10 A New Creature Comes.

Years passed and Emerald and Ruby grew into glorious gems. Little mouse had grown and cared for the gems as his Great Grandparents had done.

One day strange things started to happen in the woods. Men came and went, sawed down trees, leveled a patch of ground, and strated to build something unusual. They began to build a log cabin not far from the cave entrance. Next came carts of goods came. People began to move the items into the cabin. Then came a young family with a little boy.

As the ruccus was happening Mr. Mouse was foraging for his dinner and had not known that the boy had spotted him. Curious the boy watched him all day while his parents set up house. When the boy's parents called him in for dinner the lad thought to himself, 'I hope I see that mouse again.'

Days passed and the boy watched the mouse after doing his chores and lessons. 'Mother just had to insist on those blasted lessons. The mouse was more interesting.' thought the boy. One day he snuck out and trailed the mouse to see where he went each day. He followed him to the cave but didn't go in. He returned home. Proud of his discovery he set a plan in motion. The next day he took a small lantern, a rope, and a sandwich, then headed back to the cave. Climbing in ever so cautiously he made his way in and lit the lantern. Billions of sparkles bathed the walls of the cave. The boy had never seen something so magical in his whole life. Out loud he proclaimed, " This will be my secret base!" The mouse that was hiding in the bed came out and inched towards the boy. Climbing up to his lap he said, "Hello." Shocked the boy said, "Hello", back. Next Emerald and the others said, "Hello" even more shocked the wide eyed boy looked around trying to find the voices. Finding none he became scared. The mouse nipped his pants leg then said, "You can understand us?" The boy nodded. "My Great Grandfather said that only a few special ones can hear and understand each other. Even fewer can hear the voices of the crystals and gems. You are indeed special. You may come here only if you respect all that is around you. This is also the Resting place of my Great Grandparents. They are sealed here." Brushing away the dirt the boy found two mice encased in resin. Placing the dirt back he glanced at the mouse. "My books say that in another 100 years or more that tree resin will become a gemstone called Amber." The mouse looked up scratching his chin. "Great Grandma said once before she passed that Great Grandfather was a Gem of a Mouse. I suppose her statement one day will be true then." The boy said to the gems and the mouse, "I'm Jimmie. Pleased to meet you." The mouse in reply, "Penn Mouse the Third." He then introduced all of the gems. The boy liked Emerald, Ruby, Essper, and Mother Matrix the best.

The boy kept the secret of the place to himself for may years. Coming to play every time it was nice out and sometimes shared a bit of his lunch with the mouse. He listened to all of the stories that the gems had to tell. The mouse carried out his tasks as per usual. After a while the boy came less and less as he was sent off to school. Even the little mouse one day passed on. Every time the boy got bigger and the cave seemed smaller and smaller until one-day the boy could not fit in any longer. He would then would lay on the grass and listen. Later he stopped coming and went off to the military. His family moved away, but kept the cabin just in case one of the children desired to take a vacation. The crystals and gems grew over time. Talking amongst themselves they kept no track of the time that moved around them.

Eventually Jimmie came back to the cabin on the mountain. He had raised a family and was retiring. He remembered his childhood home. Bringing his Grandson along he came to show him where he grew up. Then he remembered the cave. "Young 'un how would you like to see my treasure?", said Jimmie. Exstatic the boy couldn't wait to see a real honest to goodness treasure. Treasures were hard to come by in the Great Depression. Jimmie's son was having a hard time making enough to eat, so he sent the little boy with his Grandfather. Jimmie smiled and told the boy what the mouse had told him. Taking the boy into the cabin he told him that they would go the following day as there was a lot to do to get the cabin livable. Besides it was getting late in the day already when they arrived.

The following day Jimmie took his grandson to the cave. Reminding him to listen and be respectful. All of the sudden he heard a voice call out. "Jimmie have you come back?" The child covered his mouth then whispered to his grandfather, " Is it haunted? I don't wanna go somewhere haunted. I'm scared of ghosts." Jimmie laughed, "No boy it's not haunted. It's magical. Go on ahead only little ones can fit in to see it. Just don't take away anything or damage it." Wiggling in he lit the lantern just as his grandfather had done at his age. Again the voice came, "Jimmie have you come back? How did you get small again?", said Emerald. Mesmerized the boy looked around seeing an Emerald glowing in the distance. "I'm not Jimmie. Jimmie is my grandfather. He can't fit here anymore so he is outside. I'm Kaleb. If you would like I could take you out to see him." Emerald answers back, "Please don't move me I have been here a long time and this is my home. Besides I can't leave Ruby and Essper. Also if I leave here I'm afraid. If you wish you may ask one of my siblings that are loose or broken if they wish to. Also you would have to bring them back." One of the Prisms spoke up, "I wish to go! I am not scared. Plus I would wish to talk with Jimmie again. I'll come back and tell the story, but I would like to see the world outside."