Once in the snow…

… the little mouse hid under some grass in a sort of cave he had kept clear of the snow that had fallen over the night.  The little mouse, whose name happened to be Bert (for those keeping score), hated the snow.  He had planned on traveling overland to see a young lady mouse that had caught his fancy, but the snow had quickly foiled those plans.

Unfortunately for Bert, he set out to see his girlfriend just before the blizzard left the white blanket over the land.  He had the good sense to make a sort of shelter for himself out of the snow, but soon realized that he would be snowed under for at least a couple of days.  In the back of his mind, Bert heard a little voice say, “Wayward mice often disappear.”  His grandmother, Gertrude (may she rest in peace), had said those ominous words to him more than a few times.  They now played in his head on repeat. 

Bert sat in his makeshift igloo for what seemed like hours.  In reality, it was hours.  He had just gotten used to the deathly quite when he heard muffled footsteps coming his direction.  Bert stood frozen.  He hoped it would continue on and not pay any mind to a little wayward mouse.

***

The big black and white dog trotted along happily in the snow.  She knew from experience that if one went hunting just after a blizzard, one might easily catch 15 or 20 field mice as they tended to stay in little caves under the snow.  She put her nose to the ground and listened for the smallest noise.

Then she smelled it.  The distinctive odor of a terrified mouse.  She stopped, stood still and sniffed at the air.  Bert heard her stop and let out a sigh of relief.  Upon hearing the relieved sigh, the black and white dog pounced in a way not dissimilar to a cat pouncing on an escaping rat.  Her right paw landed squarely on Bert in his little snow cave, and knocked him unconscious. 

With one quick gulp, Bert slid right down into the dog’s stomach, not much more than a snack for such a large dog.  She settled in for a long day catching mice and didn’t think anymore of Bert, because everyone knows that wayward mice tend to disappear.