Pip's Misfortune ~ a tragedy

Wandering through the wooded path Pip suddenly got a chill; looking around for what had
startled him he realized that the forest had changed drastically. No longer was it the warm
breezy open forest, whose birds chirped carelessly and squirrels scampered playfully. No,
this forest was thick, Pip could barely see five feet in any direction he looked. The thick
prickly foliage had created a dead, windless almost eerie silence. Not sure which way was
home pip hurried off in the direction he thought was the way out of this terrible place.
Hurrying along the path the feeling of panic welled up inside pip with every passing moment.
His pace quickened... his ears picking up strange and unsettling noises, a howl hooting,
something scurrying through the underbrush. Trying to keep his mind occupied Pip began to
realize where he had wandered to. This was the Never Forest, named for mice going in.. and
never coming out. Pip was sure of himself as a woodsmouse, and his ability to navigate his
way even through the roughest terrain.
As if set there by a force greater than himself Pip nearly ran into a door, set into the
side of a small rock hill, hidden by thick underbrush and years of moss growth. The wood of
the door, though old appeared to be in well kept condition and felt very out of place here
in the middle of the wood. Looking around Pip could see no other signs of life, no fire
ring, no smoke, no tracks of any kind lead to or away from the spot. Curious and weary from
walking all day Pip decided to have a look inside...
Slowly walking up to the door Pip put his paw against the heavy grained wood and gave a
push, surprisingly the door swung open with relative ease, making no sound only the faint
whisper of air being sucked in passed the door as if some seal had been broken. No light
came from within, reaching into his knapsack, Pip pulled out a match, and struck it against
the rough stone surrounding the door. Light immediately illuminated the door and foliage and
sent a slit of light past the door illuminating a dirt floor and a stone stairway leading
down into the darkness...



Ignoring his sixth sense pip cautiously stepped past the door frame and entered the small
dirt floored room and peered down into the darkness. None of his senses helped him in his
vain attempt to listen, smell, or see what lay beyond and below the stone stairway. All of a
sudden a puff of air filled with a strange smell, earthy, moldy and dark blew past Pip
nearly knocking him off his feet, followed by the faintest sound of gears beginning to turn.
Curiosity peaking Pip slowly began to descend into the darkness, the only light coming from
his torch.With every step downward Pip could feel the air grow chilled, aside from the initial wisp of
air, the air was stagnant, and smelled strongly of rotting plants and damp earth. Making his
way down the staircase which wound around and around. The stairs started to level out and
just beyond the bit of light from his torch pip could see a stone floor stretch out into the
darkness. To his left against the stone wall, pip saw what looked like an ancient candle
sitting in a thimble, attached by pieces of twine to a walking stick. His match, and only
light was growing dangerously close to his little paws, so reluctantly Pip lit the lantern.
The feeble wick immediately took flame and bathed the room in an orange glow. All around him
on the walls, Pip could see gears stacked up on the ground, hung on the wall. There appeared
to be a workbench set into the far wall, wires, gauges and tools were strewn about the room.
The smell of metal, both hot and cold hung in the air, along with the smell of a fire...
recent fire he guessed.

Standing in awe Pip continued to look around the dimly lit room. To his left Pip could see
hundreds of nails protruding out of the stone walls each holding a different spring, cog,
piece of mechanical bric-a-brac. The edges of the room contained crates of wood all shapes
and sizes. Some open to reveal shiny metallic pieces and others apparently empty. Looking
deeper into the room Pip could see a hallway that led off into the darkness. Slowly stepping
into the room, Pip was in awe at the sheer volume of mechanical and electrical equipment.
Which obviously had been collected over many many years by someone who was constantly
building and designing something. On the wall over the work bench Pip could see hundreds of
pieces of paper, some schematics, rough drawing sketches. Some showing maps of the forest
and surrounding areas, Pip spotted his town circled in red, though he could not gather his
bearings enough to see where he was in relation to home.
Feeling no real danger, Pip continued down the hallway leaving the workshop behind. Inside
hoping he would run into someone who could send him back the way he came. Walking down the
hallways, Pip zigged and zagged left and right, all the while hearing nothing but the
occasional scurrying of a small insect or the slow drip of water off the ceiling.
Walking along the dark damp corridor, Pip began to get an uneasy feeling. Near the edge of
his light, Pip was beginning to make out things that brought fear to his heart. Broken
mousetraps, a skeleton of a mouse that appeared to be his age caught in the deadly metal of
the trap. Loosely clutched in the left paw of the deceased mouse was a small sword, made of
a surgical blade and melted plastic wrapped in twine. Gingerly pip reached over and slowly
pulled the blade away from the bony fingers, instantly the hand and arm crumibled in a puff
of dust. Somewhere in the back of his mind pip could recall hearing something about the
unique blue shirt the dead mouse had on. Some old horror story told around the campfire long
ago. All of a sudden....! duh...da da du da du du! All around him pip heard noises and saw
strange lights. The sound was like that of an old timey record machine slowly grinding to a
start. The dim light slowly growing around him to that of a dark gloom. Looking around he
could see many strange things that at first would not register in his increasingly
bewildered mouse mind. Before him stood a great space, decorate in the way of an old time
vaudevillian theater, complete with old dusty maroon curtains hanging from floor to ceiling
row after row of seats tapering down the floor of the great room ending at the stage, many
in various stages of decomposition. As pips eyes adjusted to the low dim glow of the many
christimas light bulbs spread throughout the chamber, he felt the cold finger of panic creep
up his furry chest. On the walls arranged into many strange shapes and patterns were bones,
thousands upon thousands of bones. No longer able to take the feeling of sheer terror Pip dropped his torch and ran squeaking into the darkness. Suddenly as if has just disappeared the floor dropped out from beneath Pip and he could feel himself falling, the air was loud rushing past his ears. I hope there's... crack the sound was loud in the quiet belly of the cave. the sound of Pips neck cracking on the rocks echo'd through out the underground cavern... then his eyes rolled back and the air slowly seeped out of his chest. and Pip O. Squeak the third was dead.

Underneath his small battered corpse lay hundreds of identical mice... All out searching for truth and meaning, finding death instead.