Mr. and Mrs. Brisby

Mr. and Mrs. Brisby

We all have our stories, at least one to tell. My story follows the events of a great escape. A large group of highly intelligent rodents escaped from a place called NIMH. Led by their leader, a wizened old rat named Nicodemus, the rodents escaped the labs of NIMH. They were faced with dangerous obstacles as they escaped and they wouldn't have made it if weren't for a brave mouse named Jonathan Brisby. He and another mouse, whose name was Mr. Ages, were the only mice left because of a freak accident that happened earlier in their escape. It was because of Jonathan that they were able to escape NIMH. His size allowed him to get through the door of a vent that led to the outside. He was able to open the door by flipping a locking mechanism and thus, the others were able to escape. After Jonathan joined them, the group scurried to the nearby forest where they ventured for the rest of the night. When early morning came, they left the forest and came upon a wheat field. Seeing a nearby farm, Nicodemus decided that they would live off of it for the time being. It was here that Jonathan and Mr. Ages decided to break off from the rats so they could find homes of their own. Nicodemus accepted their decision and an agreement was made between them that although they were going their separate ways, they would always remain friends. So, after exchanging good-byes, they went their separate ways. It is here that my story begins.


Their First Meeting

It was a hot summer day. Mr. Fitzgibbons, the farmer, was hard at work splitting wood. After splitting another piece of wood, he stopped working to wipe the sweat off his face. Then after stretching and giving a huge sigh, he went back to work. Meanwhile, two crows perched themselves on the arms of a scarecrow that was standing in the middle of Mrs. Fitzgibbons's garden. The first crow moved toward the scarecrow's head and when it stopped and peered around at it's face, the crow screamed.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" The crow screamed as he jumped away. "It's scaring me!!!"

The second crow looked at the scarecrow's face and gasped. He put his hand on his heart and fell off the arm. After landing on his back, the crow sprawled out and joked,

"I think I'm having a heart attack. That thing is so scary!!"

After a pause, the crows looked at each other and erupted in laughter.

"Scarecrow!!!" They both laughed.

Far out in the field, Jonathan and Mr. Ages talked while they strolled through.

"I sure hope Nicodemus takes care of himself," Mr. Ages said.

"He will," Jonathan said. "Despite his age he lead us to freedom. I wouldn't be surprised if he lived to be 100."

"That's impossible." Mr. Ages said while shaking his head. "Even with the advanced age that NIMH gave us, living to be 100 is unheard of."

They came upon a rock and walked around it.

"Anything is possible," Jonathan retorted. "I'm not saying that living to be 100 is fact but those humans back at the lab said that we'll live longer. We still don't know the full effects of the drug that they injected into us."

Then Jonathan changed the subject.

"Where do you plan on living?"

"I don't know," Mr. Ages answered. "It'll need to be a place with a lot of space though."

"Space for what?" Jonathan asked.

"There are things that I want to try out," Mr. Ages answered. "Experiments that I've thought about. I'll need a lot of space so I can conduct them."

Jonathan smiled and started poking him on the head.

"Ahhhh, putting that mind to good use, eh?" He asked while he continued to poke him. "Getting an early start, huh?"

"Stop that," Mr. Ages said as he grabbed Jonathan's arm and threw it away.

As he began to rub his head, he said,

"Yes, well, the mind is a terrible thing to waste. I want to put it to good use."

"Hehehe," Jonathan laughed.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Ages asked.

"Well, I just find it funny that a month ago, you were just a lowly street mouse who was always the first to dive into the trash," Jonathan smiled. "We used to..."

"I don't want to hear it," Mr. Ages interrupted while waving his hand.

As they walked into a clearing, Jonathan grinned and said,

"...We used to call you the trash's lover because your whole life was about trash. I remember, you dove into trash cans and always came out with a mouth full of scum."

"I told you I didn't want to talk about it!!" Mr. Ages snapped.

Noticing how annoyed Mr. Ages was, Jonathan started poking him on the head again.

"What's the matter?" He laughed. "Getting a little embarrassed?"

"I told you to stop doing that!!" Mr. Ages yelled as he tried to grab Jonathan's hand. "If you don't stop I'll..."

"You'll what?!" Jonathan laughed as he tackled him to the ground.

They started rolling around. As Mr. Ages tried to push him off, Jonathan continued to poke him on the head.

"Confound it Jonathan, get off!!" Mr. Ages yelled. "I'm telling you to..."

He noticed that the stone on the amulet that Jonathan was wearing was glowing. Jonathan received the amulet in the forest and although Mr. Ages took little notice of it then, this mysterious glow caught his eye.

"Wha...?" Mr. Ages asked in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked.

After a pause, Mr. Ages answered,

"Th-That trinket of yours, that stone, it's..."

The stone stopped glowing.

"What?" Mr. Ages asked. "It, it stopped."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked. "What stopped?"

"That red stone amulet that you're wearing," Mr. Ages answered. "It was glowing red."

"What?" Jonathan asked as he grabbed the amulet and looked at it. "It was?"

After staring at it for a minute, he looked at Mr. Ages and asked,

"Are you sure?"

"My eyes don't lie," Mr. Ages answered. "That amulet..."

"What's going on over there?!" A voice yelled. "Who's making all that noise?!"

Jonathan and Mr. Ages looked to their left and watched as an old shrew walked through the wheat. Finding Jonathan sitting on top of Mr. Ages, the shrew gasped and looked away. Realizing that they were in an awkward position, got off Mr. Ages and said,

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like, Ms.," an embarrassed Jonathan smiled as he brushed himself off. "We were just playing around."

"You were just playing around," an equally embarrassed Mr. Ages said as he rose. "I want nothing to do with your horseplay!"

