Word of Mouse

Isaiah hears a siren and sees flashes of red light from an alarm. Despite his fear, an inner voice urges him to keep moving, and he relies on the agility and skills that his mother taught him to navigate the storm drain. He follows a shaft of light up into an alley filled with trash. He slips on a banana peel and skids through a narrow opening, after which he overhears two humans arguing about the mice’s escape. To escape again, he climbs a building and crosses a utility line. He calls out for his brothers and sisters, but gets no response.

Isaiah hears the humans counting the captured mice, confirming that his entire family, including his siblings Abe, Winnie, and Benji, have been caught. Isaiah narrowly avoids detection and heads in the opposite direction from the humans. He believes that one of the other mice, Benji, will eventually devise another escape plan. Until then, Isaiah must fend for himself, and he decides to find a hiding spot where he can wait. Despite his intelligence, Isaiah admits to being a “scaredy-cat.” The mere thought of “cat” causes him to panic and fall from a power line, though he fortunately lands in a pile of leaves. He plays dead for a moment, hoping to avoid predators or humans.

Isaiah, now alone, has two choices: return to the Horrible Place to be with his family or continue to run and hide until they escape and find him. Isaiah chooses the latter despite his fears. He leaves the tree line and enters the suburbs, a place he has only read about. He sticks close to curbs and gutters, wary of danger from the many cats he sees in windows, and searches for food. This leads him to a trash can filled with discarded food; he finds grapes, bread, and cold oatmeal. Feeling fortunate for not returning to the Horrible Place, he enjoys his meal until he notices something nudging the bin. He peeks over the edge and sees a rat.

As Isaiah watches from his vantage point, a group of giant rats emerges from a nearby sewer drain, attracted by the scent of the food. They start bashing the trash can, trying to topple it and get to the food and Isaiah.

Isaiah realizes that the rats, while large and intimidating, lack his intelligence. When the lead rat notices him and seems to relish the idea of making a meal out of him, Isaiah uses his ability to speak human words. He repeatedly shouts, “KIBBLE!” This startles the rats, who flee to the sewer.

After the rats are gone, Isaiah grabs a piece of green bread and continues his journey. He follows the road but encounters a sphynx cat named Lucifer, who circles him. Isaiah again uses his trick of shouting to confuse the cat, then dashes up a driveway. Lucifer chases him and traps him in the shrubs under the porch, where it bats him around like a ball while laughing menacingly.

When Lucifer prepares to swat Isaiah again, the mouse curls into a tight ball. Upon being struck, Isaiah rebounds off the brick wall and headbutts Lucifer in the stomach. He then bites the cat’s hind leg. Lucifer screeches in pain, allowing Isaiah to escape through a flower bed and around the house to a small hole in a fence that Lucifer cannot fit through. Isaiah lands safely on the other side in a mulch bed beneath fruit trees. He briefly munches on an apple while contemplating his next move and acknowledges it is dangerous outside for a bright blue mouse.

Isaiah is lured to one of the houses by the smell of a freshly baked apple pie and peeks through the pet door. Inside, he finds a large woman wearing a flour-dusted apron. She spots Isaiah and throws a rolling pin at him while shouting insults. Isaiah retreats, stung by being judged and hated without reason. As night falls, he grows tired and cold and seeks shelter. He finds a hollow space in a cinder block under a house and gathers leaves, pine needles, and moss to make a bed. Though physically cozy, Isaiah is lonely without his family to huddle with for warmth. He recites the names of his siblings in his head, which lulls him to sleep.

Isaiah wakes up feeling unusually rested. His growling stomach forces him to get up. After he realizes that he must find food on his own, he sets out to scavenge the sidewalks for another trash can. As he crosses the lawn, he is startled by the loud sound of the garbage truck collecting the neighborhood’s trash. He hides and watches helplessly as the truck dumps all his potential food into its compactor. When it leaves, Isaiah enters one of the overturned trash cans and finds a small puddle of slop at the bottom. Though it smells terrible, Isaiah reluctantly eats it.

Isaiah struggles to eat a chunk of mystery meat covered in spoiled gravy. As he contemplates gathering nuts and berries, he is interrupted by a beautiful, distant song. The garbage barrel amplifies the angelic soprano voice, which reminds him of the lullabies his mother used to sing. He realizes the singer is a mouse, as mice are among the few mammals other than humans capable of carrying a tune. Moved by the enchanting song, Isaiah decides to find its source. He cleans himself up by rolling in clover and nibbling grass to freshen his breath. He picks a yellow dandelion as a gift.