Sir Timothy

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Once upon a time, in a huge mansion, there was a little girl named Lisa. The only child of the rich Duke Hemsworth and Lady Giselle.

Lisa had everything others wished for: gold hair pins, glass slippers, and princess dresses adorned with the rarest flowers; she had it all.

She was envied by children and even adults who could never dream of having her life when they were younger.
But Lisa had a little secret, an open secret everyone was blind to—she was alone.

Her mom was always busy holding occasions and keeping the family's name in the sky, while her dad raked in money from his ship trades to give his family everything. But what was the cost? The cost was the attention and affection Lisa always dreamt of getting from her parents.

It wasn't like she was a princess locked in a shiny castle away from the world.
She had over 50 maids to her, but according to her mother, “she was of high class, and the maids were below the ground. Association with a maid is a family abomination.”
At school, everyone wanted to be her friend. But they all couldn't see past her pretty dresses and glittery jewels.

One day, while Lisa was playing alone with her dolls, she heard a tiny sneeze behind her huge closet.
She was startled; she had never heard anything like that before. She inched closer slowly.
And then came out a mouse.

“Ah!” Lisa fell back in horror. But then she stopped. And her fear changed into curiosity. It was a mouse she learned about in books. But this one was completely different. It had on a suit and a hat.

“Didn't mean to startle you, young lady,”

Lisa gasped, “You talk?”

“Of course, I am Sir Timothy,” the mouse said.

Just then, Lisa heard footsteps approach her room.
She instinctively covered the little mouse with her dress.

“What is wrong? I heard you scream,” her Nanny said as she walked into the room.

“Oh, I thought I saw a spider,”

Her nanny softly felt her cheek and reassured her, “Silly, there is no such thing in the Hemsworth house.” The nanny chuckled before leaving.

Lisa then bent down to take a good look at Henry. He was gray, with huge ears and shiny black eyes; he was cute.

“Well, Sir Timothy, I am Lisa, and it's a pleasure meeting you,” Lisa said, smiling.

And just like that, she found a friend.
They would share cake crumbs under the bed, play with her dolls together, and they would talk, and he would tell her stories of the outside world. Not just the outside world but also the world outside her family's class—his adventures in sewers, houses without roofs, orphanages, and life in a homeless man's pocket. When she asked for scary stories, he would tell her stories of his near encounters with the most feared mouse catcher, Donatello. He would also tell her funny stories that would make her laugh and have the maids whispering, wondering if the poor girl had finally gone mad from loneliness.

One sunny Saturday, after a week of her parents being away, her mom came into her room.
Henry scurried and hid under the bed.
Lisa turned around, trying to look unsuspecting. But her mother hardly noticed a thing.
She came in with a new dress, which meant there was a special occasion with special guests from their class.

“Hello dear, it's time to look pretty again for mummy,” she said
She suddenly stopped and looked at Lisa suspiciously, then let out a sigh with a look of disappointment.
She then arranged Lisa's hair and smiled with satisfaction, “There, my perfect angel.”

“The Bancrofts and Will Bergs will be here today, the maids will get you ready when it's time,” she said before leaving.
Lisa let out a sigh of relief.

After some time, the head maid came in and helped Lisa get ready. She wore the new pale pink silk ball dress adorned with pearls.

“Wait, I would like to wear that too, it matches the dress,” Lisa pointed at the big waist bow.

“As you wish, young Miss," the head maid said as she helped Lisa put on the bow.

Lisa didn't care about the bow matching the dress. It was all a plot to put Timothy in the bow and sneak him into the party.
The party was going well, and Lisa went around greeting the gentlemen and ladies.
Till she met Lady Penelope. She had forgotten about her. Lady Penelope wasn't the problem, but her prideful white cat was. Every story she ever read about a cat and a mouse never had peace.
She was talking with Penelope, trying to make the conversation swift, when the cat caught the scent of Timothy.
The cat prowled and pounced on Lisa. The cat chased Timothy around Lisa's body twice before Timothy jumped off and vanished into the commotion.
Only after Lisa caught her breath did she notice the state around her. The entire place was in chaos, and a duchess even fainted from the sight of Timothy.
She saw her mom angry and restless while her dad faked a smile, trying to restore the peace. She knew she was in trouble.
She stood in a corner, sad and waiting for her punishment.
After the party, she watched as her mom walked to her.

“Mom, I am sorry—"

“Shhhh, it isn't your fault. I have called Donatello the mouse catcher to take care of it. Just go to your room and clean up.”

Lisa was going to tell the truth, but she had a rethink and decided not to.
She went back to her room and locked the door.

And then Timothy came out from hiding. “Well, wasn't that a good chase?" Timothy seemed to enjoy the chase.
Lisa couldn't help but laugh even in her sorrow.

"Mom is calling Donatello,” Lisa finally let it out.

“Oh, well. I guess it is time then, it's okay, it was great knowing you, friend,” Timothy said seemingly unfazed.

Just then Lisa let loose her emotions, anger, pain, and sadness in tears, “No, it's not, I only have you, and if you go, I will be alone again. I don't want it. I am afraid to go back to being lonely,” Lisa felt a heavy weight lift from her as she broke down and cried out.

But Timothy smiled instead, “That's it, let it all out.” He patted her shoulder with his tiny paw, “From now on, let it out, never hold back again.”

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching.

“Goodbye, young lady, perhaps just for now.” Timothy gave a bow before jumping out the window.

Her mom and Dad entered the room with a tall, slender-looking man with cages and a huge backpack.

“Honey dear, the mouse catcher is here; you need to leave for him to do his job,” her mom said.

She would have left, but Timothy left something with her that made her different; those words, “never hold back again,"

“No! That mouse was Timothy, and he was my only friend,” Lisa snapped.
Her parents were shocked, it wasn't the Lisa they knew. Donatello read the room and quietly left.

Lisa's parents looked at her in disbelief.
And then Lisa smiled and said, “Finally, you see me.”

Just then, the parents understood what they had been doing all along.
That night, they had a long talk with Lisa, which was a long night for Lisa's parents, realizing their mistakes.
Although Lisa hoped to see Timothy someday again, even when there was no sign of him.
She never forgot him. The mouse that saved her—“Sir Timothy.”