The Mouse and the Elephant

On a green, green meadow there lived a little, little mouse. The mouse was called Mira. Mira had a little, little house. The house was so small that only one mouse could fit inside. And that was just right. Little, little, little.

One morning, Mira heard heavy footsteps. Thump, thump, thump. The ground shook a little, little, little. Mira peeked out the small window. There stood an elephant. A big, big, big elephant. The elephant smiled a friendly smile.

'Hello,' said the elephant in a soft voice. 'My name is Edvin. May I say good morning?' Mira nodded. Edvin waved his ears a little, little. Mira's paws tingled with joy. She had never had such a big friend before.

Mira and Edvin talked all morning. They talked about grass. They talked about clouds. They talked about their favorite soup. And then they laughed. Mira laughed squeak, squeak, squeak. Edvin laughed ho, ho, ho. It was a very lovely laugh.

'Would you like to come in for tea?' Mira asked politely. Edvin looked at the little, little house. He looked at the little, little door. He scratched his trunk. 'I will try,' he said. 'I will try very gently.'

Edvin bent down. He poked his trunk through the door. He poked one ear through the door. But a big elephant could not fit inside a little mouse house. Not at all, at all, at all. Edvin sat down in the grass. 'Oopsie,' he said softly and smiled.

Mira giggled. 'It doesn't matter,' she whispered. 'We'll have tea outside instead.' She carried out a teeny-tiny cup. Edvin looked at the cup. The cup was as small as one of his toenails. He lifted it carefully with the tip of his trunk. Carefully, carefully, carefully.

They drank tea in the sun. The wind whispered in the grass. Bees buzzed past, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz. Mira climbed up and sat on Edvin's ear. It was the softest ear in the whole world. Soft, soft, soft. Like a warm blanket.

Mira said, 'Edvin, I have an idea. The little house is little. You are big. We need a house that fits us both.' Edvin nodded slowly with his whole head. 'A just-right house,' he said. 'Not too little. Not too big. Just right, just right, just right.'