38.

I startled awake in the middle of the night. There was a small noise coming from somewhere in the room I was staying in. Scared, I clung to the cover, pulling it over me, hoping for safety.

Then there came a clacking noise, so small yet so loud in my ears. I knew I was being irrational about this whole thing and that I had to face whatever was making that noise. Tentatively, I peek out from under the covers to see what was causing the noise. In the middle of the room was a very small gray thing. I squinted in the dim light to see what appeared to be a baby mouse.

It looked up and wiggled its nose at me, almost as if it were saying hello. I pulled back the covers to go look at the baby mouse closer but once I got up from the bed, it had vanished.

"Mouse! Mouse?" I called, searching the room frantically.

I woke up to find myself on the floor, clutching the covers in one hand. Was it a dream? I wondered.

Just at that moment, Quinn came in. "Ash, I was wondering if you- what are you doing on the floor, silly?"

She let out a kind laugh and helped me up from the floor. "I saw a mouse," I mumbled, still very much groggy from just waking up.

"Really? Weird... there shouldn't be any mice here," She gave me a crooked smile. "Maybe you dreamed it?"

I rubbed at my eyes, my hair a complete mess. "No, no, I saw a mouse..."

She laughed again and rubbed my back on a soothing manner. "Alright, I believe you. So, what do you want to have for breakfast?"

"Uhm.." I stumbled after her in the kitchen, the thought of breakfast dancing around in my mind, the mouse, temporarily forgotten.