Rodenton

In the Land of Oz, there is a small town that few of heard of and even fewer have been to. It is located in Winkie Country and wedged just between Jack Pumpkinhead’s pumpkin patch and the Emerald City. The reason this land is so often overlooked is because of its small size. The name of this small land is Rodensin and it is home to many, if not all of the small mice in the whole land. The Foxes in Foxville, the same that have dubbed themselves the cleverest animals of the land, used to hunt the mice as a side to their poultry dishes. The oldest mouse, Ramskes, tells of the mice’s escape to safety. He is an old and frail mouse that walks with a limp, but still has a gleam in his eye. Some say that it’s a will to fight a final battle; others say it’s his dream of hope to live and show the Foxes of Foxville who the true cleverest animals are.  He explains how to any and all creatures that comes to ask, as I have.

“King Dox sent out his best men to collect the mice to cook for the evening feast. But the King’s downfall is that he thought him and his kind to be the cleverest of all animals, and how can a mere mouse defeat that of the cleverest of animals? Unlike the foxes, mice know how to run and dodge, but what makes mice truly the cleverest is the fact that they know how to hide. Mice can hide behind things, but they also know how to make hiding places. They burro underground, scurry up the trees, jump in bushes and can even hop across the tiniest pebbles with ease. Foxes try, but always fall or get caught up in the bush. Mice know their size and skill and that there are other predators trying to catch them. Knowing this is what makes the mice truly the cleverest in all of Oz.

Once the foxes grew weary of trying to catch the mice, they found a quail and caught it instead. The mice took this opportunity to run. They ran to Dunkerton, where King Kick-a-bray welcomed them. He agreed that they were truly cleverer than King Dox and his Foxes, but surely they were not cleverer than him nor his Donkeys. The mice, tired and hungry from their long journey, agreed and humbly accepted their offers of food and a place to sleep for the night. Early the next morning, for mice slept much less than donkeys, the mice took all that their little bodies could carry and went on their way. Thus proving once again, that mice are truly the cleverest of all creatures.

Walking a little longer, they encountered the Scoodlers. One of the massive white faces saw the mice and alerted the others. He took off his head and threw it at the mice, who dodged and ran away. When the other Scoodlers came and saw nothing, they saw nothing, the Scoodlers had the one who saw the mice pick up his head, and the Queen ordered him to the dungeon as insane. Easily passing the Scoodlers, the mice arrived at the Deadly Dessert. But again, the mice proved themselves to be truly the cleverest; they fastened leaves to their feet, and crossed with ease. Arriving at Winkie Country, they crossed through without being seen as anything more than common house mice. Finally running out of their supplies from Dunkerton, they came across a lush field with large gourds growing everywhere. They decided to set up a permanent dwelling here, where they were close enough to visit the Emerald City, but not so close that the green would hurt their tiny eyes.

One day, a tall lanky man picked up one of the houses and discovered the mice living in his gourds.

“Hello there mice! My name is Jack Pumpkinhead, and you are living in not only my patch, but in one of my new heads!”

            “I’m so sorry,” said Winks, our leader at the time, “but you see we have rum away from always being hunted by the foxes of Foxville,”

            “How dreadful!” Jack exclaimed

            “And then we left Dunkerton and narrowly escaped the Scoodlers. After crossing the Deadky Dessert, we were tired and hungry. That’s when we came upon your pumpkin patch. The leaves and grass here are simply divine and the sturdiness of the vines and gourds act as lovely shelter. We would very much appreciate it if you would be so kind as to let us live here.” Winks finished with a bow.

            “I’m flattered, truly I am,” Jack replied. “But I cannot let you live throughout my whole pumpkin patch, for you see I will run out of heads! However, if you would like to inhabit the very outskirt of my patch, I will allow you to do so, most welcome.” The mice agreed and were ecstatic that they finally had a place to call home.”

            After Ramskes finishes the tale, I look around. Not truly realizing or understanding where I have been standing all along. I have to crouch to notice it, but what looks like old vines are actually vines with openings for doors and windows gnawed out. To the left of my foot, what seems to be an old pumpkin, is actually a multi-level home. I look inside one of the closer windows and it comes fully furnished with little twigs tied together to make tables, small acorns used for ups and acorn tops as plates, woven grass as rugs and feathers placed on a stand that I can only assume to be a bed. Marking the edge of the patch stands a tall tree where, yet again upon further inspection, turns out to be a multi-level building.

            “There is only one thing we ask of you, visitor,” a plump mouse says stepping forward. “We ask that you keep this area safe by forgetting that you have ever come here.” He scurries up the tree faster than I expected, and sits on a branch near my face so that I may see him more on an equal level. “We mice prefer to stay peaceful, but if you betray us, we will have to keep you here and turn you into a mouse forever. Do we have an agreement?” This plump ball of fluff asks thrusting out a paw. I nod and hand him a finger. We shake and part ways.

As I leave I think of how I would have completely missed this town if I didn’t know where to look.  I heard the tale of a mouse land from a passing stranger on my way to visit the Emerald City, and thought him crazy. It turns out the man wasn’t so crazy after all. But then I think about how I had to make an agreement to not tell of this place. Did he have to make the same agreement? If so, then what will happen to him? I shake it off, thinking of how the man must be far from this magical land altogether and continue on my way to the Emerald City, but in the distance, I could have sworn I heard screaming.