"A dreamer? I didn't know we mice had dreams!"
"Well, I didn't know that either, my dear mouse-lady," the wise old owl said with a humility known only to the wise. "But this is clearly a case of
dreaminess. What else could she be doing by the river? Those turtles get really boring to look at after awhile."
"But what could she be dreaming about?" asked the worried mom.
"Don't ask me. We owls don't dream either."
"But how can a mouse dream if they're not suppose to?"
"How can caterpillars turn into butterflies? How can frogs breathe under water? How can lizard tails grow back?"
"Then why do they call you the know-it-all owl?" the mouse-mom wondered.
"I don't know. I can see in the dark, that's about it."
So Mom-mouse made her way to the river to get her daughter once again. Sure enough, there was Aurora sitting on a little rock warmed by spring
sun. She was gazing at the river and smiling at the passing fish. Aurora was a small mouse, a little round, with shiny blue eyes that noticed everything.
"What are you doing, Aurora?" her mom called out in an angry voice. Aurora was so surprised that she almost fell off the rock.
"Hi, Mom. I'm looking at the fish again."
Her mom was the understanding type even though she didn't understand what was on her daughter's mouse-mind. She put her arm around her.
"Why are you looking at the fish...again?"
"They're going somewhere. They swim with the river from up in the mountains where it begins and go toward the sea."
"So?"
"What do you think happens to them when they get to the sea?"
"Oh, I guess they get eaten by bigger fish," answered Mom, proud of her knowledge of life.
"Don't say that, Mother!"
"That's the way it is, Aurora."
"But what if one of them gets away from the big fish. Do you think they swim to the bottom of the sea? Maybe they discover amazing places! Maybe
they meet mermaids and..."
"Where do you get this nonsense? Not from my side of the family, that's for sure!"
Aurora suddenly took her mom's hand and hurried toward the river.
"Careful! I can't swim!" cried the mom-mouse as they near the edge of the flowing waters.
Aurora pointed to a strange red fish moving slowly near the surface of the waters.
"Look! I know that fish!"
"How can a mouse know a fish?" asked Mom, worried about her daughter's strange ideas.
"He's the only one of his kind. I saw him last spring. He's coming back from the ocean."
"Oh, really? Did he tell you that?"
"He's swimming upstream, making his way back toward the mountains."
"Now why would he want to do that? All the other fish go with the current."
"Some fish are different," said Aurora with a special twinkle in her eyes.
"He's going home after a great adventure out at sea."
Mom-mouse pulled Aurora away from the river bank.
"What am I going to do with you? Why aren't you thinking of a boy-mouse or wheatberry grains?"
"Why would I think of that, Mother?"
"Because all the other mice-girls in the meadow are, that's why! Your Father is very upset that you're not like them. If he finds out about these crazy
ideas in your head, I don't know what he'll do!"
"My ideas don't hurt anybody."
"No, but they don't gather grain for the winter either."
Mom pulled her daughter back toward the meadow. "Come along, now."
Aurora dragged her feet in the carpet of clover. She was sad. It's not that she wanted to be different, she just was. She had always been, ever since
she could remember. As a baby mouse she would spend hours looking at the sky while all the other mice looked at the dirt. She would listen to the
songs of the birds while her family and friends listened to each other talk about who found the best grain that day.
Her eyes fell upon a tiny four-leaf clover that waved at her in the spring breeze. It seemed to be saying "it's okay to be different, it's okay to be
yourself." Suddenly, she was filled with excitment.
"Mother, I know what I want to do!"
"Well, it's about time," replied the mom as she led her into the meadow.
"I want to travel, just like that red fish! I want to see new places!"
That evening, Dad-mouse decided he had had enough. As the family sat around the dinner table, he proclaimed:
"We will send Aurora to mouse-obedience school!"
Aurora looked up from her grains in horror. Mom-mouse choked on a sesame seed.
"I know the instructor, Mister Rat. He is very skilled at teaching discipline, conformity, and obedience. He's trained many creatures to stay in line
and follow their leader."
"What's conformity?" Aurora squeeked in a trembling voice.
"That's when you behave like everybody else," her mother replied. "They say it's important to the proper functioning of the universe."
"You mean...The sun might not come up tomorrow if I don't do what all the other mice do?"
"Maybe..." said the Dad in a dramatic voice. He wiggled his whiskers for added emphasis. "We have to do what mice have always done, otherwise
we create chaos in the natural order of things."
Dad-mouse sat back, pleased with himself. He had always thought of himself as a really smart mouse.
