Tuesday Tales: From the Word MOUSE

Wow! More than halfway through August. If you look closely, you’ll see the leaves starting their annual color change, something immensely sad to me since I would keep summer around longer if I could. Today’s Tuesday Tale is based on the word prompt MOUSE. I’m continuing with Pumpkin Spice.

More confused than ever, I smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Morgan. It’s been a long time.”

“It has been and call me Roberta. We don’t stand on ceremony here.” Her face softened, and I could read sorrow in her eyes. “You really should’ve come to visit more often. They miss you.”

Feeling like a mouse caught in one of those sticky traps, I licked my lips. I wasn’t sure who “they” were, but, having experienced my aunt’s delusions earlier, she was right.

“I plan to stick around for good.”

The woman’s face split into a wide grin. “That’s wonderful. I’m the housekeeper here now. I look after the place and these three sprites, although I do sometimes fill in for the receptionist in the clinic. This handsome creature is Seamus, and these three are Snapika, Chaital, and Prem, but Dr. T calls them Snap, Crackle, and Pop, and the nicknames have stuck. Snapika and Chaital are six-year-old twins, and Prem is four. Since those characters are also on the box of their favorite cereal, they’re quite happy to be named after them.”

“He would.” I chuckled and bent down to greet the children. “Hello. You have beautiful, unusual names,” I offered. Trust Walt to name his kids after mascots. “I’ve never heard any of them before.”

Big brown eyes looked up at me, but no one made a sound.

Roberta chuckled. “Don’t let the silence fool you. Once they’re comfortable with you, they’ll chew your ears off. Their mother, Aasha, is from Southern India. The names are Telegu, the language her parents speak. Aasha is a nurse at the hospital.”

“I see.”

Before I could say anything else, she shoved the cat into my arms. “Oof!” He was a lot heavier than I’d expected. Obviously, the beast was well fed. As if he’d read my mind and was offended by my thought, the animal nipped me.

“Ouch!”

“Now, now, Seamus, be nice. And she’s right. You are getting fat. Too many treats, my boy. We’ll have to watch that.”

Had I spoken aloud? I was pretty damn sure I hadn’t, and yet both Roberta and the cat had heard me. I must be losing my mind.

I was about to say something—I wasn’t quite sure what—when Roberta turned to the children.

“Now, while I get the doctor’s guest settled, you three go outside. Your mother will be back soon.”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales