Legacy

Once upon a time, okay that’s a standard opening.  Any way, three blind mice got in a tiff with the farmers wife.  She cut off their tails with a carving knife.

Now the three blind mice didn’t feel that was a right thing to do to blind mice; in fact it made them very, very angry.  So angry they decided to sue the Farmers Wife.

They contacted the Law Firm of Mickey and Friday Mouse. Before becoming lawyers, Mickey had been in show business, and Friday had been a cop.

Mickey was out on another case so Friday interviewed the three blind mice to see if they had a case.  They all started squeaking and jabbering at the same time.  Friday said whoa! One at a time please I can’t otherwise figure out what’s being said.  So decide who wants to be the spokes mouse and we will proceed.  If the other two of you agree with what the spokes mouse is saying just nod your heads silently; otherwise raise your hand and you will be given a chance to clarify.  All agreed.

Well the three blind mice’s names were Clem, Sam, and Rodney Mouse.  Clem was chosen to be spokes mouse.  Clem was speaking fast with a lot of gesturing and referencing to that dirty no good, yada, yada, yada and so forth.  Friday had to interrupt and say, speak slower, gesture less and leave out the colorful adjectives. In other words Clem, just the facts. No embellishments or emphasizing, just the facts. So now Clem proceeded in a calm orderly manner sticking to just the facts.  These are the facts.

Last Tuesday we were slowly but surely making our way around the farmhouse kitchen as we always do on Tuesdays, looking for scraps that had fallen on the floor or missed the wastebasket.  We are very considerate mice, we would never bother or get into the farmers wife’s food supply.  Being blind we always stayed pretty much to the kitchen perimeter so we could feel our way around and back to the door where the corner was broke off allowing us access.  We’d found a few crumbs to put in our wee sacks and were headed back out when we heard that dirty evil, whoa! Now cut that out, remember I said just the facts.

Okay Clem said, I’ll try and watch it.  What we heard was her Cat by the name of Cindercatrella , a blond cat, who told the farmers wife that three mice were into everything, robbing her pantry blind.  That was not true.  But the farmer’s wife took it at face value and grabbed us.  Being blind mice we were in no position to even try and run.  She hoisted us up to her butcher block and cut off our poor little tails.  On top of that, she stole our three wee bags, then threw us out and aimed a lot of unkind verbiage in our direction.  We felt very bad and felt somehow things should be set right.

Friday said, I certainly agree, you have a case, but is it a provable case.  I can see your tails are missing, but were there witnesses?  Clem said he didn’t think so.  Friday then said well it will be a case of believable credibility.  What can you tell me about other acts of cruelty the Farmers wife may have committed that there might have been witnesses too.

Clem said well, last week she took poor Ronald Rooster so we are told by Porky Pig , cut off his head while he protested, pulled out his feathers and ate him, oh my!  Then Porky also told us of when she held down poor Sam Sheep and stole his wool, much to his bleating protest.  She also we are told has frequently stolen the hen’s eggs.  Sounds bad said Friday.  Goes to character and shows a propensity for cruelty.  Porky will be a good witness, but it would be nice if we could get a collaborating witness or other evidence.  I’ll consult with Mickey when he gets back and then I will contact you.  With that Clem, Sam, and Rodney went back to await Fridays call.

Mickey came back to the office from his other case, which he said went well.  Friday and Mickey decided they needed to send a detective or two around to the farm to snoop and learn what they could in behalf of building a case.  They engaged the Detective firm of The Three Mouseketeer’s, noted for the time they spent in France ferreting out rogue cats plotting against the throne.

The Three Mouseketeer’s spent a week nosing around the farm discreetly interviewing the farm animals, and frankly they were quite shocked at what they heard.

They reported back to Friday, who then notified Clem, Sam, and Rodney that a lawsuit for damages and reparations had been filed in their behalf.

The day arrived and all involved were in court. Judge Prissy Owl presiding.  Also by good fortune there were several Animal Rights Advocates on the jury.

Testimony after testimony was heard.  The look on the faces of the jurors somewhat implied they’d like to hang the Farmers Wife.  But it wasn’t a criminal trial, it was a Civil Suit.

The jury was only out twenty minutes.  This is their verdict.

The Farmers Wife lost the farm to the mice, and was ordered to pay for three prosthesis tails.  The Farmers wife was also told that if she wished to still have a place to live on the farm; she would have to build a special room and outfit it just right for the mice.  Also serve them three fine meals a day.  Judge Prissy Owl added, she didn’t want to hear ever again about the other animals being mistreated.

Well the three blind mice were happy and well fed.  In order to pass time they became song writers.  This is how their first song went.

Three Blind Mice, got their tails

cut off with a carving knife by

the farmers wife.  Three Blind Mice

Sued the Farmers Wife.  Got the Farm

And now she has to serve them the

rest of her life. Three Blind Mice.

But Daddy, I don’t think that’s the way the song is supposed to go.  Look sweetheart, whose telling this story.  Thank you, now go to sleep.