"What's chaos?" asked Aurora, impressed with her Dad's knowledge of philosophy.
"Chaos is when nothing works the way your dad wants it to," her mother answered with a gleam in her eye.
"Right!" Dad-mouse agreed as he tossed a sunflower seed into his mouth.
Aurora was desperate. She had heard many terrible stories about Mister Rat. The neighborhood squirrels had warned her many times to stay away
from all rats because they were mean and had no sense of humor. "It's probably because they've been forced to follow orders blindly. That will do it
every time," Nuts the squirrel had told her.
"We're sending you to Mister Rat tomorrow!" Dad-mouse announced solemnly.
Aurora snapped out of her memories of the squirrels' wisdom and found her dad standing over her. He looked angry.
"Where did you fly off to this time? Obedience school will cure you of that very quickly!"
* * *
Aurora didn't sleep at all that night. She knew she could not have her dreams destroyed. But what was a little field mouse to do when everyone
around her said she was wrong? As she tossed and turned in her little room under the earth, she suddenly noticed a tiny ray of light coming through a
hole in her ceiling. It was starlight! Without quite knowing why, she hurried out of the family home and hurried off into the silent meadow.
The dark sky was filled with sparkling stars. Aurora had never before seen so many shining lights illuminating the night. They filled her little
mouse-heart with a strange joy, a joy that was full of hope. Somehow she knew that she would be allright and that her dreams would not be taken
from her. It was as though she could hear in her heart a beautiful voice coming down from the stars saying: "Don't be afraid, Aurora. Your dreams
will come true!"
When the first soft colors of the sun began to hide the stars from sight, Aurora headed down to the river. She came to the old bridge that crossed
over the waters. It was known to all inhabitants of the meadow as "the bridge of no return" because it led to a town full of people who either hunted
or caged up every sort of creature from the animal world, except for spiders.
Aurora had always been curious about things unknown and she had often imagined herself crossing that bridge. Everytime she gazed across it, the
other side seemed to say to her: "Come on over...Come on over and see the big, wide world!" Dad-mouse had told her to never cross over that
bridge. But as Aurora, wet with dew, shivered in the cold of the dawn, she knew that the time had come to step into the Unknown. Life over there
couldn't possibly be worse than obedience school.
Near the bridge, on the other side of river, stood an ancient barn where farmers put their hay for the winter. Aurora could smell the sweet aroma of
the golden grass from where she stood. It was a friendly, welcoming scent. Without a second thought, she dashed across the forbidden bridge and
hurried toward the barn. There was no turning back.
CHAPTER 2
SAGE THE CAT
It was a strange feeling to enter a land feared and unknown. But when Aurora hopped into the grass on the other side of the bridge, she found that it
smelled just the same as in her meadow, and that the birds sang the same songs. Aurora hurried to the barn as fast as her mouse-feet could take her
and jumped through an opening in the old wall. She landed on something soft. Soft and furry. Furry and breathing.
Before she could let out a squeek, two large paws held her in their grip. She looked up in terror and found herself staring into the face of a cat! It was
the biggest cat she had ever seen, with whiskers three times the size of her whole body. Two vast green eyes looked down upon her with that steady,
cool gaze which cats inherited from their cousins the lions and tigers -- a look which says: "I've got you now, and you're not getting away!" It was the
worst mouse-nightmare come true. No rodent could have imagined a more terrifying sight.
Aurora was only inches from the cat's razor-sharp teeth. She wished she were back in her meadow, obeying her mom and dad and gathering grains
like all the other mice. An old saying passed down through her family came back to her: "curiosity killed the cat." Somehow, they had gotten that
wrong because the cat was fine and curiosity was about to kill the mouse! Aurora closed her little mouse-eyes and said goodbye to her parents and
the fish and the birds she loved so much.
"Are you cold?"
For a moment, Aurora thought she was dreaming again.
"Why are you shaking like that?"
She opened her eyes, afraid she might find herself already in the cat's tummy. The two large green eyes were looking at her with surprise. She
noticed for the first time that there was something different about them, something that other cats' eyes didn't have -- gentleness. The big, golden
feline purred.
"I won't hurt you, little field mouse. I stopped chasing your relatives long ago."
"You did?" asked Aurora with uncertainty. "That's right. I just like to lay around most of the time now."
"What do you chase after?"
"My tail once in awhile, but that's strictly to get exercise."
Aurora was still unconvinced.
"Well what do you eat?"
"Purina." Aurora was horrified.
"What sort of animal is purina?"
The mellow cat smiled. Aurora have never seen a cat smile before. It was a rather strange sight.
