Chapter Twelve: Understanding Life
"Singe! You're acting like a naughty dibbun again!" A young mousemaid, Singe, was caught stealing a trifle from the kitchens. Friar Clenn was scolding her. The friar was a small little mouse that rarely left the kitchens. He carried around a small frying pan.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Friar. I'll never do it again, sir." The young mouse looked down at her footpaws.
"And if I catch you again, I'll. I'll. I'll tell the Abbess!" he said, shaking his frying pan menacingly.
"No, no! Please Friar, not the Abbess! She won't allow me to eat for a week! I promise I won't do it again!" Singe was down on her knees, begging for forgiveness.
"You promise?" he said looking down upon the little mousemaid.
"Yes sir, I promise," she said, fiddling with her tail.
"No be off with you, and don't let me catch you near my kitchens again!" Singe scampered off, still holding the stolen trifle. She headed for a dark corner, where she frequently sought refuge. She sat down in the shadows, and began nibbling on the pasty. She stopped. She sniggered to herself at how stupid he friar was, letting her get away with the pasty. She continued to eat. Her adoptive mother, Cottonrose, came by, not even noticing her until she spoke.
"Cottonrose, why does everybeast yell at me?" she asked timidly from the shadows, startling her mother. It took the mouse a while to realize where the voice had come from. When she finally noticed Singe sitting in the shadows, she crouched down, so she was at the same level as her daughter.
"Well, not everybeast does. I don't. As for the others, they don't understand what it's like to live the life you do. They don't understand what it's like not to have parents. They think that you're bad just to be bad, but I know you do bad things because. Well, just because you've had a hard life. They don't see that you have it tough, while all the other youngsters have parents to love and care for them. You just have me, a poor lonely mousemaid who doesn't understand life at all. Creatures that have their own children understand life, unlike me." A tear came to the two mouse's eyes. There were many moments of silence. They both thought long and hard about what Cottonrose just said. What was said even puzzled herself. She sighed, and stood up to leave.
"Cottonrose, what else is there to understand about life?"
"Much more than anybeast could imagine. Not even the eldest of beasts understands everything about life. One may never find it out either. I just wish I could." She continued rising, and left Singe to think in the shadows.
"Singe! You're acting like a naughty dibbun again!" A young mousemaid, Singe, was caught stealing a trifle from the kitchens. Friar Clenn was scolding her. The friar was a small little mouse that rarely left the kitchens. He carried around a small frying pan.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Friar. I'll never do it again, sir." The young mouse looked down at her footpaws.
"And if I catch you again, I'll. I'll. I'll tell the Abbess!" he said, shaking his frying pan menacingly.
"No, no! Please Friar, not the Abbess! She won't allow me to eat for a week! I promise I won't do it again!" Singe was down on her knees, begging for forgiveness.
"You promise?" he said looking down upon the little mousemaid.
"Yes sir, I promise," she said, fiddling with her tail.
"No be off with you, and don't let me catch you near my kitchens again!" Singe scampered off, still holding the stolen trifle. She headed for a dark corner, where she frequently sought refuge. She sat down in the shadows, and began nibbling on the pasty. She stopped. She sniggered to herself at how stupid he friar was, letting her get away with the pasty. She continued to eat. Her adoptive mother, Cottonrose, came by, not even noticing her until she spoke.
"Cottonrose, why does everybeast yell at me?" she asked timidly from the shadows, startling her mother. It took the mouse a while to realize where the voice had come from. When she finally noticed Singe sitting in the shadows, she crouched down, so she was at the same level as her daughter.
"Well, not everybeast does. I don't. As for the others, they don't understand what it's like to live the life you do. They don't understand what it's like not to have parents. They think that you're bad just to be bad, but I know you do bad things because. Well, just because you've had a hard life. They don't see that you have it tough, while all the other youngsters have parents to love and care for them. You just have me, a poor lonely mousemaid who doesn't understand life at all. Creatures that have their own children understand life, unlike me." A tear came to the two mouse's eyes. There were many moments of silence. They both thought long and hard about what Cottonrose just said. What was said even puzzled herself. She sighed, and stood up to leave.
"Cottonrose, what else is there to understand about life?"
"Much more than anybeast could imagine. Not even the eldest of beasts understands everything about life. One may never find it out either. I just wish I could." She continued rising, and left Singe to think in the shadows.