the mouse that dove into the stove

Once upon a time there was a princess. She wasn't a spoiled, pampered princess. If we are honest, she more closely resembled The Little Prince after the dual devastating tragedies of parental death and lost wealth* than The Little Princess when she was the wealthiest pupil and had special horses and all the cinnamon buns she could want and so on. One morning, the princess woke up, stretched, set the coffee making and went downstairs to the kitchen to start preparing the royal breakfast. As she stepped into the kitchen, her mouth already watering at the thought of delicious princess toast (similar to Tubby Toast but tastier, and without jam, and also not the only thing the princess ever consumed), she saw a suspicious, small, gray creature dive from the top of the stove right into one of the burners! The princess, fond of animals (because what princess isnt? small furry animals exist for the purpose of dressing princesses**), was surprised but didn't scream. She was also rather happy to discover that the burner, and the oven, were both off. Still, that pesky image of the little mouse's long, gray tail stuck in her mind. She decided to stick with the microwave and the toaster this particular morning.

* Of course, I am fortunate to have not one, but four parents, who are all alive and well, so I am nowhere near as sad, forsaken, etc. as poor little Sara Crewe.

** See Cinderella, in the Disney animated feature of the same name, for an illustration of this technique.