To Dance or Not to Dance

A Mouse Story

Chapter One

"Tame" and "Wild"

Once in far away kingdom of mice there were five mice that loved to dance. They would just dance all day and they would never ever, ever want to stop. The youngest was Amarila, and she was very small and danced with much grace, she loved jazz dancing very much. The next youngest was Ramasel and she was a little smaller than average and couldn't stop moving whatever music there was and danced with a lot of energy, but she wasn't very good by traditional standards. The middle mouse was Quinete she of average size but very pretty, and loved dancing ballet to flute music. The second oldest was Hilolas; she was a little bigger than average and danced with much precision. Her favorite kind of dance was tap. Ophelia was the oldest and she wasn't defiantly tall. Ophelia danced with much forced, and loved to dance hip-hop.

All these dancing mice mentioned above are the daughters of Trimonte the mouse king's advisors. He was smart wore glasses and was a very fat mouse, but very nice. He was a very nice man. He was married to a very pretty woman named Kalrina, until she and Queen Livinia mysteriously disappeared one day. Everyone in Mousevill missed Queen Livinia and Kalrina. They were two of the strongest brightest mice in all of Mousevill. Every one missed, and blamed it on the stranger who 'led them away.'

One rainy day in October a mysterious new mouse arrived in Mousevill. He arrived early in the morning and the first person to see him was Mr. Gorten, the mouse pellet organizer he distributed mouse pellets to everyone in Mousevill

"Well, howdy there. Don't remember seeing you before," Mr. Gorten said glancing up at the newcomer. Mr. Gorten made it his business to know everyone in Mousevill so he could make sure that everyone had enough mouse pellets. " Did you just move in to town? I can get you registered real fast for a weekly supply of mouse pellets."

"No thank you," the new mouse said, "I won't be needing any," he shuddered said disdainfully, "mouse pellets."

"Well surely you'll be needing something to eat?" Mr. Gorten asked confused and put off by this new mouse's attitude.

"No I'm just dropping by, I have a message for some at the castle," The new mouse said turning to leave.

"Will you need any help finding the castle? I know where it and I can help you find who you are looking for. A lot of people live in the castle," Mr. Gorten said wondering about this new mouse.

"No, thank you. I'll find my way just fine," the new mouse said curtly. Mr. Gorten scratched his head with his paw picked up his pen with his tail and went back work. Mr. Gorten was very good-natured and wasn't likely to worry about a rather rude newcomer, no matter how strange.

The new mouse walked on talking to several more mice and their conversations were very similar to the one he and Mr. Gorten had. He approached the castle. The castle was made out of hard plastic designed to look like a slice of cheese. The new mouse glared at the point of the 'cheese' with dislike, and then moved his gaze to the ground around the castle. He looked about rather anxiously until he saw a group of small mice dancing by the castle. He walked over to them quickly. As soon as they saw him they immediately stopped dancing, turned off the music and turned and faced him all in a line. 'That's odd,' thought the new mouse, 'they line up in height order in a perfectly straight line'. As he got close enough so that they could see each other's faces, Ramasel step forward and broke the line.

"Willy?" She asked confused, "what are you doing here?"

"Hello Ramasel," Willy said, "I came to talk to you." When everyone stared at him not moving he added, "In private if possible."

" If you think we're about to let you just go off with my little sister than you are sorely mistaken," Ophelia said glaring at him.

"Don't worry about it 'Lia, We'll stay in plain sight," Ramasel said while taking Willy's hand and pulling him out of earshot. They walked a bit farther away, then turned and faced each other.

"Well," Ramasel asked arms crossed.

"What I came to tell you," Will said slowly twisting his tail in his hands, "Is that the wild mice are planning to attack."

What?" Ramasel nearly yelled, "Why are they going to attack?"

"I've already told you the wild mice think you are guys are sissies, and that it is morally wrong to be kept as a pet."