The old shrew, who was wearing a blue apron and an orange sock-like hat, looked back at them and scowled,

"They only thing that you two are doing is causing trouble. I've never heard so much racket in my life!"

"My apologies for disturbing you, Madame," Mr. Ages said.

"Yeah, we really didn't mean to upset you," Jonathan added. "What's your name anyway?"

The old shrew scuffed at them and answered,

"It's Auntie Shrew. You two aren't from around here are you?"

"Nope," Jonathan answered as he put his hands on his hips.

Then he looked at Mr. Ages before saying,

"...We're from the forest. We left because we wanted to look for more space and opportunity. We heard about this field so we decided to move here."

Auntie Shrew laughed and said,

'Well, you won't find any space or opportunity here. You're not welcome here and I suggest you find a home somewhere else."

Jonathan grinned and asked,

"And what if we don't?"

Nearby, another mouse was scurrying along when she heard Jonathan scream. Curious, she ran through the wheat and into the clearing. She was surprised to find Auntie Shrew sitting on top of Jonathan, trying to hit him with a stick, while Mr. Ages tried to pull her off. After a bit of reluctance, she asked,

"Auntie Shrew?"

Everybody stopped and looked at her. Auntie Shrew sighed and said,

"Ah, Ms. Hartman. Out and about already?"

Dropping her stick she got off of Jonathan and walked over to her.

"I was just coming to see you, Ms. Hartman," Auntie Shrew told her. "How's the new house coming along? IS it prepared for plow day?"

"I'm afraid not," Ms. Hartman answered. "I haven't even cleaned it out yet. I haven't made a bed wither. I've been sleeping on the dirt."

Jonathan, who was still lying on the ground, stared at Ms. Hartman. She was light brown, had beautiful eyes, and some fur on the top of her head was sticking up. Jonathan couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"...Wow..." he said under his breath.

Ms. Hartman noticed Jonathan and Mr. Ages and asked Auntie Shrew,

"Who are they?"

"Oh..." Auntie Shrew answered as she turned to Jonathan and Mr. Ages. "These two are a pair of trouble makers. They were causing so much noise."

She folded her arms as she said,

"They're not from around here either. To think, what nerve of them to come here and start a ruckus. They must think they own this field. I told them though..."

She turned to Ms. Hartman and started waving her finger.

"I told them that they're not welcome here and that they would have find a home somewhere else."

"Look, Auntie Shrew or whatever your name is, I know we came off the wrong way," Jonathan said as he rose. "Is there anything we can..."

"What's your name?" Ms. Hartman interrupted.

"Huh?" Jonathan asked.

"What's your name?" She repeated.

Jonathan smiled and answered,

"Jonathan. Jonathan Brisby. What's yours?"

Ms. Hartman blushed and answered,

"Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth, huh?" Jonathan smiled. "That's a beautiful name."

Ms. Hartman smiled and turned her head slightly in bashfulness.

"And I'm Mr. Ages."

"It's a pleasure to meet," a still bashful Ms. Hartman said.

Jonathan smiled and asked,

"Would you like me to call you Elizabeth or Ms. Hartman?"

"Ummm..." Elizabeth answered as she tried to look at Jonathan without blushing. "Elizabeth is fine."

"All right," Jonathan said as he grinned.

Elizabeth smiled and asked,

"Would you and Mr. Ages like to come over to my house?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh...." Jonathan blushed.

"Well, would..." Elizabeth said.

"Oh no!!" Auntie Shrew interrupted. "Ms. Hartman, you don't want them in your home!! They'll take advantage of you and..."

"It's all right, Auntie Shrew," Elizabeth interrupted. "I'll be fine because I'm sure these two are the perfect gentlemen."

Jonathan stood up straight and held his chin high. In a very formal tone, he said,

"You are looking at the perfect gentleman. I would never take advantage of you."

Elizabeth laughed while Auntie Shrew raised her eyebrow and said,

"Do what you want, Ms. Hartman. I only care about your safety but if you want to bring these ruffians into your home then that's your decision."

Then she turned and began to walk away.

"It was a pleasure meeting you!" Jonathan called.

Auntie Shrew scuffed at Jonathan's call as she headed back through the wheat. When she was gone, Jonathan looked at Elizabeth and smiled.

"So, where is your house?"

"It's this way," Elizabeth answered as she turned. "Follow me."

She scurried away and before Jonathan could follow, Mr. Ages said,

"Good-bye, Jonathan."

"What?" Jonathan asked. "You're not coming?"

"I'm afraid not," Mr. Ages answered. "I want to find my own house and besides, I'll just be in the way."

Without saying another word, Mr. Ages moved his eyebrows up and down rapidly. Then he turned and walked away. After a pause, Jonathan laughed and said to himself,

"Mr. Ages."

"Hey, are you coming?!!" Elizabeth called.

"Yeah, I'm coming!!" Jonathan called back.

Then he scurried through the wheat.

There is no Place like a Dirt Hole

Elizabeth and Jonathan scurried through the field. They ran by a woodchuck and a mole. Both took little notice of them as they ran by.

"OK, this question has been bothering me for a week," the mole said. "I've asked everybody this question and none of them know the answer."

"All right," the woodchuck said. "What's the question?"

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck?" The mole asked.

The woodchuck stared at him for a moment before turning around and leaving.

"Oh come on, I'm being serious!!" The mole yelled. "You of all people should know the answer!!"

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Jonathan arrived at her home.

"We're here," Elizabeth said as she stood up.

She looked at Jonathan and smiled. Jonathan blushed and smiled back. Then he looked at her home that was a burrow. As he nodded, he said,

"It's very...It's very...It's a hole in the ground."

"Yes, it's a burrow," Elizabeth smiled. "Would you like to come in?"

