Chapter 12: Marry the Mole
Sometime after they got back to Miss Fieldmouse's home, Poppy and Thumbelina sat at the ladle. Their minds were both occupied by whatever they saw.
"Is Jacquimo going to be okay?" asked Poppy, breaking the silence.
"Oh, yes, I think so," replied Thumbelina.
Poppy turned away to see her mother finishing up cooking dinner. She bit her lip in concern before turning to Thumbelina who looked at her in concern.
"Poppy, what's wrong?" she asked.
"You're not going to believe what I've just witnessed. She sold you to-"
"Girls, we're having carrot stew for dinner," Ms. Fieldmouse interrupted.
The girls reluctantly slid off the ladle and sat at the table.
A while later, Ms. Fieldmouse sat at the table as the girls stared at the succulent hot carrot soup.
Poppy knew that carrot soup was good. However, she had to tell Thumbelina, but how could she? Not with her mother around.
She and Thumbelina took a spoonful of it from their bowls and blew the heat off of it.
The girls daintily ate the soup, letting its warm broth melt in their mouths and then down their throats.
As the girls were eating, Poppy noticed Ms. Fieldmouse's face plastered a smirk which made her worried. However, she continued to eat her carrot soup, hoping her mother didn't notice.
Finally, Ms. Fieldmouse cleared her throat, "Girls, I have an announcement."
"What is it?" Thumbelina asked in excitement.
"Thumbelina, Mr. Mole has asked me for your hand in marriage!" Ms. Fieldmouse announced, despite the fact her tone of voice was of fake happiness.
Thumbelina and Poppy turned to each other in bewilderment.
…
"All the same, we'll make it a thrilling wedding," Ms. Fieldmouse announced as she locked Thumbelina and Poppy in a dressing room. Having that done, she slid both her hands against each other as if she finished her hard work. The outfit she was now wearing was a large light purple dress with cream cuffs, a blue top hat with a cream bow in the middle, and pink slippers.
The dressing room was a dull tan and it contained a small mirror that opened in close, used as a "vanity". Below the mirror was a purple cushion and the white object was used as blush. The "chair" Thumbelina was sitting on was a rock.
"Why, it's a wonderful match!" Ms. Fieldmouse continued as she danced happily in the dressing room. "Mr. Mole is the richest rodent for miles around." She went to tend to Thumbelina. "Educated, well-dressed, highly thought of…Never mind that he can't see. Ha, ha! That's all the better."
Thumbelina brushed Ms. Fieldmouse's hands off her.
"How can I possibly marry Mr. Mole?" Thumbelina snapped, "I don't love him." She placed her elbows on the cushion.
"And besides, they only met for only a half hour," Poppy added, "And you call that love?" She folded her arms.
Ms. Fieldmouse rolled her eyes at the headstrong girls. "Love? Love is what we read about in books, my dears." She took off her hat and slid herself out of her dress with a chuckle, revealing blue underclothes with a white band around her waist and a purple ponytail band.
The room changed to a tint of red as she began to sing.
Here comes the bride
Is a lovely little ditty…
She took off the head of a pincushion. The lighting in the room changed to a tinted purple as she did.
But marrying for love
Is a foolish thing to do.
She slid herself inside the pincushion, pretending it was the skirt of her dress. She took off the pin, using it as a cane.
'Cause love won't pay the mortgage
Or put the porridge in your bowl.
Dearie, marry the mole.
She put the purple jeweled tip underneath Thumbelina's chin.
Thumbelina, annoyed, placed her hand under her chin. Beside her, the same long pin was thrown.
Poppy glared at her mother as she placed her hands to her hips.
Ms. Fieldmouse, as she continued singing, poked her head out of the white hanging sheets, which had holes in it. The room changed to a bright color.
The walls and floor had white icing like it was a house made of sweets from Hansel and Gretel. The floor had a lilac purple crocheted rug, purple, green, and yellow hats with white stripes, a giant book, a brown flower pot with a white flower, a small brown table with a white table cover, and a gray tea set. The ceiling was adorned with hanging sheets.
True, it's a fact that he's not exactly witty.
He's blinder than a bat,
But at least his eyes are blue.
She tied the small string around her waist.
His breath may be alarming,
But he's charming for a troll.
Dearie, marry the mole.
She forced blush on Thumbelina's face, much to her disgust. Thumbelina shook her head.
The scene was changed to a tint yellow, and the background was turned into stone as if Ms. Fieldmouse was in a fairy tale or love story.
Romeo and Juliet
Were very much in love when they were wed.
They honored every vow,
So where are they now?
Ms. Fieldmouse pushed the key she used to lock up the girls.
They're dead, dead.
Very, very dead.
Thumbelina danced, using the pin as a cane.
"You haven't heard the heard story, haven't you?" Poppy corrected.
But Ms. Fieldmouse paid her no mind.
"Don't listen to her, Thumbelina," Poppy told her friend.
Poor Thumbelina, your brain's so itty-bitty.
Ms. Fieldmouse picked a white flower from a flower pot.
"That's no way to treat my friend," Poppy lectured.
I hate to seem a pest,
But I know what's best for you.
Just think of all the ways
That you can decorate a hole.
Ms. Fieldmouse waved the flower, hitting Thumbelina's face.
Poppy went over to tend to her. "Are you okay?"
In a slightly deep voice, she sang as she used a pin as a golf club, hitting a white pebble upwards.
Take my advice, I'll bring the rice!
She hopped out of her pincushion and her sheets came off in the process.
Dearie, marry the mole.
Before they knew it, a hole was torn from a bag above them and the room was soon flooded with rice.
Ms. Fieldmouse used her sheet she used before, wrapping it around her like it was a drag dress and placed the pincushion on top of her head.
Marry the mole.
Marry the mole.
Marry that mole!
Ms. Fieldmouse kicked some rice. "M is for money."
"Oh," Thumbelina spoke.
"L E," Ms Fieldmouse said, concluding her song.
Poppy clapped sarcastically.
"Oh, Poppy, look who decided to participate."
"What was the meaning of this?" Poppy retorted.
"Getting her ready for tomorrow's wedding."
"By telling her that love is 'meaningless'?" Poppy used her fingers as quotations, calling her out on her hypocrisy. "And yet you have the audacity to get her to marry someone she doesn't love like what you've tried to do to me, Mother?"
Thumbelina gasped, finding out the truth that her best friend was related to her enemy.
Ms. Fieldmouse scoffed. "Poppy, you're sixteen," she said dismissively, "And you think you know everything about love?"
"I know well enough not to force arranged marriages on others, especially when they hardly know or love the people they're going to marry!"
"Poppy!" Thumbelina called.
"Yes, Thumbelina?" Poppy asked.
"Is it true that Ms. Fieldmouse is your mother?"
Poppy sighed. "I'm afraid so."
"Well, then," Ms. Fieldmouse said finally, "I'll leave you two girls alone." She turned to leave, unlocking the door and closed it behind her.
"Well, why didn't you tell me?" asked Thumbelina.
"Because I'm afraid I'll lose the only friend I ever had." Poppy sniffled as tears fell from her face.
"Oh, Poppy! You won't lose me!"
"Why not?"
"Because now I know that you would never force people to marry someone they don't know or love and that shows how much you care about me and others."
AN: For those who are wondering where the scene between Grundle Toad and Berkeley Beetle is, I intentionally left that part out because it doesn't apply to Poppy at all. Same with the jitterbug children.
As much as I hate the song, "Marry the Mole", I had to include it anyway, so that Poppy would have her say on love being a good thing, unlike her mother.