Long, long ago in the grand hallway of the Vicar’s Manse, there stood a very elegant and majestic grandfather clock. It had stood there for more years than anyone could remember and it kept perfect time with its shiny brass pendulum. Unbeknown to the Vicar, or to his Housemaid, tiny field mice had made the bottom of the clock their home during the winter months. Here they were snug and warm, far away from the fields where they spent the summer months. Mrs Matilda Mouse had a hard job keeping her three children, Tommy, Tinker and Tiddles mouse quiet and safe in the box below where the pendulum swung back and forth. She was afraid the Housemaid would find them and whack them with her dusty straw broom. And that would not do at all, at all. Tommy, Tinker and Tiddles would take turns at running up the side of the box and when the pendulum swung towards them, they would jump onto it and swing across to the other side, jump off and run down the box to do it all over again. Mother Matilda mouse feared that their giggles and laughter would be heard by the Vicar or the Housemaid and they would be chased out into the snow. Or worse still, they could be trapped!1
One day while Mother mouse was away fossicking in the kitchen for food scraps, the three became more adventurous and began exploring the rest of the grandfather clock. They jumped onto the pendulum and instead of swinging to the other side they climbed up the shaft until they were inside the workings of the clock.2
They huddled together shaking in their little mousy boots as the big wheels and cogs whirred above them.3
Now little Tommy mouse was more adventurous than his brother and sister, and he told them to follow him and he would make sure nothing would happen to them. With that he climbed out onto the face of the clock and they followed him. They were sitting down at the bottom near the number six when the second hand came whirring by. Tommy took a giant leap onto the second hand and whizzed all the way around the dial. “Wow! This is fun,” said Tommy. Soon they were all taking turns at swinging around the dial. Fun it was until the clock struck one and the other two ran away fearful for their lives!4
Tinker and Tiddles huddled together in the box below the pendulum vowing never to go exploring around the clock again.5
The moral of the story is “The hands of time will get you eventually.”6
Hickory, dickory, dock,7
Three mice ran up the clock.8
The clock struck one,9
Two mice ran down!10
Hickory, dickory, dock.11
Sammy November 200512
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
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What a wonderful children's tale! I enjoyed it very much, as always.
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Thank you Dear Blue ...
Hickory, dickory, dock,
Three mice ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
Two mice ran down!
Hickory, dickory, dock.
The clock struck one (mouse)
Sammy -
should i feel ashamed that i dont know what happened to the third mouse? cuz' i dont know what happened to the third mouse. lol.
but..a nice job with writing this. kept me reading from start to finish. good luck in the contest.
Blu -
SUPERB
Sammy,
You got me! What a charming story you've made from Mother Goose's Nursery Rhyme! You must keep your grandchildren enthralled for hours! Such an amazing imagination you have. I love the names too. They tickle the tongue like a twister! You know, I'm going to print out this story and your others. Some day, when and if I have grandchildren of my own. I would love nothing more than to read your stories to them before bedtime. So I can tell them, this story is from a dear friend of mine. Sammy,he's a dreamweaver, he weaves special dreams just for children!
~Michelle~
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Awesome!!!!!!
What a wonderful short story to send me off to dreamland thank you for sharing. Your characters are adorable and refreshing! I am such a pushover for cutesy right now I have been reading too many bloodlust and slash my wrist poems....sad really that not all poems can have a happy ending! -
Nice
This was nice to read and well written. The descritions and imagery was good. It was a little let down at the end, though.
Shancy. -
Thank you Dear Katie ...
I am glad that you enjoyed this bit of fun.
Sammy -
Brilliant Children's Story
A very traditional story Sammy written in your own individual style, great characters, very adventerous and mischievous! all making for an excellent storyline and you have bought it off with panache! I love the idea of a family of mice living in the bottom of a Grandfather clock; anything could happen there, and it did! mice swinging from the pendulem like kids on a Tarzan swing, climing all the way up to the top of the pendulem like kids climbing up an apple tree... scrumping! wow you have done well with your imagingation here Sammy, this is a wonderful children's story
~Katie~
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