"Why not?" Jonathan retorted as he took a step into the burrow. "I would love..."

"Wait Jonathan!" Elizabeth shouted. "There's no..."

It was too late because Jonathan fell into the burrow.

"...Stairs," Elizabeth said as she covered her eyes.

After tumbling 4 1/2 feet into the burrow, Jonathan rolled into Elizabeth's home. He lied sprawled on the dirt floor for a minute before rising up.

"Unh..." he groaned as he rose.

Standing up, he rubbed his head and looked around. Before he could think though, Elizabeth screamed as she came rolling in. She hit Jonathan's legs, knocking him over. Jonathan landed on his back and as he lied sprawled on the dirt floor again, Elizabeth got on top of him and asked,

"Are you all right?"

"Your...foot...hand," a half dazed Jonathan answered.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"Your foot is on my hand," Jonathan answered.

"Oh sorry," Elizabeth said as she took her foot off of his hand.

Then she leaned over and brushed the dirt off of his face.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," she said. "You looked like you hit the floor hard."

"I did," Jonathan groaned.

He squinted his eyes when Elizabeth's hands came close to them.

"I'm all right though," he smiled. "I'll probably feel it in the morning but I'm OK."

He paused and looked at her. Again, he couldn't get over how beautiful she as. Elizabeth noticed that he was staring at her so she stopped brushing his face. She looked into his eyes and he looked into hers. It was at this moment that they fell in love. Bashful, Jonathan blushed and said,

"Uh, you can get off of me now."

Elizabeth blushed and stuttered,

"O-Oh s-s-sorry."

She got off of him and they both rose. After brushing themselves off they looked at each other and smiled.

"Well, welcome to my humble home," Elizabeth said. "What do you think?'

"Well..." Jonathan answered.

Dirt fell of the ceiling and piled up on his head. Elizabeth laughed as Jonathan brushed the dirt off. Choosing not to say anything about what had just happened, he looked around and said,

"Well, it's very nice. I think that this is a very nice house."

"Who are you kidding?" Elizabeth smiled. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm being serious," Jonathan said as he started walking around. "It's a very nice place. I mean, it's full of dirt...and more dirt..."

A chunk of dirt fell off the ceiling and hit him on the shoulder.

"...And more dirt," he said.

He turned to Elizabeth and said,

"All right, it needs some work. If you get someone to help then I'm sure this place will look great in no time."

'Well, good help is so hard to find these days," Elizabeth said as she walked toward him. "Everybody is too busy to help..."

She stopped in front of Jonathan and stared at him.

"Would you like me to help you?" Jonathan asked.

"Would you?" Elizabeth smiled back.

After a pause, Jonathan smiled again and answered,

'Well, looks like I'll be seeing you more often. I'll have to build a house nearby so I can come over here everyday."

"Oh," Elizabeth frowned. "Well, you won't be able to build your own house overnight so would you like to stay here for a couple of days?"

"...That would be fine," Jonathan smiled.

Elizabeth's face lit up.

"Really?!" She asked. "You will?!"

'Yes, I would love to," Jonathan answered. "I mean, it's really up to you but you've already made that decision."

Elizabeth smiled and asked,

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

"To see more dirt?" Jonathan smiled.

Elizabeth laughed and said,

"My house isn't a complete mess. I've got some stuff hanging up. Would you like to see?"

"Sure," Jonathan smiled.

Elizabeth smiled back and turned around.

"Now, let me show you some of my things," she said.

Before Jonathan could say anything, his amulet began to glow.

"What?" Jonathan asked himself as he looked at it in disbelief.

"Hmmm?" Elizabeth asked as she turned to him.

Jonathan took the amulet off quickly and hid it behind his back.

"Oh, nothing," Jonathan answered. "Please, show me some of your belongings."

Elizabeth smiled and asked,

"Hey weren't you wearing something on your neck?"

"Uhhhh...just now, no," Jonathan lied. "You might've seen me wearing a necklace earlier but I gave that to Mr. Ages before we left."

"Oh," Elizabeth said. "Well, anyway, follow me."

They began to walk through the house. Elizabeth pointed out a few things including her red cloak that hung on a root sticking out of the wall. As he walked along with Elizabeth, Jonathan thought to himself,

"Good thing she notice that."

After making sure that Elizabeth wasn't looking, Jonathan looked at the amulet, which had stopped glowing.

"What was that?" He thought.

He listened to Elizabeth for a minute before looking at the amulet again. He thought,

"So there is more to this amulet...The Great Owl wasn't lying after all."

Jonathan and The Great Owl

The amulet came into Jonathan's possession the very night that he and the other rodents escaped NIMH. After freeing his friends, he joined them and scurried off into the forest. It was very dark out and there was a full moon. As they walked through the forest, some of the rats became weary of the night.

"I don't like it out here," one rat said. "I'm hearing noises..."

A branch snapped and the rat looked over his shoulder and asked,

"What was that?"

Meanwhile, another rat named Sullivan looked around. The trees were tall and menacing, there was an eerie breeze, and the forest itself wasn't alive.

"I'm not liking this either," he said. "It's creepy out here and I'm getting this strange feeling that..."

A rat named Justin walked up along side him and said,

"Come on, show a little courage. It's only the night. Don't let your imagination get the best of you."

Another rat named Jenner, who was also walking next to Sullivan, looked at him and said,

"Justin's right, Sullivan. Don't be a coward. There are plenty of animals out here who would love to eat someone like you."

Sullivan took a huge gulp and shook his head.

"Well..." Jenner said.

"Thank you, Jenner," Justin interrupted. "That's enough."

Without saying anything, Jenner smiled and walked ahead.

"Don't listen to him," Justin told Sullivan while patting him on the shoulder. Everything's going to be fine. Nobody's getting eaten."

