A Christmas Eve Miracle Read online

  Chapter 2

  Judachew excitedly told his mouse pals that he had talked to a big people. It was the smaller version of the big people but it was a bonafide big people.

  Paulie, the oldest boy mouse and Judachew’s older brother, stepped forward from the pack. He stood on his hind legs with his front paws firmly placed on his rear hips. He shook his head as if to say “poor, poor Judachew. He has finally gone crazy.” Paulie placed a paw on Judachew’s shoulder. “Juderbug (his nickname for little brother), I think you have finally lost it, little bro. We all have tried to talk to the big people. They don’t understand our words. Our voices are too soft. You can talk all you want but if they don’t understand it is not a conversation.”

  “Big people are afraid of us anyway. I take one step outside the hole and it is nothing but panic," said Ryan Mouse.

  "Yeah, they are all scared of me," said sweet little Kayla Mouse.

  "Me, too," said Shane's little brother called RyRy as he constantly raced around the play area.

  Ryan continued his story, "The other day the Women’s Union had their meeting. Some of them are older big people and their hands are a little shaky, which I am thankful for because they drop a lot of food. Anyway, one of the women they call Smiley had just cut a big slice of cake and put it on one of those thin paper plates. She took one step and the whole piece of cake came tumbling down to the floor. She barely got out the word ‘oops’ and I found myself uncontrollably racing across the carpet to leap directly into that pile of chocolate deliciousness” Ryan, Judachew’s friend and distant cousin, told the story as he strolled around in front of the others like he had seen the pastor do when he gave a sermon.

  Nathan, Ryan’s best buddy, was sitting and listening as if he had never heard a story like this before but everyone knew Ryan's stories. Ryan had told it every chance he got. Nathan interrupted Ryan and asked, “Was it German chocolate cake with the coconut sprinkled on top? Or was it a creamy chocolate icing that was piled taller than me?”

  Ryan smiled and started again, “Umm, umm, umm, it was creamy chocolate icing piled higher than I am. It was so delicious and so rich that I almost forgot what a commotion I would cause. Suddenly, their leader, Mrs. Fowler screamed at the top of her lungs the dreaded and frightening word that strikes fear into a woman’s heart—MOUSE!”

  In the front row sat one of the newer mice named Kimmie. She had barely left her litter and had not heard any of Ryan’s stories before. She was listening so hard that when he yelled 'mouse' she leaped to her hind legs and spun her head around looking everywhere. “Where’s the mouse?” she called out to Ryan.

  “You’re a mouse, Kimmie. You are a mouse. You’re what scares the big people,” Ethan Mouse said as he laughed. Although he was no older than Kimmie, he had been with older mice for a week longer. His mother pushed him out of the nest early because he wouldn’t listen. She feared that one day he would be caught in snapping metal jaws or be cornered by their mortal enemy Katie the Cat. “I’ve already raced outside our comfy little home just to scare the big people in the church,” he said as proud as an inexperienced mouse can say it.

  “Allow me to finish my story" Ryan interjected, "The moment one woman yelled ‘mouse’ they all jumped up on the folding chairs. One of them, a sweet woman named Edna hopped from the floor right up to the top of the table in one big leap. She was standing in the middle of the cheese dip yelling ‘Eek,’” Ryan said. The entire group broke into laughter. They all laughed so hard that some fell over holding their sides from laughter pains.

  Judachew knew it was hopeless to tell them. He had to think of a way to show them. “Hold it a minute. I can prove to you that because of my long neck I can make our words sound like big people words.”

  “Impossible,” said Shane. Judachew called him Shane the Pain because he always doubted what Judachew said.

  “I will prove it. I need everyone to gather behind that big chair in the Pastor's office. Be careful and quiet. I don’t want the pastor to hear us before I start talking to him and Shane PLEASE hold onto your little brother, RyRy, to keep him from running around the room,” Judachew said to the gathering of mice.

  They all listened and as quietly as mice they crept behind the big blue leather chair with a worn leather surface. Parishioners wore the chair thin from the years of use. Many came to cry, laugh, rejoice or mourn with Pastor Goodbook. Once in place Judachew moved from among them and stood at the corner of the chair’s front leg.

  “I heard what you said, Pastor Goodbook,” the mouse yelled as loud as he could.

  The kindly, old pastor lifted his sobbing eyes from where they were cradled in his hands. He looked around. He had heard a still, small voice. It was soft and meek. Was it the Lord answering his prayer? Was this the still, small voice he had read about in the Bible?

  “Is that you, Lord?” Pastor asked.

  “I’m not God. I’m just a mouse,” Judachew yelled back as the other mice watched with open-mouthed astonishment covering all their faces.

  “Did you say that it is you God and you’re in the house?” Pastor Goodbook expressed with great joy and lots of bewilderment.

  “No, I said I am a mouse. I wanted to tell you that I am trying to bring you the Christmas Eve miracle you asked for,” Judachew yelled but his voice was starting to weaken.

  “You’re bringing me my Christmas Eve miracle? Is that what you said in your still, small voice?” Pastor Goodbook questioned.

  The yelling had given Judachew a soar throat. He was unable to say more and gave up. He walked slowly with hunched shoulders towards the mouse hole. The others followed. Most were still astonished that he was able to talk the big people language. Only one of them besides Judachew knew that the experiment had produced a horrible outcome.

  Shane quickly moved next to Judachew and put his front right paw around the talking mouse’s shoulder and said, “You know what just happened don’t you?”

  “Yeah, Pastor Goodbook now thinks God spoke to him and that God promised to deliver a Christmas Eve miracle. If nothing happens on Christmas Eve it will make the Pastor much sadder than he already is. I’m not sure he could get any sadder but I am definitely sure I messed things up,” Judachew answered.

  Shane stopped Judachew in his tracks and put his little front paws on either side of his friend’s face. He stared into the long necked mouse’s eyes and said, “You are the miracle, Judachew.” Then he walked away leaving Judachew to figure out what that meant.