A Brief Tale of Plenty

Once upon a time, deep in the woods under towering trees, black with damp bark, there sat a small village of mice. It was a quiet place for quiet lives; safely tucked away in the thickest, darkest, most serene spot in the forest.

The mice there never wanted for anything. For surrounding their village, dusk and dawn, were nut trees and berry bushes and grasses heavy with dew.

The village was called Plenty, and its citizens were happy indeed. All, that is, except for one small boy of a mouse, named Stem.

Stem didn't much care for the quiet serenity of Plenty. It was boring. Nothing ever happened that didn't happen the day before. He went about his chores with a wayward eye into the gloom of the surrounding forest and the promise of a larger, more exciting world beyond.

"I'm going to leave this little knothole," Stem would say, "Someday soon." And he meant it.

"Me too," would say his little brother, Twig, who thought that Stem was the greatest person in all the world.

"Eee-doo," would say their littlest sister, Pollen, who learned that she had toes just a few days ago.

Mother never let any of them leave Plenty, however. She warned them about the Dangers of the Forest. Things like Owls and Ferrets, Foxes and Snakes - monsters that ate stray little mice, whiskers and all!

Unlike his siblings, Stem wasn't afraid of monsters. He was skilled as a warrior and practiced his swordplay everyday after finishing his chores.

"I am Stem the Mighty," he would cry, before charging into battle, "Har!"

"I'm mighty, too," would cry Twig, his squire.

"Eye-dee-doo!" cheered Pollen.

The monsters always begged for their lives, but Stem was merciless.

"I bet my trusty sword and I could make the Forest safe for all mice!" he boasted.

"And my dagger!" agreed Twig.

"Why, we'd be doing the village a favor if we went out and made all the Owls, Ferrets, Foxes and Snakes leave for good!" said Stem.

"Yeah, we'd be heroes!" agreed Twig.

"Beedy ear-ohs!" agreed Pollen.

And so, the three fearless warriors decided they would save the Forest - after lunch and maybe a nap.