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mr. Ages walked with Nicodemus at the front of the line.

"I can't thank you enough for your help," Nicodemus said. "Especially you, Jonathan. If it wasn't for you, we'd still be at NIMH."

"Hey, I only did what was right," Jonathan smiled. "Our freedom and perhaps our very lives were at stake. I was the only one who could fit through that door so I knew it was up to me to get everyone else out."

"Indeed, you are very loyal and devoted to your friends," Nicodemus said.

"I'll always be," Jonathan added. "You helped me more than I helped you so consider me forever grateful."

Nicodemus smiled and was about to say something when Jenner joined them.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"Well, we need to get through the forest first," Nicodemus answered. "Then we need to find a temporary home."

"Temporary?" Jenner asked.

"Everything will be explained in good time," Nicodemus answered. "You don't need to worry about it right now."

"I'm not worried," Jenner smiled. "I can't say the same for everybody else though. The others are getting scared and I think they would like to know where this forest ends."

"Well, I don't have an answer for them, Jenner," Nicodemus said. "I don't know anything about this forest and nor does anybody else. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Would you mind if I gave a suggestion?" Justin asked as he walked up and joined them.

"Not at all, Justin," Nicodemus answered. "What would you like to add?"

"Well, it's more of a request," Justin answered. Most of the group has become weary. They're all scared and some of then are claiming that they're hearing noises. I think they're all tired from our escape so maybe we should find some shelter where we can rest until morning."

"That's ridiculous," Jenner said. "We'll lose time and it'll be far more dangerous to roam these woods in daylight."

"I agree with Justin," Jonathan said. "Despite the potential danger of walking through this forest in daylight, I think it's the better way to go. At least we'll all be rested up and besides, I'm starting to get the same feeling as the others. There's something..."

"Who asked for your opinion in this matter, Jonathan," Jenner sneered.

"Nobody has to," Mr. Ages answered, surprising Jonathan. "He has as much say in this as you do. I'm entitled to my opinion as well. I agree with both him and Justin."

Before Jenner could say anything, one of the rats in the back yelled,

"I'm hearing it again!"

"What?!" Jenner yelled as he looked back at him.

"Eh, it's nothing," Justin said. "Most of the rats in back are claiming that they've been hearing noises for the past hour, something about branches snapping or something like that. They're just..."

"Wait a minute, I just heard it too..." Jonathan interrupted.

Everybody stopped and stared at him.

"Shhhhh," Jonathan said as he put his finger over his mouth. "Listen..."

Everybody fell silent and listened. When they heard a branch snap, they all looked at each other nervously.

"What is that?" Jenner whispered.

"I don't know," Mr. Ages whispered back. "It sounds like it's close though."

After hearing another branch snap, Jonathan slowly looked up at a nearby tree. He was startled to find a very large creature with glowing yellow eyes looking down at them from one of the tree branches.

"...Oh God!!!" Jenner yelled after spotting it too.

Everybody looked up at the creature, which jumped off the branch and flew down at them.

"...It's an owl!!!" Nicodemus yelled.

"I don't care what it is!!" Jenner shouted as he turned and ran. "All I care about is living!! Every rat for himself!!"

The entire group broke up and scurried in all directions. The owl dove at one rat and almost caught him but the rat jumped into a shrub at the last second. After flying high up into the air, the owl turned around and flew back down at the rats. As he tried to escape, Nicodemus tripped over a rock and fell. The owl spotted him and flew down to scoop him up. Nicodemus scrambled to his feet but seeing the owl coming at him, he dove to the ground. The owl missed him and flew back into the air. After flying around a tree, the owl dove down at Nicodemus again. This time, Nicodemus was almost caught but he rolled out of the way at the last second. As the owl flew back up again, Jonathan ran out from an old stump that he was hiding in.

"Nicodemus!!!" He called as he ran toward him.

By the time he reached him, the owl turned around and flew back down, intent on catching Nicodemus this time. After helping Nicodemus to his feet, Jonathan yelled,

"Run!!!"

As they turned and ran for the old stump, Jonathan looked up and saw that the owl was closing in on them. Nicodemus began to fall behind and knowing that he wouldn't make it on his own, Jonathan grabbed him and threw him ahead. When they reached the stump, Nicodemus ran in first but before Jonathan could follow, the owl grabbed him and flew off.

Jonathan!!!" Nicodemus yelled as he ran back out.

He began to chase after the owl but it was almost out of sight and he was short of breath.

"Jonathan!!!" Nicademus screamed as the owl disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, Jonathan struggled to break free from the owl's claws. He tried to pry them open using his strength but it was no use. The owl started to squeeze him and it became difficult to breathe. Jonathan started thrashing around, trying to get loose but the owl squeezed the harder. The pressure caused Jonathan to pass out. A minute later, the owl landed on a tree branch. It's home was the tree itself and the entrance was straight ahead. As the owl began to walk toward it's home, Jonathan woke up. Every step that it took with Jonathan held tightly in it's claw caused him to bump his head on the branch. Desperate, Jonathan used all of his strength and got one of his arms free. As the owl stepped into it's home, Jonathan grabbed a broken bone from off the ground. After a pause, he stabbed the owl in the leg. The owl let out a huge screech and writhed in pain as he drove the bone deeper into it's leg. With the pain too great, the owl had no choice but to release Jonathan. As the owl lifted it's leg to check it's wound, Jonathan scurried deep into it's home. Bones were scattered all over the place, spider webs decorated the ceiling, and the air reeked of death but Jonathan paid no attention. He ran behind a fairly large skull and hid while the owl began to search for him. The owl looked around and after a pause, it spoke in a slow, menacing voice.

"Where are you hiding?"

The owl, an old male with long, dark feathers, slowly limped around, searching for Jonathan.

