My Funny Story About Mice And Men

If you've read my stories before, when I was growing up, my mom worked usually at least 6 days a week as a music teacher. My younger sister and I were left in the care of her mother, my grandmother, who was a very interesting character.

She was truly a great person and one of the hardest working people I've ever met, past or present. She had one little peculiarity though...unfortunately, she was schizophrenic.

It made life for me a little interesting as I was most probably a little hyperactive to put it mildly. I certainly got into enough scrapes to earn her wrath on more than one occasion.

The solution was for my mother to occasionally take me with her on a Saturday for the whole day while she taught her music lessons. On rare occasions, she took my little sister as well but mostly it was just me.

I see now that it was a very good ploy to give my grandmother some quiet time. My little sister was never any bother and for me, it did give me an opportunity to go places and see things, something I seemed to enjoy most of the time.

So on one such Saturday, my mom took me with her for a fun-filled day of teaching music. I'd usually take coloring books with me or books to read. But sometimes she'd drop me off at various places, go teach her lesson and then come back for me.

On this particular day, she dropped me off at a pet store thinking that this would definitely hold my interest while she went to someone's home and taught her lesson.

She let me out and drove off with the stern admonition that I was to not get into trouble (what the heck were the chances of this happening?) and off she went with a wave.

I went inside the pet store which had just opened and began strolling the store looking for pets. I loved animals. At that point in my life, I even liked snakes and had yet to develop my unreasonable phobia that I have to this day. I went over to the snakes and lizard aisle and happily watched them for a bit.

Then I was strolling the other aisles, looking at books and supplies. Next, I proceeded to the cages where they had guinea pigs and kittens....oh I only wanted 5 or 6.....On this particular day, they didn't have any puppies but the kittens would do.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the fellow who owned the pet store walking down the snake aquarium aisle and popping lids up. I didn't think much about it but after about 5 minutes, I strolled back over to the snake aquariums to start my tour all over again.

Only to be stunned out of my little girl socks!!

Oh my GOD.....there must be some mistake. There was a mouse in one of the snake aquariums and it was running all around like it was lost. And no, no no....was I seeing this right? The snake was slithering after it and then much to my horror, it grabbed him or her and began swallowing it.

"ARRRGHHH".....I let out a scream that might have brought the place down. I was still screaming when I looked over and saw that the next aquarium had another mouse in it and guess what? The next aquarium's snake was just getting ready to devour IT, too~!! What were the chances? I screamed again!

By this time, the owner of the pet store had come running to where I was standing in horror realizing that all the aquariums had mice in them and ALL the snakes were having breakfast on these poor mice!

I was wailing something about "Get the mice out before they die....save them, save them" and jumping up and down. The owner was muttering something about was I mentally challenged?

People were looking and I was still screaming in agony as I watched the mice running in vain all around the aquariums. Oh why didn't I just reach in and grab them all and save them? Why wasn't anyone rescuing them or making the snakes stop it?

Too late.....instead of me reaching in and grabbing them out of the aquariums (which I was about to do) and saving all the mice lives for the day, I was grabbed by the elbow and quickly escorted outside to the curb and deposited there.

The owner politely through gritted teeth told me to sit my butt down (or words to that effect....I understood swearing....what did he think I was, a slow top?) and to wait for my mother.

"Oh and by the way, tell your old lady (who was THAT?) that the pet store is not a babysitter for her daughter. Do NOT come back here again little girl!"

So I sat on the curb hugging my knees thinking about mice and snakes. I guess that day I learned about the food chain and how terrible it must be to be a mouse. Especially when you have no way out and the fight isn't even fair. Maybe that's why I went on to hate snakes and fear for my life when faced with them.

All I know is some lessons are painful to learn in life but I guess that's how we all grow up.

When my mother came to pick me up and asked how it went, I told her my tale and she looked at me a bit shocked and said "They fed the snakes while you were standing there?"

At least she didn't get mad because I got kicked out for screaming.....or when I told her I was going to try to save them before the owner rudely kicked me out! And that he was talking about some 'old lady'....I still couldn't figure out how he knew about my grandmother.

I think to this day, I sympathize with mice all over the world.  I have yet to be frightened by a mouse in my entire life.  Even if I think about them being a rodent, I have only to think back on that day and remember seeing a whole 'herd' of mice wiped out.  I figure they are the downtrodden rodents and we must feel their pain maybe just a little bit.

On the other hand, to this day, I'm not a fan of snakes.  I do realize that it's all a cycle of course but I do think some things in life we are just better off not knowing or more importantly seeing! 

I'm sure the people in the pet store probably thought I was possessed and I suppose for a moment I was.....all I could think to do was try and save the poor mice but I think I might have been a bit too late!

I never did go back to the pet store and ever since that experience with mice and men, I simply avoid reptiles altogether.  At least the ones that are in aquariums!