Untold story
Thomas Kenshi was a young Japanese who lived in the old block of flats on May Street. Thomas was an ordinary school boy. His bag was heavy. His shirt always managed to stay half-tucked no matter how many times he tried to tuck it in during the day. And his hair was always sticking out stubbornly no matter how many times he combed it.
Like many Japanese boys, he was very short for his age and very unfortunately, he fitted the stereotype for young Asian boys by adding glasses to his short statue. His mother was a waitress at the local Sushi Bar. His father was the manager of that very same Sushi Bar. They worked very long hours and Thomas did not get to see them for many hours of the day.
While they may have managed to neglect his recreation in certain respects, they failed to neglect his education. Thomas was a very clever boy and his parents wanted to exploit this potential. They bought workbooks for him to do and children's books for him to read.
Every afternoon at precisely four o'clock, you would hear the pounding of small boots outside the entrance to number 14. Then you would hear some tingling sounf resembling that of keys tangling from a keyring. After which you would hear the turning of a lock and the creaking of the entrance door on its hinges. Then the sound of footsteps would disappear up the stairs.
Thomas Kenshi came home this Friday, just like any other Friday, and he threw his bag onto the sofa, just like every other Friday. He retreated to the sun room by the balcony which his parents had converted into a study. It wasn't really a proper room, more like an extension of the living room.
It had two bookshelves, leaning against the wall on either side. The desk at which Thomas studied, faced the sliding glass door and looked directly out onto the balcony. During Summer, he would leave the glass door open a small fraction to let in the breeze.
Today, he decided to go out onto the balcony, for whatever reasons. Maybe he wanted to lean over the side and sing to the empty parking lot beneath, which was not unheard of. Maybe he wanted to check if the dark clouds he had noticed hanging above him on the way home were going to give in. Maybe he just wanted to put off study for a moment longer.
Whatever the reason, the simple act of going out onto the balcony was about to change his life. He just didn't know it yet. The first thing that he noticed about the balcony was that it was a little wet. Oh dear, it was indeed raining and if he were not mistaken, the rain may not be easing any time soon, since it was the beginning of Spring.
Ah, the Spring showers. There was nothing more gratifying than the smell of fresh rain mixed with mud and concrete. And as long as it did not include the smell of a wet Thomas, he was happy to let the scent drift into the study.
The other thing he noticed was the presence of a small white mouse, who was drinking out of a small puddle that had formed in the floor of the balcony. The mouse seemed not to have noticed him as he cautiously approached it.
After a short while, the mouse lifted its head, nosed the air and turned to face Thomas. For the faintest moment, boy and mouse stood staring at each other, each as curious and scared as the other.
The mouse was shivering slightly. And whether from fear, hunger or being soaked, Thomas didn't know. Probably all of them. The little mouse, he noticed, was very small, even for a mouse. It was also very thin. Thomas realised that it was probably starving.
He went inside and grabbed some bread from the Kitchen, then sprinted back to the balcony. He tore off a small piece from the slice he had been holding, and held it out in his palm. He extended the open hand toward the mouse, who took a step back.
This particular animal was being very cautious with food in the face of hunger, which Thomas thought was a pretty remarkable thing. The mouse continued to study him and then, slowly approached his hand. It sniffed at his hand before turning its nose to the bread and sniffed at that very cautiously too. Finally, satisfied that it was safe, the mouse took the bread from Thomas's hand and ran off.
It retreated into a quieter corner of the balcony and began to nibble at its prise. Intrigued by this simple act, by this simple encounter, Thomas followed. He tore off more pieces of the bread and put them on the floor beside it.
For some reason, he found it very fascinating to keep watching the little mouse just nibbling away at its food. He continued to watch it for perhaps longer than he should have been.
Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles.
a/n: Hope you liked it. Please do review before you leave. It's the first time I've tried writing a short story without dialogue. Your tips and opinions will be much appreciated.
Have a nice day.