"There is no use in hiding," he said. "I will find you..."

He slowly limped past the skull that Jonathan was hiding behind. Shaking uncontrollably, Jonathan listened for the owl. He couldn't hear any footsteps so he figured that the owl had gone deeper into his home. After giving a sigh of relief, he was about to walk out when suddenly, the owl's foot stepped on the skull, crushing it. Skull fragments flew everywhere and a large piece hit Jonathan on the head, knocking him over. After landing on his hands and knees, Jonathan turned over onto his back and rubbed the back of his head. Before he could do anything else he froze in fear. The owl was standing before him, looking down at him with his glowing, yellow eyes. As Jonathan quivered in fear, the owl said,

"You are either very brave or foolish to try and escape."

As he continued to quiver, Jonathan looked up at the owl.

"Do you wish to plead for your life, like my usual prey?" The owl asked.

"...No..." Jonathan answered.

As the owl watched, Jonathan slowly got up and faced him.

"After all I've been through, I'm not afraid to die," Jonathan said.

After a pause, the owl said,

"Indeed, you are very brave..."

His eyes squinted as he asked,

"You're not from around here are you?"

"No and nor is the rest of my group," Jonathan answered. "We came into this forest after escaping a place called NIMH..."

The owl's eyes widened as he interrupted Jonathan.

"NIMH?" He asked.

After a pause, Jonathan answered,
"Yes, NIMH."

"And you escaped it?' The owl asked.

"That's what I just told you," Jonathan answered. "Why? Have you heard of NIMH?"

"I know that name very well," the owl answered as he looked away.

"How do you know of NIMH?" Jonathan asked.

"That is not important," the owl answered as he looked back at Jonathan. "...What is your name?"

"What?" Jonathan asked.

The owl didn't repeat himself. After taking a huge gulp, Jonathan stated his full name.

"My name is Jonathan. Jonathan Brisby."

Then he sighed and asked,

"Why do you ask?"

"Do you wish to live, Jonathan Brisby?" The owl retorted.

After a long pause, Jonathan scratched his head and asked,

"What do you mean?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here," the owl retorted as his eyes squinted again. "It would be wise for you to answer my question. Again, do you wish to live?"

After an even longer pause, Jonathan answered,

"...Yes."

"Why?" The owl asked. "Why do you wish to live?"

"Because I've come a long way," Jonathan answered. "From the streets that I was born on, to NIMH where my life was changed, and to this very forest where I'm facing certain death. My journey shouldn't end here. I want to live. I want live and go beyond this forest. I want to find a home, settle down, and raise a family. Most of all though, I want this for my friends. They have just as much right to live as I do and they deserve their freedom. I would give anything to see them live on but if you're going to eat me then do it. At least I know that my friends have a shot at a new life."

After a pause, the owl said,

"If that's what you think then you have a right to live too. You're selfless as you are courageous. You cherish your friends but they cherish you just as much. They need you, Jonathan Brisby, and I foresee interesting times ahead of you. You will face challenges yet you'll also find rewards. Perhaps you will settle down and raise a family, even if it isn't meant to last..."

The owl stepped back and said,

"Nobody can truly predict the outcome of your life but I do know this. You still have a role to play, Jonathan Brisby. You will have an impact on everybody you know as well as those you'll meet..."

He turned his back on Jonathan and said,

"I am known in these woods as the Great Owl, Jonathan Brisby. Remember my name because I shall forever remember yours. Now go..."

After a long pause, Jonathan turned and slowly walked away. When he reached the entrance, he was about to leave when the Great Owl called,

"Jonathan Brisby!"

He turned around and watched as the Great Owl slowly limped over and stopped in front of him. The Great Owl held out his foot. Jonathan found something hanging on his middle toe. Upon a close look, Jonathan found that it was a red stone amulet.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked.

"Take it," the Great Owl said.

After a bit of reluctance, Jonathan reached out and took the amulet off the Great Owl's toe.

"What is it for?" Jonathan asked.

"I can't answer that question," the Great Owl answered. "Just know that what you're holding in your hands is something special. You'll find out why in time."

Jonathan turned the amulet over and found that there was an inscription on the back.

"What's this?" Jonathan asked as he began to read it. "You can unlock any door if you only have the key."

"Know this, Jonathan Brisby," the Great Owl said. "When worn by one with a courageous heart the stone glows red. It becomes a blinding radiance. Courage of the heart is very rare. The stone has a power when it's there."

Jonathan looked up at the Great Owl before staring at the amulet again. Then he backed up slowly and left the Great Owl's home.

"Even in death..." the Great Owl said as he watched Jonathan leave. "...Your name will be remembered, Jonathan Brisby."

The Red Stone Amulet

For the next eight months, Jonathan lived with Elizabeth, trying to help her with her house. Although it held up during plow day it became very weak and unpredictable. This became very apparent to Jonathan for as much as he tried to fix it up, the house was beyond saving. One day, Jonathan was making a new bed for Elizabeth while she was looking for food, the house caved in. It happened while he was pulling some leaves and grass together. A large clump of dirt hit him on the head. Jonathan looked up and after a pause, he shrugged and went back to work. As he pushed some of the leaves against the wall, the ceiling began to crumble. Jonathan looked up and watched in horror as the ceiling began to collapse. With no time to lose he grabbed the amulet that was hanging on a root and scurried for the entrance. As the house caved in around him, Jonathan yelled,

"Oh no!!"

When he reached the entrance he ran up the tunnel to get out. When he got halfway up he started to slip.

"No, not now!!" Jonathan yelled as he scrambled to get to the top. "Please, not now!!"