"I don't see what the big deal about us being 'pets' is, the owner never interferes with us except to feed us and the occasional grooming and playing with. I mean the grooming is good because it keeps you healthy and it's actually quiet enjoyable. And we have just as much fun as the owner does, if not more when we're getting played with. I still don't see what's so bad about being a pet. You never have to worry about the exterminator either." Ramasel said irritated.

"It's not so much that being owned is bad for mice, it's more that the concept of being owned is morally wrong. I mean you are someone else's possession. Your a thing that someone one owns, your not free." Willy said trying to get his point across.

I'm a lot more free then I would be if I were a wild mouse in your colony," Ramasel said crossly.

"What do you mean," Willy asked bewildered.

"In the wild mice colony the females are owned by their father when they're little, and then they are owned by their mate when they are older. And in the colony it's not just an occasional thing, that's actually doing you good. It's an all the time thing where you have to serve your owner. Don't you think that's a lot more morally wrong then being taken care of by some one with a title of owner," Ramasel said furiously.

"Well I do," Willy said defensively, "but you see they don't and I'm just trying to get you to see their point of view. I didn't come here to change your opinion I came here to warn you that they were going to attack."

"Some one should change their opinion," Ramasel said

"Actually I was hoping that you would do that," Willy asked.

"Me! My sisters will barely let me come and talk to you with out their supervision. You really think they're going to let me go to a wild mouse colony and talk to them," Ramasel asked staring at him.

"Well no, but maybe you know someone older that could." Willy said. They both look at each other a brilliant idea slowly dawning on both of them.

As soon as Ramasel walked off with Willy the other mice sisters started talking.

"'Sely has a boyfriend, a boyfriend a boyfriend. 'Sely has a boyfriend, and a secrete one too," Amarila said in a singsong voice.

"Will you shut up 'Rila. I'm trying to listen," Quinete said angrily.

"You'll never hear them," Ophelia said "'Sely's much to smart for that."

"Well at least let be quite so I watch 'Sely and her new boyfriend in action," Quinete said.

"'Sely has a boyfriend, a boyfriend a boyfriend. 'Sely has a boyfriend, a boyfriend a boyfriend. 'Sely has a boyfriend, a boyfriend a boyfriend." Amarila shouted in a singsong voice.

"How can she get a boyfriend when I can't," Quinete said angrily.

"It's probably 'cause you always stick your nose in where it doesn't belong," Amarila said while doing a handstand and sticking her tongue out at Quinete.

"Do not," Quinete protested.

"Do to 'Netey," Amarila said still doing a handstand.

"Did it ever occur to you that he might not be her boyfriend he could just be a friend," Hilolas pointed out. There was a brief moment of silence after this statement, and then the other girls burst in to laughter. "It's not funny he could just be her friend," Hilolas said mad at their laughter.

"Oh come on 'Olas does that ever, ever, ever, happen," Ophelia said still laughing.

"It, does to happen," Hilolas said cross.

"Yea, it happens. Just like how you and Hennery are just friends," Quinete said extremely sarcastically.

"We are just friends," Hilolas said while turning slightly red. Amarilla giggled unmercifully.

"Yea and 'Lia and Foxer are just friends," Amarila said grinning evilly still upside down.

"We are just friends though," Ophelia protested.

"But I thought you said it never happened that way," Quinete said smirking at 'Lia.

"Well, it can happen sometimes," 'Lia said defensively, "Of course you wouldn't know any thing about that 'Netey, you to scarred to talk to guys."

"I am not scarred, I'm... just... busy with my dancing," Quinete said, slowly blushing.

"Fascinating as it is to listen to you guys blather on about guys, 'Sely and Willy are coming back," 'Rila said still upside down. They turned to look at 'Sely and Willy. 'Olas though turn back and looked at 'Rila.

"How did you know that his name was Willy?" 'Olas asked 'Rila.

"Oh," Amarila said turning right side up, "'Sely said it. With they all looked at 'Sely and Willy, who looked as if they had something very important to say