Page 14 - Sophie's Christmas With Teddy & Mouse

Carefully Teddy moved closer, he had never seen a mouse so close before. They often scampered behind the table in the house, towards the pantry where the bread was kept in baskets near the jars of honey, all carefully decorated with a colorful label by Teddy and neatly stacked in a row. But they ran too fast for him to see them properly.
He took another step forward, slowly forgetting his fear of the dark corner. He knew this was more important than his fear, he had to help the little mouse.
But the mouse was stuck, with his tail in the nasty mousetrap Teddy’s father had set.
“Awh... poor mouse,” the animal squeaked weakly and breathed much too fast.
Teddy thought quickly, the animal had to be released immediately.
Teddy rushed to the large toolbox where he found heavy pliers and quickly got to work. He clenched the pliers between the clamp and the mouse. "Take it easy little Mouse", he said gently to the frightened animal, trying to put him at ease, "I'll be careful and free you soon."
Luckily it didn’t take Teddy long, and he released the mouse from the iron clamp.
"Go on, back to your family", said Teddy. He must have been lost. ‘Maybe he lives in the big forest,’ he thought, ‘the mouse might have been looking for a bite to eat’? But the mouse stood still, his tail was wounded and he was too startled and scared to move.
Teddy decided to take the mouse back to his family, so they could take good care of him. They were surely missing him.
Teddy looked for something suitable to transport Mouse in, and he found a soft woolen polishing cloth and a small box containing screws.
He dumped the iron screws and they clattered on the stone oor, rolling behind Father's workbench.
Carefully he wrapped Mouse in the woolen cloth and tied a small piece of his handkerchief around his injured tail. Fortunately he had a clean, red checkered handkerchief, which he had ironed himself. It came in useful now.
For a moment he gently stroked the mouse. “Everything will be ne dear Mouse, I will bring you back home safely."