He stepped on a loose rock that was sticking out of the wall of the tunnel. When he put all of his weight down on it, the rock fell out. Jonathan fell back down a foot and a half before grabbing onto a root at the last second so he wouldn't fall back into Elizabeth's home. As the tunnel began to cave in, Jonathan slowly climbed up. Rocks and dirt hit him as they fell but Jonathan kept on climbing. This time, he reached the top and got out before the entire tunnel caved in.

"Oh God...!" Jonathan gasped as he collapsed to his knees.

After taking a few deep breaths and giving a sigh of relief, Jonathan said to himself,

"That was too close..."

Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way and he fell in along with two feet of the surrounding area. Jonathan was buried alive. As he struggled to get back to the surface, dirt filled his eyes, nose, and mouth. He couldn't breathe and he began to lose his strength but he wouldn't give up. He kept on digging and climbing, trying to get back to the top. The more he tried though, the harder it got. When it became too much for him, Jonathan passed out. It was then that the amulet, which he was wearing, started to glow. When Jonathan woke up he was surprised to find himself lying above ground.

"What?!" He asked himself as he slowly rose.

After standing up, he rubbed his head and asked himself,

"How did I get out of there?"

Then he noticed the glow from his amulet.

"What?!" He asked as he took of his neck. "It's glowing again..."

He held it up to his face so he could get a better look at it. After a minute, the glow faded and eventually disappeared. After a pause, Jonathan thought to himself,

"Why does it glow? What does it mean? Could it be that...?"

He looked down at the ground and thought,

"I was buried under there...Did somebody...?"

He looked around but there was nobody in sight.

"Well, if nobody saved me then how did I...?" Jonathan thought.

He looked at his amulet and thought,

"Nah, it couldn't be. How could such a trinket...?"

After giving it some thought, he asked himself,

"Why does it glow?"

As he thought about it, he remembered what the Great Owl had told him.

"When worn by one with a courageous heart the stone glows red."

Jonathan nodded as he remembered the rest of what the Great Owl had told him.

"It becomes a blinding radiance. Courage of the heart is very rare. The stone has a power when it's there."

After a pause, Jonathan said,

"I understand now."

"Jonathan?! A voice called. "Jonathan, are you all right?!"

Jonathan turned around and found that it was Elizabeth, who was running toward him.

"Jonathan!" She yelled.

As he hid the amulet behind his back, Elizabeth ran up and embraced him.

"...I'm all right." Jonathan smiled as he put a hand on her shoulder.

In Love

Although Elizabeth's house was destroyed, all hope wasn't lost. In his spare time, Jonathan would take strolls out in the field. One day, he found a mostly buried cinderblock. He didn't think much of it at the time but after Elizabeth's house was lost, Jonathan remembered it. After thinking about it, Jonathan knew this was how he would build Elizabeth's new home. When he brought it up in the middle of a conversation, Elizabeth wasn't sure.

"A cinderblock?" She asked. "I don't know, it doesn't sound like an ideal house."

"Sure it does and it is," Jonathan smiled. "I've already looked at it. Most of it is buried in the ground and it's covered by mud that hardened over time."

"And that's what I mean when I said that it doesn't sound like the ideal home," Elizabeth said. "Especially for a potential family."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Jonathan said as he raised his hands. "A potential family?"

"Never mind," Elizabeth blushed.

"No, no, no. I want to hear it," Jonathan said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "What's this about a potential family?"

"Well, I was thinking that once I got a house, I'd find someone who shares the same interest as I do," Elizabeth said. "Then from there, maybe we could settle down and start a family."

"Do you like kids?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, I love kids," Elizabeth answered. "They're so adorable and are such a joy to be around."

Then she smiled and asked,

"What about you?"

"Well, I actually feel the same way," Jonathan answered. "I want to settle down too. It's been the one thing on my mind ever since I got here. I'd love to have a family."

There was a pause. They stared at each other and blushed. Jonathan was the first to smile. After Elizabeth returned the smile, Jonathan said,

"Come on. I want to show you the cinderblock. Maybe you'll change your mind."

He held out his hand. Without saying anything, Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. As they walked off, their tails wrapped around each other in a playful, adoring manner. Jonathan was right about the cinderblock because after taking one look at it, Elizabeth changed her mind. Jonathan promised her that once he was done with it, the cinderblock would be good enough to raise a family in. He kept his word because after six months, he made it into a house complete with stairs that lead down into a kitchen with surrounding bedrooms. To Elizabeth's amazement, Jonathan also built some furniture including a table with chairs and three beds. He even made a fireplace. All of this was made possible because of all the sticks and roots that were stuck in the walls. Jonathan used them all. One day, as Elizabeth watched him paint some images on the wall, she asked,

"What are you doing?"

"Painting," Jonathan answered. "I stole some of the paint from the farmer's barn."

"What's painting?" Elizabeth asked.

"What?" Jonathan asked as he looked at her. "You don't know what painting is?"

"I'm afraid not," Elizabeth answered.

After giving it some thought, Jonathan said,

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you don't..."

He covered his mouth and stopped talking.

"Don't have what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Never mind, it's nothing important," Jonathan answered. "Anyway, I have something for you..."

He picked up something in red wrapping paper and gave it to Elizabeth.

"What's this?" Elizabeth asked.

Jonathan smiled and retorted,

"Why don't you open it and see?"

After a pause, Elizabeth slowly tore off the wrapping paper. As Jonathan watched, she tore off all the wrapping paper and was surprised to find her red cloak.

"W-What?!" Elizabeth gasped. "M-My cloak? How did you...?"

"I dug it up a couple of days ago," Jonathan smiled. "A little time, a lot of patience, and these two hands..."

He showed Elizabeth his hands which were dirty and bruised.

"...Makes all the difference," he said.

After checking to see if it was worn out, Elizabeth put it on.

