Sarah had just moved into town for work; it was her first time away from home, where her parents did almost everything for her. They knew how much her fear of mice had grown over the years, and they made sure nothing like that went near her.
"I hope you don't have to learn to cohabit with a mouse in your new place." Her father teased as they waved her goodbye.
The house agent was already waiting for her to come see the only place that had all the things Sarah said she was looking forward to having in the apartment she needs. On seeing the apartments, all that was running through Sarah's mind was, I just hope there's no mouse in this apartment." She kept looking and scanning every corner of the apartment for unwanted inhabitants.
Two days after she moved in, she made coffee in the kitchen and was headed to the sitting room to enjoy her coffee while sitting on her favorite armchair from childhood that she had to move with because of how much she loves the chair. She spotted a furry creature sprinting across the floorboards, and immediately her heart skipped as many beats as possible as she froze with the coffee in her hands as she screamed.
"If only my dad were here, he would have known what to do." Frozen Sarah said, not wanting to move a muscle.
Whereas Mr. Whiskers, the resident mouse, was having a panic of his own too, his heart rate was high. He had been living in the apartment and enjoying the warmth of the house since the last occupants moved out. He was lucky they did not clear the house completely, so he had crumbs to run to whenever the need arose. Now, with the arrival of his new roommate, who appears to be a giant to him has tampered with his peaceful life, he can no longer come out to look for food like always.
Later that day, Sarah, with so much care and caution, entered the living room, hoping to completely avoid any further encounters with her furry friend. She reached out for the newspaper on the shelf, and there was who she was trying to avoid having an encounter with. She spotted Mr. Whiskers munching on some nuts; their eyes met, and both were frozen in fear of each other.
Sarah was shocked to her bone marrow when she heard whispers, "Please don't hurt me. I promise I mean no harm, and I will leave you alone from now on." Mr. Whiskers continued to whisper.
Sarah's fear immediately turned into curiosity.
"Like, you...you...you can talk?" Sarah stammered.
Mr. Whiskers nodded, still trembling, "I can assure you that I mean no harm. I have been living here since the last occupants moved out. I have no other place to go to; if I did, I would have moved out after our last encounter." Mr. Whiskers said with a trembling voice.
"I am really not fond of having a mouse around; I am always terrified, and encounters with your type leave me with the wrong memory. I guess it is time to rewrite the story. You don't have to move out." Sarah responded as she gave a weak smile.
"Are you sure about that?" Mr. Whiskers asked to be sure.
"Yeah, I think so. I think we can coexist with kindness towards each other. What is your name, by the way?" Sarah asked
"I am Mr. Whiskers." The mouse responded, but this time with confidence, since he has seen that his giant roommate means no harm and is proposing a truce.
As the days went by, Mr. Whiskers and Sarah developed an unlikely friendship. They have conversations about how Sarah spent her day and how tedious work was for her; their friendship goes as far as sharing a cheese.
"I think you need to stop hiding and live freely. How do you think we can do that? I have also learned to stop being afraid of you." Sarah asked, trying to make Mr. Whiskers more comfortable.
"I think we can establish some ground rules. I will try to make sure I stay out of your way during the day, and you will have all the house to yourself. Then at night I will come out and explore for food, and if our paths cross, fine, and if they don't, then it is fine too. Also, I would like a mouth zone where I can store my treasures. I would like you to enjoy your stay too." Mr. Whiskers responded after giving what Sarah said a thought.
"You are so sweet; that sounds like a fair deal." Sarah said as she chuckled.
Over time Sarah got used to having me around. Whiskers would always leave out little treats for him, and he never failed to show how grateful he was that Sarah accepted and allowed him to stay, as well as making sure he was well fed.
"Who would have thought I would one day outgrow my fear of mice?" If only my parents were here to witness such a coexistence with kindness." Sarah thought to herself as she fell into her favorite armchair.