Chapter 11: Meeting Mr. Mole
In the cold, dark hallway, Ms. Fieldmouse called, "Poppy, come here!"
Poppy obeyed and caught up to her. "What is it?"
"Really, Poppy? You and Thumbelina thought you could survive in that old shoe?" Ms. Fieldmouse lectured, out of Thumbelina's earshot, "I taught you better than that, young lady!" She shook her head as emphasis.
"We were desperate at the time and we didn't know winter was going to approach so soon!" Poppy told her through clenched teeth. She looked at her friend, who hadn't heard a word, was still preoccupied by the loss of her fairy prince.
The dark and gloomy hall was decorated with cobwebs that withstood the cold air around them. It was also followed by a hard stone pavement which the three walked on. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, the hall was also decorated with gold coins and jewels. The sign above the creaking doors that opened and shut, read "MOLE". Below it read: "WHAT'S MINED IS MINE". The sight of that door made Poppy's fur tingle.
Inside the house, it was red and filled with jewelry. The exit was shaped like a crown.
When the three ladies entered the house, the chubby mole spilled his hot tea on the floor. He wore yellow glasses, Elizabethan-like clothing, a large white ruff as a collar with matching opera gloves, red cape, and wore two rings on each hand. One on his pinky and the other on his index finger. He carried a gold staff with a light blue ball on top of it.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mole," Ms. Fieldmouse greeted.
"Oh, yes." Mr. Mole sniffed as he held onto his glasses as if he were reading something, "Ms. Fieldmouse? Good afternoon. Lovely day."
"I want you to meet a new friend of mine, Thumbelina and her friend, Poppy." Right on cue, Thumbelina and Poppy approached the two. "They just came down from up there." Ms. Fieldmouse pointed up at the ceiling to get her point.
"'Up there?'" Mr. Mole repeated in confusion and put his finger on his chin. "Up there. Terrible place." He sniffed as he saw a basket full of goodies Thumbelina was carrying and smiled bashfully at her. "How do you do Miss Thumbelina? Pleased to meet your acquaintance." He offered his hand, in which she shook.
"How do you do, Mr. Mole?" she asked.
"And Poppy, long time, no see. I see you've made a new friend."
"Yes, Mr. Mole," Poppy said, as she shook his hand.
"Come in. Come in and don't touch anything. These are my things."
Ms. Fieldmouse pushed Thumbelina, ushering her to follow the mole. "We brought some corn cakes for you. Just you try one, Mr. Mole."
With that said, he hungrily picked up a corn cake from the basket and as he ate, crumbs fell to the floor. "Very nice. Well, tell us about up there. I went up there once. Nearly blinded me. Hurried as fast as I could back down where it's dark and decent." As he said this, he walked with his cane.
"Oh, uh, but…I love the light," Thumbelina said as she set down the basket of corn cakes and danced.
"Me, too," said Poppy as she did the same.
"I hate it," Mr. Mole retorted. "End of story."
"Story," Ms. Fieldmouse said as she sat on a red loveseat. "Thumbelina, tell Mr. Mole a story. A lovely, sad story." She leaned back as if lovestruck.
"Stand right there, where I can see you," Mr. Mole instructed Thumbelina.
"Okay." She stepped on an open red music box with gold lines and a gold key that was supposed to make a ballerina turn. She stood on top, where the ballerina was supposed to stand.
Mr. Mole sat on the giant loveseat in the middle. Poppy sat on the left of him, but was able to see her friend.
"Oh, I love love stories, don't you?" Ms. Fieldmouse asked Mr. Mole.
"Once upon a time, there was the sun," Thumbelina began shakily at first.
"Sing it, Thumbelina," Ms. Fieldmouse told her.
Poppy motioned Thumbelina to sing with an encouraging smile.
"She sings?" Mr. Mole inquired.
Ms. Fieldmouse shushed him, putting her finger to her lips.
"Oh, um…" Thumbelina stammered and began to sing.
Once there was the sun,
Bright and warm and wonderful.
Mr. Mole sighed happily at the sound of her voice.
She continued to sing.
Shining like the love within my heart.
Beside her in the vision, was Prince Cornelius as everything turned into sunny hue colors. The two danced in the heavens with Poppy, in sunny hue colors like the couple, twirled around, giggling.
Soon, Cornelius, Thumbelina, and Poppy were changed into normal colors with the clouds and castle still a sunny sue. Thumbelina and Cornelius sat next to each other as Poppy watched the two with worry, knowing what was going to happen next.
Now, there's no more sun.
Winter has killed everything,
And although it's dark December,
Forever, I'll remember sun.
As Thumbelina sang this, she and her prince hugged and was about to kiss him when he faded away and she was back in reality with Poppy holding her close.