"That's what humans feed me when I meow under their windows. It takes a lot of meowing, but it's worth the effort. The stuff is delicious."
The large feline licked his chops in memory of a can of seafood gourmet he had recently been served. Aurora couldn't believe her eyes. She was
witnessing the most frightening sight known to mice, and yet she knew that she was not in danger.
"Do you live around here?" asked the overweight cat.
"In the meadow across the bridge," answered Aurora, remembering at that moment that her mother had told her never to give her address to
strangers.
"Oh, it's very pretty over there," said the cat. "If you ever need references on my character, there are lots of friends of Sage the cat across the
river. Do you know my friend Heronimus the owl?"
"Why certainly. My parents ask for his advice all the time."
At the thought of her parents, the little mouse became very sad.
"What would they want to do that for?" asked Sage as he licked his paw even though it was perfectly clean.
"He knows everything, that's why."
The merry cat rolled over in the hay and stretched all four paws at once.
"That's a good one! The only thing ol' Heronimus knows is that he's an owl who doesn't know much."
"I thought owls were wise," said Aurora, suddenly disappointed.
"They're wise enough to know that they don't know. Me, on the other paw, I'm wise because I do know."
"What do you know?" wondered Aurora courageously.
"I know that you're a mouse who is running away from home."
Aurora was astonished.
"How...How do you know that?"
"Why do you think they call me Sage the Cat?" he replied, eyes twinkling with self-satisfaction. Aurora's little mouse-mind was really confused.
"But how could you know about me? We've never met!"
"Oh yes we have," mused Sage. "I've often seen you on the other side of the stream, studying the fish with rare interest. Rare for mice anyway."
"You've seen me before?"
Sage chewed on his paw playfully.
"Sure. I even crept through the grass once until I was right at the edge of the water and could have jumped right on top of you."
Aurora gasped.
"Good thing I don't eat mice anymore, eh?" Sage smiled another one of his bizarre smiles and proceeded to clean the tip of his long, fluffy tail.
"Gee," said Aurora. "I thought I was all alone."
"Just goes to show you. Don't ever feel too sure of yourself. You never know who might be watching." Sage the cat yawned. It was time for his tenth
nap of the day.
"So why are you running away?" he asked as his eyelids closed.
"My mom and dad want to send me to obedience school so that I stop dreaming and start gathering grains for the family."
Sage opened one eye.
"Stop dreaming! What a terrible idea! If you don't dream, you can't discover the wonders of life!"
"Mice don't know much about wonder," Aurora stated sadly.
"Well, that's probably because we cats keep them on the run. You can't stop to smell the flowers when a big furry thing with sharp teeth is out to
pounce on you." Sage rolled over on his back and let his paws hang pensively in the air. "The world can be a tough place to live in sometimes."
He placed his left paw over his nose and was about to fall asleep when Aurora hurried over and shouted in his ear.
"Don't leave me, I'm scared!"
Sage jumped three feet in the air.
"You musn't do that! We cats are jumpy." He looked at the little mouse shivering with fear and his sleepy heart filled with compassion.
"Would you like me to take you home?" he asked gently.
"No!" cried Aurora, horrified at the thought of being seen in the company of a mouse-eater. No one would ever, ever play with her again after that.
Besides, she could not accept going to Mister Rat's obedience school and having her dreams taken away from her.
"Well, what do you want to do then?" inquired the friendly cat.
"I'd...I'd like to see the world."
Sage laid down on his big round purina-filled belly and placed his head on his paws. "That sounds nice. How do you plan on doing that?"
Aurora thought for a moment.
"I'll go that way," she answered and pointed toward the direction of the town. Sage sat up and curled his tail around his legs.
"A little mouse like you wouldn't last an afternoon in town. There must be a thousand cats over there. And not one of them thinks like me when it
comes to your species."
Aurora started to cry. She realized that the world was too big for such a tiny explorer as herself. Sage the cat approached her and caressed her with
the side of his soft, warm fur coat.
"Please don't cry. I can't stand to see anything cry." Aurora was broken-hearted. Her mouse-tears streamed down her cheeks and across her
whiskers. She was crying for all the painful things in her young mouse-life: for all the times the other mice-kids had made fun of her; for her mom and
dad whom she missed but who didn't understand her; for the fish in her beloved stream who could swim wherever they wanted to.
"I haven't asked your name," purred Sage as he tried to appease her.
"Au..Au." She couldn't squeek through her tears.
"Au? That's an...interesting name."
Aurora started to laugh and cry at the same time.
"I've heard some strange names in my time, but that one wins the grand prize."
