Safe and Warm

Here In His Attic

Wantmore struggled a bit this past year. He was missing his o’den ones who had kept him safe and warm. The ones who brought him ice cream and crumbles, tastiness and shiny things. Still there were others about who brought him joy. But the year had also been hard with his non-mouse Bailey family having finally chosen to gift the Waterloo items to an important museum somewhere in London. Wantmore did not understand what London was…sounded big, scary for a mouseling. And so here in his attic, Wantmore was now alone in his alonenessness, a giant void that once was the trunk, his boot his home and filled with things…well…familiar things to him…gone.

Wantmore sat in his chair, a small hearth providing warmth with a table of goodness beside. Slowly he sipped at the hot chocolate and giggled as the melted green, yellow and pink marshmallow bits attached themselves to his whiskers. But he was also very careful as he sat turning pages in his oneziss mouse album. Some mouses were unknown to him but others he well remembered like Grampa Gravystone, formerly of the Auxiliary Mouse Service.

Gravystone (such a fine name) had lived and fire moused (oh my) in London (extra oh my) during the time of the Blitz. Tales of tails in gargantuan fires, falling debris, loud noises, frightened mouses and other creatures…including the non-mice. But Gravystone had survived these days and afterwards came to Kemmelberry. Wantmore looked to the wall where a frame of Gravystone and his shiny things resided. There was of course a portrait of Gravystone with his tin hat marked “AMS”, an AMS badge he wore in those trepidatious times and a green, orange and black riband with the Defender Medal. Gravystone always said that he was most proud of his service and so was Wantmore.

Decidedly Wantmore decided he needed more crumbs, some fruitcake was about from the non-mouse Christmas last year and it was the dark kind…the best kind. Wantmore shaved some slivers for himself and some extra for any potential guests, this as it was known amongst the non-mice – Christmas Eve. Gently Wantmore poured more hotness into his mug…it was his best mug, one that Gravystone was given by Wantmore’s Gramma Tailtwitch before Gravystone and her were married. Tailtwitch worked in a canteen run by a local charity providing comforts to the Auxiliary Mouse Service and Raid Mouse Precautions. Tailtwitch would have received a Defender Medal too, but this was long ago misplaced. As Wantmore turned the page to his elden mouse wedding day portrait he smiled and was gracious for the year that he had had. Never mind this sadness stuff…I learned to play checkers this year he thought…and he was very good counting six wins for himself and six wins for his other self as there was only him.

Just as he pulled the checkerboard out for the final game of the season, great mouse clatter occurred as he was descended upon by all matter of oneziss mouses. There was much to chatter about and a few gifts to open insisted his mother mouse named for Tailtwitch but with a y added to note a difference in the grand mouse tree. All assembled around Wantmore’s tree as he pulled the ribbon…and within his paw fell a shiny medal…one with a green, orange and black ribbon. Wantmore held it with great surprise and there upon the medal’s edge…was a great mouse name Tailtwitch. Canteen Mouse Service. Much joy fell upon him as he chose that moment to align the two oneziss Defender Medals together complete with a certain wedding photo (both in uniform). And so, the mouses, safe and warm, chattered all night with crumbles and spices, drinks and giggling as marshmallows attached themselves to their whiskers.

Merry Christmas to one and all…mouse and non-mice!

All images, save for AMS Gravystone, by P. Ferguson, December 2025