"Winter has killed everything, even the sun," Thumbelina said sadly as she sat on the winding key like it was a chair.
"You know, anyone who is a friend of Thumbelina, is a friend of mine," Poppy said, sniffling.
"Oh, Poppy, you are so sweet."
"Wonderful story," said Ms. Fieldmouse.
"Dreadful thing, the sun," Mr. Mole said gruffly, but changed his tone, adding, "And now, I have a story to tell you." He stood up from his chair as Poppy and Thumbelina followed as Ms. Fieldmouse caught up with the girls. "Just this morning, I was out for my morning stroll, I found the most extraordinary thing in my tunnel: A dead bird." He led them through a tunnel that was filled with cobwebs.
"No!" Ms. Fieldmouse shouted.
"Yes," Mr. Mole said as he led them to the next aisle of the tunnel, filled with treasures. "How do you suppose a dead bird got into my tunnel?" The third aisle had a wall full of insects pinned to it. Well, I'm certainly glad I'm not a bird, bothering the world with endless twittering, twittering, twittering…"
"My yes…" Ms. Fieldmouse agreed, but upon seeing the bird he was talking about, she gasped in horror. "Oh, there it is!"
"Oh!" Thumbelina and Poppy gasped, also mortified by the sight.
The bird was lying upside down on the wall and on the floor with gold coins.
"Whatever do you suppose happened to him?" Ms. Fieldmouse asked.
Mr. Mole adjusted his glasses. "Well, there's one less bird to twitter, twitter, twitter up there," he curtly replied.
Thumbelina went to tend to the familiar bird. "Oh, Jacquimo. My dear, dear friend."
Poppy sniffled as a tear fell from her face and wiped it with a tissue. "Jacquimo."
"Tender little thing," Ms. Fieldmouse mused.
"Yes, quite lovely," Mr. Mole agreed and cleared his throat. "Ms. Fieldmouse, could I have a word with you?"
Ms. Fieldmouse climbed up the black ball with spikes. "I wish you would."
Poppy gasped in shock, overhearing this, so she snuck away and listened into the conversation without being seen behind one of the cobwebs, which resembled "curtains". She was careful enough not to get any on her. She wasn't too close to Ms. Fieldmouse and Mr. Mole, but not too far from them, either.
"You know, I've been meaning to take a wife for some time now."
"What a lovely idea."
"I find myself sometimes, you know…uh, lonely for companionship."
Poppy noticed a hint of insecurity in Mr. Mole's voice.
"What could be more natural?"
"And I wonder if…" Mr. Mole began.
"Yes?" Ms. Fieldmouse secretly hoped he was proposing to her.
"If I could ask you to help me persuade Miss Thumbelina to-to-to-to be-be my wife?"
Ms. Fieldmouse's jaw dropped with jealousy. It was surprising that he picked the tiny human girl, instead of her.
"Thumbelina?" she asked in "curiosity".
"Oh, no," Poppy groaned silently as she touched the bridge between her nose.
Mr. Mole chuckled. "She could keep me company and tell me stories. Don't you think?"
"Yes."
"And for your service in helping me arrange this match, I will reward you handsomely," Mr. Mole said as he looked for a gold coin on the ground and blew the dust off it before handing it to her.
She gleefully clutched onto it. "Oh, I will. I will!"
Poppy gasped as she saw that her own mother sold her best friend to Mr. Mole, but ducked down before she could get caught.
"Dear Ms. Fieldmouse."
"Leave the arrangements to me," she said with a sneer as she stared at her own reflection on the coin the mole had given her. Then in a sing-song voice, she called, "Thumbelina? Poppy, where are you? I haven't seen you."
Poppy let out a sigh of relief in her hiding spot. "Phew, that was close!" Then she realized what was to become of her friend. "I must tell Thumbelina!" She crawled back to the spot, where Thumbelina and Jacquimo were, joining them.
The tiny human girl placed her head on the bird's chest, to see if his heart was still beating. "I-I hear your heart," she said in relief. "You're not dead, no."
"Yes!" Poppy cheered.
Thumbelina smiled at Poppy. "Poppy, you're back." To the bird, she added, "Jacquimo. Jacquimo. We'll come back…tonight."
"Jacquimo, you're alive," Poppy said, hugging the bird, along with Thumbelina.
"Thumbelina? Poppy?" Ms. Fieldmouse called.
Hearing her call, Thumbelina and Poppy followed her obediently.
Poppy blushed a bit until she had news to tell. "Thumbelina, I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"You'll find out when we get back to her house."
"Oh."
Poppy sighed in shame, fearing that she'd lose her one and if not only companion she made ever since she left the underground place, she was forced to call home.