The little three-year- old boy was curled up on his mother's lap. He loved curling up with his mother, it was warm and safe. She was reading a book to him when a man stormed into the apartment.
"WHERE'S THE BRAT? He better not be out of his cage!" the man bellowed as he slammed the front door shut.
The little boy shuddered and quickly ran to his cage. He curled up in a ball as his mother fumbled to lock the door.
"He's in his cage as usual," she replied calmly as she walked into the kitchen, where she knew she'd find her husband. She stole a glance at the cage in the next room.
Don't worry son. We will both escape our cages. she thought to herself.
The man kicked the side of the cage as he walked to the couch.
"I better never catch him out of there.. What's on TV tonight?" the man grumbled as he popped open a can of beer and plopped down.
"TV is broken. I can't get anything on it." She whispered fearfully as she walked in and sat down beside him.
The man cursed as he grabbed a screwdriver and started tinkering with it. The little boy watched in amazement as his father tried to fix the TV.
"BLASTED TV is shot!" the man yelled as he threw the screwdriver. He then turned his attention to breaking the TV.
The screwdriver landed mere inches from the boy's cage. The boy quickly grabbed the screwdriver and sat on it.
"I'm going out. Don't wait up." The man grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the house.
The boy and his mother both let out a sigh of relief.
The woman went back into the kitchen to fix dinner. The little boy grabbed the screwdriver and stared at it. He then studied his cage.
Maybe work.
He found a screw and with some mishaps figured out how to take the side off. He crawled out, and walked to his mother.
The lady turned and saw her son standing by her. "How did you get out?" she asked in surprise and fear.
The boy held up the screwdriver.
"Sweetheart, you're a very clever boy. However, if your father knows you can get out, he will be very angry." She knelt down in front of her young son. "You're such a smart boy, but you can't leave your cage when your father is home. You may keep the tool, but don't let your father see it. Do you understand?"
The boy only nodded.
"Will you speak for me? Say ‘momma’," the woman pleaded.
The boy stared without even trying to speak.
She had taken him to several doctors behind her husband's back. There wasn't anything physically wrong with him. He just wouldn't speak. His mother knew he could talk. She caught him talking in his sleep, but that was the only time she heard her son's sweet voice. She knew this wasn't the life he deserved, and once she saved enough money, they would leave.
The boy quickly discovered the screwdriver was his freedom. Not only could he use it to get out of his cage, but he quickly learned how to get out of the apartment. He would leave during the night, and sleep all day locked up.
He hid his screwdriver and other found items under his blanket. His treasures included a broken shoestring, a discarded toy car, a shiny quarter, and an aluminum can. They were shiny or useful, so he kept them.
***********
"Son, wake up," the woman frantically whispered. "Wake up!"
The boy rubbed his eyes and looked at his mother. She had been crying and her eyes were red.
"We're leaving," she muttered softly as she helped the boy out of the cage.
He noticed the packed suitcase by the door, and grabbed his treasures that were hidden. He put the items in the suitcase.
His mother picked up the suitcase and took the boy by the hand and led him out of the apartment. As they got to the bottom of the stairs, he let go of his mother's hand and took off running for the basement.
"JOSHUA, COME BACK!!"
She chased her son to a tunnel entrance. He stood and pointed. His mother knelt down and locked eyes with her son. "You've been here before, haven't you?"
The boy just stared.
"It seems warm, and will keep the rain and snow off. Ok. We will go. Just stay with me."
They found a cozy cavern, and she spread a blanket on the ground. "Come here."
The little boy curled up on his mother's lap. She rocked and cuddled him.
"We will be ok. We're strong. We don't need your father. He doesn't want us anyway. He is moving in with his new girlfriend. He doesn't want me anymore. Oh, but you do, don't you, my sweet boy? We will be just fine without him."
She eventually fell asleep, with a wide awake little boy in her arms. He moved away from his mother and decided to explore. He found himself in a kitchen. Food. He'd take food to his mother, she'd be proud. Which became a nightly routine.
As the weeks wore on, his mother caught pneumonia. She couldn't cuddle and love on him as she once had. One night, she mustered all the energy she had to call her son over. "You must be a brave boy. I need you to go to where you're finding food and stay there. I can't take care of you anymore. Maybe someone will find you and give you a loving home. Do you understand?" she managed to say between coughing fits.
The boy only nodded.
She smiled a weak smile at her son, closed her eyes, and left this world.
"Momma," the boy whispered softly as he sat at her side.
***********
"I tell you, someone is stealing food. Has been for weeks. It HAS TO STOP!" William yelled out of frustration.
"Why would anyone steal food? We have plenty to go around," Mary worriedly replied.
"Stealing is against the rules. Everyone knows that," Pascal spoke up.
"Perhaps we should keep watch and catch the guilty one. Perhaps there's a reason," Father calmly answered back.
"I'll watch, Father," 17-year-old Vincent spoke up.
Father nodded.
"Thank you, Vincent."
That evening, Vincent grabbed his book and headed to the kitchen. He knew it could be a long and boring night. He found a hidden spot with a clear view of the pantry and waited.
It was nearing 2 AM, and right when he was about to give up and go to bed, he heard it. The small shuffling of someone. Vincent laid his book down to get a better view.
A young boy he had never seen before was tugging at the pantry door.
Vincent pulled his hood up and quietly approached the young boy. The boy heard a footstep and turned toward Vincent. His eyes grew wide and he tried to run past. Vincent was faster, and reached out and picked him up. The boy started screaming and kicking.
"You're safe," Vincent soothed.
The boy continued to kick and scream relentlessly. Vincent sighed and carried the boy to Father. The commotion awakened the community, and most followed Vincent to Father.
"Here's our thief," Vincent said as he set the boy down.
The youngster darted his eyes around, searching for an exit.
There.. Run.. Between.. Get out. Get away.
He quickly dodged between two ladies standing at the entrance.
"You can't leave," Winslow said as ran behind the women to block the way.
The boy plopped down on the ground and started crying.
Mary walked over and picked him up. "He's just a baby. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. Probably just hungry," She said as she comforted the child.
"What's your name little one?" Mary coaxed.
The boy just grunted and struggled. He finally broke loose and looked around. He looked directly at Vincent, ran to him, and wrapped his arms around his leg.
Vincent picked the boy up and he snuggled into Vincent's chest and fell asleep.
"He's just like a little mouse, isn't he?" five-year-old Jamie spoke up, giggling.
"Seems like the perfect name for him," William replied sharply.
The name stuck. The child soon forgot his given name. Joshua would always and forever be known as Mouse.
The End
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