Aurora laughed out loud. "Aurora! Aurora's my name."
"Oh, Aurora...Well, that's a pretty name," said Sage as he caressed her with the tip of his ear. The little mouse's tears stopped. A rainbow glistened
in her eyes as the sunshine of happiness returned. Aurora suddenly realized that she had found a true friend.
"You sure are a nice cat for being a cat."
"I think so too," purred Sage as he wrapped his tail around her. "I'll tell you what. How about if I go with you on your visit to the world? You could
use a traveling companion with my experience and wisdom."
"Would you go with me? Really?" Aurora was so thrilled that she hopped up and down in the hay.
"I've got no other major plans today. And I need the exercise. All this laying around in the sun has filled me out a bit." Aurora kissed Sage on the tip
of his nose. It was perhaps the first time in history that a mouse had kissed a cat. But this was only the beginning of first-ever experiences for the
new friends.
CHAPTER 3
A NIGHT ON THE TOWN
That very afternoon, Aurora the little field mouse and Sage the big fat cat headed down the road toward the town. It would be nearly sunset when
they came upon its outskirts. The first new thing which the curious little mouse saw was a four wheel vehicle. Sage had warned her about those metal
deathtraps but she couldn't have imagined their noise and smell! A red pickup truck came rushing down the country lane. As the roar of the engine
echoed across the horizon, Aurora turned to Sage and asked:
"Is that your tummy growling?"
"Nope," answered Sage.
"I may be cutting back but not that drastically."
Before he could give a word of explanation, a cloud of smoke was heading toward them at full speed. Aurora was amazed by the sight.
"Is that the wind?" she wondered.
"That's a Chevy," the wise old cat responded. In an instant, they were covered with dust as the truck raced by. Aurora dashed into the grass to find a
hole to hide in. Sage licked the dirt from his whiskers.
"Aurora, come out, come out wherever you are. The big bad truck has gone bybye."
Aurora poked her head out of a goffer's home. She returned to her friend's side, rather embarrassed.
"This new world is going to take some getting use to."
"Last chance to turn back," Sage suggested.
"No!" Aurora replied with determination. "Aren't you interested in seeing the world with me?"
Sage eyed a bluejay in a nearby tree, but resisted the temptation. "I've seen it," he answered in a bored tone of voice.
"Well, I for one am very excited about our trip."
"Good. Just don't complain when it gets rough."
Aurora looked up at Sage. "You won't hear a squeek from me. I'm a brave mou..." She suddenly disappeared into the weeds, searching for another
hole to hide in. "Now what?" said Sage with a frustrated meow. At that moment, a large shadow glided over him as an airplane flew by heading
upward into the sky.
"Haven't you ever seen one of those before?"
From the bushes came a meek squeek.
"No...No, I can't say that I have."
"Well, it's plane to see that you've got a lot of learning to do. Now stop jumping into other creatures' homes every time you hear a new sound or we
won't make it to town by nightfall."
"So?" asked Aurora as she came up to her friend.
"That's when the coyotes come out."
"Oh...And what do they do?"
"Before or after eating mice?"
Aurora suddenly quickened her pace. They came into town as the last colors of sunset faded over the mountains. Sage knew that the alley cats would
not appreciate his philosophy concerning small rodents. So he came up with a plan to hide Aurora in his overabundant fur. The little mouse climbed
onto his back and buried herself in the golden-white hair. Sage made his way toward the restaurant district which, as far as he was concerned, was the
most interesting part of the town. As he came into the alley behind "Guido's Delights", a big black cat suddenly appeared before him.
"What are you doing in this part of town, Sage?"
"Hello, Claw," Sage responded cooly. "I'm looking for spicy meatballs this evening."
Claw was in no mood to make small talk. He was one of the toughest cats in the whole region. It was rumored that he had never lost a fight, not even
with dogs.
"You know this is my territory!"
Sage had become acquainted with Claw when they were both very young and he knew how his cat-mind worked.
"I've heard there is a new family of mice in the neighborhood."
He felt a nervous twitch deep in his fur.
"What kind of mice?" asked Claw with sudden interest.
"The best -- field mice. They migrated from my barn."
Claw could hardly contain himself. "Where are they now?"
"Let me have some of Guido's meatballs and I'll tell you."
Claw was alley-wise and nobody's fool.
"Give me proof that you're telling the truth," he said suspiciously.
"Take a whiff," Sage stated with confidence. Claw sniffed around Sage's fur. Deep within the soft coat, Aurora felt the wind of Claw's breath rush
over her head.
"You've been stuffing yourself with fresh field mice!" Claw observed jealously. "I hope you've left some for me."
"Plenty."
"Good. Then this is what I'll do for you. You can enter my territory and check out the trash cans until I return. But if you find any fish, save them for
me."
Aurora cringed at the diet of this species which seemed to be exclusively made up of her acquaintances.
"You've got a deal," said Sage.
"So where are the juicy rodents?" Claw asked impatiently.
"You know the abandoned building on the waterfront? They're in the basement."
"But that's halfway across town!"
"It's worth the trip." Claw stretched his claws.
"Allright. But don't let any other cats into my domain."
"Of course not."
Claw took off like a bolt of lightning. Sage smiled to himself.
"I'm so smart! I'm so incredibly smart."
Aurora poked her head out from under the golden fur.
"So what now?" she asked, still trembling.
"Now we eat!" announced Sage with great anticipation.
"Hold on!" he added as he darted toward the trash cans at the back of the restaurant. Aurora hopped off her friend as he began to rummage through
the discarded delicacies. She was amazed to see how Sage lost his feline dignity digging through the spaghetti and ravioli.
"This is the life!" Sage called out as he poked his head out of the trash can, a stran of linguini hanging over his ear. "Love that Alfredo sauce!" he
added as he licked his dripping paw.
Aurora was rather disgusted. Cats had such a reputation for cleanliness and good taste, whereas her species were often considered dirty and
unkempt. Sage dove back into the smorgasborg of entrees.
"I found them!" The shrill cry of victory echoed up from the can and across the dark alley. Aurora would never have guessed that her newfound
friend was capable of such uncontrolled glee. Sage re-appeared with the widest cat's grin ever grinned by a cat. His mouth was full of Guido's spicy
meatballs. He jumped out and began devouring the goodies. Aurora stared at him, disappointed. After a moment, Sage looked up from his messy
feast. "What?" he asked, disturbed by her glare.
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Aurora asked.
"No...Why?"
"All that fuss over meatballs!" Sage was insulted.
"Hey! Just be glad you're not the meatball!" Aurora let out a gasp and realized she was overstepping her boundaries. She had forgotten a
well-known fact of life: cats don't take criticism well. This unfortunate flaw in their character dated back to their ancestors, the lions and tigers. Once
you've been king of the hill, it's hard to be anything less.
"Want some?" Sage offered the mouse a half-eaten meatball. Aurora backed away in horror. "Oh, I forgot." Sage went back to his frenzied eating.
He should have remembered that Aurora was a vegetarian. They never touched anything that had once breathed. The meat-eaters had often pointed
out to them that plants also breath, but the rodents couldn't make the connection. It was a moral issue for them. Finally, Sage finished his dinner.
"Can we go now?" Aurora asked impatiently.
"Go? Are you kidding?" Sage laid down against the wall of the restaurant.
"I want to see the town," Aurora begged as she watched her companion sink into a digestion haze.
"We'll see it. Just let me have a little time to sleep this off."
Sage had barely finished his last statement when he started to snore. Aurora realized that she had no choice but to wait it out. She sat next to her
friend and looked up at the stars. They were fainter than back home because of the city lights. But they were still twinkling, calling out to their number one fan. Aurora felt a great surge of joy rise in her little mouse- heart. The stars, a friend, and freedom...What more could she ask for? It was a dream come true! Her happy feeling was short-lived, however. A tin can suddenly bounced into the alley. Aurora jumped in terror. She could sense that someone was watching her, someone who wasn't friendly.
"Sage..." she whispered, "Sage, wake up!" The fat cat covered his face with his paw and kept right on snoring. Aurora cowered against her friend's
warm fur. She looked up at the darkness surrounding them. Nothing moved. The alley was absolute stillness. Only the stars glimmered in the sky. As
Aurora stared at them in hopes that they would appease her terror, she suddenly realized that two of the stars didn't look right. They didn't look right
because they were looking...looking right at her. Those two stars were two eyes. Two feline eyes! Aurora tried to squeek, but no sound came out.
Terror had frozen her vocal chords. A shadow moved slowly along the jagged edge of a fence across the alley. There was no mistaking that
movement -- it was the ritual of a cat about to pounce. Aurora grabbed Sage's fur and pulled with all her might, but her friend only let out a loud
snore. She could now see a twinkle of glee in the glistening eyes perched on the fence. The cat could already taste its prey. Aurora looked up at the stars in desperation.
How she wished she had never left her beloved meadow and its quiet little river! How she wished her parents could have understood her better so she would never have thought of crossing the bridge!
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