"Thank you so much, Jonathan," Elizabeth smiled as she pulled on her cloak. "This is the best present that anybody could ever give me."

That's only half the present," Jonathan said as he rose. "I still have something else to give you."

"Huh?" Elizabeth asked.

That night, down at the pond that wasn't too far away from the farm, Jonathan and Elizabeth sat in a little boat. The boat was made out of leaves. Jonathan had built it two days ago, revealing that he had planned this evening beforehand. As they slowly drifted along, Jonathan and Elizabeth smiled at each other.

"So, what do you think so far?" Jonathan asked.

"I like this," Elizabeth answered. "It's a beautiful night. I never thought that the pond could be so extravagant."

Jonathan smiled. Several fish jumped over them as they continued to talk.

"Well, if everything goes right the house will be finished by the end of the week," Jonathan said. "It'll be fit for a family. You'll love it."

"Oh, I already love the house," Elizabeth smiled. "You know, it's actually funny that I'm saying that. I mean, it was six months ago when I said that I didn't want to live there. You've made it a dream come true. I'm so excited. I can't wait for the finishing touches. I want us to start a family right now."

"Excuse me?" Jonathan asked as his eyes widened. "Us?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elizabeth blushed as she looked away. "...I mean...well...just forget about it..."

Then there was an awkward silence between them. For a while they just listened to the night. Jonathan finally broke the silence when he asked,

"What did you mean when you said us?"

Elizabeth blushed but she didn't answer him. Jonathan moved closer to her and said,

"It's all right, you can tell me. You said us. Does that mean...?"

After a bit of reluctance, Elizabeth answered,

"Well...I was thinking that..."

She paused and looked down.

"Go on," Jonathan said as he sat down next to her.

"Jonathan, I was thinking that..." Elizabeth said. "I was thinking that maybe you'd like to stay with me."

"Live with you?" Jonathan asked as he put his arm around her.

Elizabeth nodded and said,

"I like you, Jonathan. I find you to be very attractive, smart, and a joy to be around. You've done so much for me. I..."

She leaned toward him and turned her head so she could look straight at him.

"I..." she whispered. "I...I love you..."

Jonathan was silent for a moment. He didn't know what to say at first but after giving it some thought, he asked,

"Do you want to know what I think?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered.

Without saying anything, Jonathan slowly kissed her on the lips. When he took his lips off of hers, he found that she had a shocked expression on her face.

"Uhhhhhh..." Jonathan blushed. "Was that too much?"

After a pause, Elizabeth slowly smiled and answered,

"No..."

Then they kissed again. As their lips locked, the entire pond lit up with fireflies. It became a beautiful sight. Fish jumped out of the water all around Jonathan and Elizabeth. The frogs croaked and the fireflies glowed brighter. It was like a big celebration and as they continued to kiss, Jonathan and Elizabeth knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Husband and Wife

Ten months after their moment at the pond, Jonathan and Elizabeth were getting married. By this time, Elizabeth already had their first child. Her name was Teresa, named after Elizabeth's mother, and at only two months old she showed exceptional maturity. She already knew how to read and was learning how to write. Elizabeth didn't know how to read or write nor did she didn't understand it. Jonathan had promised her that after the wedding he would teach her how. Several animals came to the wedding, mostly friends of Elizabeth. Auntie Shrew came as well and was predictably against the wedding but out of respect she kept to herself. As Jonathan stood under the gazebo that he built for the wedding, the guest sat on the ground on both sides of a rocky path that went from the gazebo to the front door. The Justice of the Peace, an old sparrow, flew down and landed in front of Jonathan. As he joined him, the JP coughed a few times before clearing his throat and asking Jonathan,

"Are all the guest here?"

"Yes, Jonathan answered. "Everybody who..."

He stopped speaking when he saw Mr. Ages coming.

"Now way...!" Jonathan said as a big smile came to his face.

When he reached Jonathan and the JP, Mr. Ages stopped in front of Jonathan and stared at him.

"You got my invitation?" Jonathan smiled.

"Yes, this morning," Mr. Ages answered. "You do realize that I was in the middle of an important experiment, right?"

Jonathan laughed and said,

"More important than my wedding?"

Mr. Ages sighed and crossed his arms. Jonathan grinned and said,

"Well, I'm glad you're here, Mr. Ages. Thank you for coming."

After a pause, Mr. Ages grumbled,

"You're welcome."

Before he could walk over and talk his seat, Jonathan stopped him and asked,

"Hold on, where are you going?"

"I'm going over to sit down," Mr. Ages answered. "Isn't the wedding supposed to start?"

"It can't start without the best man," Jonathan retorted.

"What?!" A shocked Mr. Ages yelled. "What are you saying?!"

"You're the best man," Jonathan smiled. "Didn't you read the bottom of my invitation?"

"Yes and it said nothing about me being the best man!" Mr. Ages yelled. "Jonathan, I don't want to be the best man!"

"Sure you do," Jonathan laughed. "You even told me once that you would be my best man if I ever had a wedding."

"No I didn't!!" Mr. Ages shouted. "Stop fooling around!! I..."

"Here she comes!" One of the guest yelled. "Here comes the bride!"

As everybody stood up and watched the front door open, a squirrel who was sitting on a tree branch above them took out his flute that he had made out of a stick. As Teresa came out and started throwing flowers, the squirrel put his fingers into place and blew into the flute, creating a soothing melody. Before Elizabeth came out, Jonathan slipped the ring to Mr. Ages. The ring was a rose tied to a small, ring shaped vine. After looking at it, Mr. Ages whispered,

"Why aren't you giving her the amulet?"

After a pause, Jonathan answered,

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Where is it?" Mr. Ages asked.

Jonathan wasn't wearing the amulet. As he watched Teresa skip down the rocky path, he answered,

"It's inside. I hid it because..."

