mouse and the glue trap

Story by kidzlitcobhouse
Illustration by OwlPoo


One day there was a family of mice, and it happened so that they lived in Tha’s home. The mice were sometimes so noisy in their play that Tha thought she lived in their home.

Especially at night, laying in the darkness of her bedroom, Tha would hear mice scuttling along from one corner of the room to the next, usually keeping to the edges where walls touched the floor, or at least so Tha thought.

Little mice made sounds as if talking, laughing, singing – sounds which conveyed excitement only little mice could know about.

Mice were playing together, running after each other, very happy-go-lucky; their games so high-spirited, most imaginative, engaging and high-energy. Tha felt this was a very happy family of mice: mom, dad, kids… Tha’s bedroom felt like their playground.

In the morning, Tha discovered the mess that the mice made on the previous night, even on her kitchen table. It bothered her that the mice didn’t seem to understand the meaning of co-habitation with human beings, that there were boundaries and limits as to what mice could do!

But, if the mice were looking for little crumbs, Tha agreed, bread crumbs could be found on her kitchen table. She tried to keep the crumbs off the table, but in the end she found it difficult to keep up with the hungry family of mice.

One day, Tha bought glue traps for mice at a local store. Mice, she thought, were not welcome in her home any more.

This was the first time Tha used glue traps. She imagined that she would be able to unglue the trapped mouse after it got caught, and let it go in her backyard. Thinking this would not harm them, she put the glue traps around the stove in her kitchen.

In the morning, Tha discovered a little mouse stuck in the glue trap. The glue caught the whole body of a little mouse even its little head. The mouse was dead.

The sight of its head half dipped in the jellied glue was horrific. Tha was aghast and terrified. A sharp pain ripped through her stomach.

The glue trap didn’t allow any chance of escape. Tha couldn’t do anything to release the mouse. A feeling of remorse, despair and utter sadness enveloped Tha’s soul. Terrified and inconsolable, guilty and in fear, Tha cried and cried and cried.

The feeling of helplessness against all-enveloping
consequences of the cruelty she committed was unbearable. How could anyone do anything like this to a little cute mouse?

Tha felt that the mouse family has been grieving the loss of their dear member since the previous night.

By taking the life of the mouse with a glue trap, Tha has harmed the whole family of mice. Parents were left without their baby; siblings were left without their sister.

Now everything was different from how it used to be. Quiet.

Tha took the glue trap with the mouse and buried it in her garden. She burned Sage, a sacred herb, asking Creator and the Mouse family for forgiveness. She never used the glue trap again.

Days have passed and Tha hasn’t ever again interfered with mice. It was obvious that they all shared one household. She couldn’t demand of them to leave nor could she use the cruel traps to harm them.

Tha had no right to interfere!