31 Days, 31 Shuffle One-Shots #1

Song: “No Cats” – Creep Crawl Flash

    ”Sasha, hurry up!” At the sound of her annoyed older brother, the wide-eyed little mouse tore her attention away from the skyscrapers looming above her back to her family. The one who called, Mark, stood a little away from her, arms folded and frowning. A pair of binoculars hung around his neck over his green shirt. Their mother and father stood close by; a younger mouseling with pigtails and a frilly skirt clung closely to her. Sasha quickly joined them. Her father chuckled as they continued walking. “You keep doing that, and you’ll get lost just like Papa Fievel did.” “I won’t get lost,” mumbled Sasha. She turned her eyes away as her brother smirked. “Listen to your father, Sasha,” said her mother sternly. “Just because there are hardly any cats out in the open doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous.”

    They stopped at the corner and huddled close to a pole as a horde of human feet thundered past. Sasha looked back up. The humans, despite their enormous height, were still dwarfed by the size of the buildings. She had to remind herself that most of these buildings probably weren’t even around when her great-grandfather, Fievel Mousekewitz, first came to America, but she had to wonder if he still felt the same sense of awe, wonder, fear and excitement she did when he first washed ashore.

    Her father signaled to them, and they scampered across the street. Sasha moved quickly, the heat of the pavement quickly getting to her feet. She could feel the rumble of the subway and street traffic. They reached the other side safely. The smallest one, Violet, tugged on her mother’s shirt. “Mama, I’m tired,” she whined. “Yes, dear,” she sighed as she scooped her up in her arms. 

    “Daddy, are we near where Papa Fievel and his family used to live?” asked Sasha. Her father thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, sweetheart,” he said sadly. “A little after he reunited with the family, they moved to a new home, and then out west not too long after.” “Yeah, and I don’t think a lot of buildings from back then are still around. It was probably demolished,” said Mark. “No way! They still got those cobblestone streets back there from forever ago! And what about that old restaurant we went to?” protested Sasha. “Well, that restaurant used to be the home of a famous human from a long time ago. That’s probably why they keep it around,” replied her father. “That, and the food,” said her mother with a smile.

         Sasha took hold of her father’s hand and continued to stare up at the buildings. The part of the city they were in had some slightly older buildings, mostly apartments with cafes specializing in cheesecakes and little shops that sold “I LOVE NY” merchandise in front. The clouds above started to swirl and darken. The first drops of another summer rain began to fall. “Honey, I think we’d better get out of this before it gets worse,” Sasha’s mother whispered. “Right,” came her husband’s reply. They ducked beside the stoop of a crumbling brick building. A rusty fire escape stood in the alley beside it. The storm was going to pass as quickly as it came, but the little family had to ride it out first. More mice scrambled for cover beneath stands and into the alley. One mouse came up to the family and disappeared through a door next to them. As it swung closed, Sasha couldn’t help but peek in. The door led to a small hallway lit by a string of Christmas lights attached to the ceiling. It was slightly cooler than it was outside, and not to mention dryer. “Dad, dad! Can we go in, please?” Sasha asked. “Honey, no, we don’t live here. Besides, the rain’ll be over in a minute,” he answered. Sasha groaned. If there was one thing she hated, it was waiting for anything. Thankfully, she had an idea. No matter what the situation, it never failed her.

    “I have to go to the bathroom!” she cried. Her parents couldn’t hide an exasperated sigh. “Again?” grumbled Mark. Her father scanned through the pouring rain. “There’s a restaurant across the street. If we can run for it –“ “Honey, there’s one just two buildings over. We can just make a run for it.” “They had a sign about restrooms for customers only. We’re walking –“ “Sasha! Come back!” cried Mark. His parents whipped around to find the door to the apartment building swishing back and forth.

    Their eyes widened in fear. They ran in shouting her name without a second thought. Mark picked up Violet and reluctantly followed them. He had heard stories about his Papa Fievel wandering off and getting into all sorts of trouble as a kid, and never doubted for a moment that his younger sister had inherited that same insatiable curiosity. As bothersome as she could be, however, he feared that the worst would happen if she were left alone for too long. He never wanted to lose her, but of course, like every self-respecting big brother, no force on earth could ever make him say that out loud.

    Sasha, meanwhile, had sped through the tunnel into the building. She found herself in the space between the walls; there was only a small layer of concrete separating her world from the prying eyes of the humans. All along the wires, insulation and woodwork were levels of apartments accessible by a small basket tied to a rope on a pulley. The little homes were either made up of objects scavenged from outside or carved directly into the wall. One item in particular caught her attention – higher up was an old black bag that was covered in dust and mildew. Sasha was reminded of the bags doctors would carry with them in some of her old picture books. Before she could climb into the basket and investigate it herself, she heard voices calling her name.

    Her father and mother rushed up behind her and grabbed her arm. Mark caught up with them soon after, looking all at once relieved and annoyed. “Sasha Olivia Mousekewitz, don’t you dare run off like that again! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?” her father scolded. Sasha hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry, I just…” “You just what, young lady? Don’t you realize how dangerous a place like this is without us here to protect you?” her mother asked angrily. She then took her in her arms and held her tight, confusing Sasha immensely. “Come on, we’re going home.” Her mother took her hand tightly and started to lead her back to the tunnel when Sasha found her courage again. “I only wanted to see that!” she cried, and pointed up to the old black bag. They looked at it, and everyone had a different reaction - Mark rolled his eyes, their mother took a deep calming breath, Violet squinted to see what everyone was looking at in the dark, and their father only stared intently, as if searching for an answer.

    “Sasha, there’s nothing up there. It’s time to go.” Her mother tried to pull her away again when her husband said, “I think that’s it. I’m sure of it. Maybe…” “What is it, honey?” she asked. “His first home, here. It could be, but what are the odds?” he continued. “Dear, what are you talking about?” she asked again. “Great-grandpa Fievel’s home. From what I remember, his parents and sisters lived in a little black bag like that, hidden away from the humans like this one before they found him again. I mean, there were probably other mice that have done that also in other buildings, but still…it feels like this is the one. And Sasha found it.” Sasha gasped in delight. “Can we go up and look?” she asked. Her father shook himself out of his remembrance. “No, Sasha. Even if anyone’s living up there right now, it’s probably changed a lot since he was there. Still, at least we know where it is now.” He smiled and took her by the hand. “Come on, let’s get some ice cream and head home.” Together they headed back for the door.

    “Daddy, do you know any other stories about Papa Fievel while he lived in the city?” Sasha asked. “I think I’ve already told you nearly all of them, Sasha,” her father replied. “What about the one where he made friends with a cat?” she persisted. “You mean Tiger? You know that one as well as I do. In fact, we’re a few blocks away from where they first met, if I’m not mistaken,” he answered. “Can we go there next?” “Sasha, that was underground, remember?” said Mark. “And if we did meet any cats, I don’t think any of them would be a vegetarian like he was.” “Oh…what about the Statue of Liberty? I remember Papa Fievel telling me he met the pigeons who helped build it, and he and Auntie Tanya got to ride on their backs and see it when they were done!” “Oh Sasha, New York is a big, big place. You can’t see it all in one day,” her mother said as she smiled. “But I want to see it all,” Sasha answered. “Will I ever?” “Someday, Sasha,” her father said. “Someday.”