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" The JP interrupted.

Jonathan and Mr. Ages fell silent and watched as Elizabeth came out. She was wearing a white cloak with a veil over her head. She was also carrying a bouquet. As she slowly walked down the rocky path, everybody smiled and whispered. Jonathan couldn't believe his eyes. She was so beautiful, like something out of a dream. As she walked toward she smiled at Jonathan and he smiled back. When she reached them she stood beside Jonathan. They eyed each other as the JP cleared his throat and said,

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are here to celebrated the union between these two individuals. Love is what brought them together. Matrimony is what will keep them together forever more. When these two met there was magic in the air. They fell under a spell and remain entranced. Only death can break it. May they be forever happy, joyous for their many years ahead. Remain together through times of hardship and prosperity. Cherish your marriage until death do you part. Now, if there is anybody here who feels that this marriage should not take place, speak now or forever hold your peace..."

Nobody spoke up. After a pause, the JP cleared his throat again and asked Jonathan,

"Jonathan, do you swear to love Elizabeth, to cherish her, and to take care of her until death do you part?"

"I do," Jonathan smiled as he looked at Elizabeth.

The JP looked at Elizabeth and asked,

"Elizabeth, do you swear to love Jonathan, to cherish him, and to take care of him until death do you part?"

"I do," Elizabeth blushed as she looked at Jonathan.

"Then by the power invested in me, the ring please." The JP said.

Mr. Ages gave the ring to Jonathan, who took Elizabeth's hand and slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Well then, I now pronounce you husband and wife," The JP smiled.

Jonathan turned to Elizabeth and lifted her veil. They just stared at each other for a moment before finally kissing. Everybody rose and cheered. As the squirrel played another tune on his flute, everybody continued to cheer. As Jonathan and Elizabeth continued to kiss, Mr. Ages patted Jonathan on the back and left. After finally parting lips, Jonathan and Elizabeth looked at each other and smiled. Elizabeth felt a tug on her cloak and looked down. She found that it was Teresa, who looked up at Elizabeth and whined,

"I'm hungry mother. Can we eat lunch now?"

Jonathan and Elizabeth laughed. As the celebration continued, Nicodemus watched from a distance where he could not be seen. As he watched Jonathan and Elizabeth, he smiled and said to himself,

"May good fortune come to you and your family, Jonathan, my friend..."

Next morning, as Teresa slept in her room, Jonathan and Elizabeth slept together in their bedroom. With his arms wrapped around Elizabeth, Jonathan leaned over her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. Elizabeth woke up and after a pause, she smiled and greeted,

"Good morning, Mr. Brisby."

As Jonathan slowly mover his hand down her side, he returned the greeting.

"Good morning, Mrs. Brisby."

Elizabeth turned over and they began to kiss. After a minute, Jonathan got on top of her and started kissing her neck.

"Jonathan?" Elizabeth asked as she lifted her hand and started to caress the fur on top of his head.

"Hmmm," Jonathan answered as he continued to kiss her neck.

"There's something I need to tell you," Elizabeth said as she smiled from the tingly feeling that she got from Jonathan's kisses.

"Hmmm," Jonathan said as he kissed the side of her neck.

"I'm..." Elizabeth said.

Jonathan moved up and kissed her on the lips.

Jonathan," Elizabeth muffled. "Jonathan, I think you might want to here this."

"I'm listening," Jonathan said as he kissed her cheek.

"Well, maybe I should've told you before the wedding," Elizabeth as she moved away from Jonathan.

As Jonathan watched, she sat up at the end of the bed and after a pause, she began to cry.

"Hey..." Jonathan said as he crawled over to her side. "Hey, why are you crying?" What's wrong?"

Without answering, Elizabeth looked at him. Tears were streaming down her face. It broke Jonathan's heart to see her like this. After sitting himself beside her, he wrapped his arm around her and asked,

"What's wrong?"

"I'm..." Elizabeth sobbed.

"Take it easy," Jonathan said as he embraced her. "You can tell me. No matter what is, I won't be mad."

After wiping her tears away, Elizabeth said,

"...I'm pregnant."

After a pause, Jonathan asked,

'Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, Jonathan!!" Elizabeth cried. "I'm so sorry!! I know it's too soon to have another child!!"

"Too soon to have a child?" Jonathan asked. "Elizabeth..."

A sad look came to his face as he leaned her against him and said,

"Listen to me. It's never too soon to have a kid. This is wonderful and you know what? I want to have at least ten kids if we can. I'm happy and you should be too. You shouldn't be crying because this is nothing to be upset about."

Then he kissed her on the cheek and said,

"It's all right. No more crying now. We're going to have this baby and we're going to be happy."

Elizabeth felt better but she continued to cry.

"Oh...!" Jonathan said as he noticed the bulge on her belly. "Looks like the baby is coming along."

He put his hand on her belly and felt the bulge.

"How long have you known?" He asked.

"For a week," Elizabeth answered as she wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"And it's all right," Jonathan smiled. "You were scared that's all. Now that you know how I feel let me say this. It doesn't matter if we have two, four, or twenty kids, I don't care. We're going to raise a family and we're going to be happy. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth leaned against him and answered,

"...Yes."

Then they embraced and kissed. Two weeks later, Elizabeth gave birth to their second child. It was a boy and they named him Martin, after Jonathan's father. When Martin turned a month old, Jonathan began to teach him how to read and write. For the next seven months, he did so by taking him outside every day. They always went behind the house where Martin sat and watched as Jonathan wrote letters in the dirt using a stick. One day, as Martin watched, Jonathan drew the letter T and asked him,

"All right, what's this letter?"

After a pause, Martin answered,

"Ummmmmmmm, I think it's..."

Jonathan nodded, waiting for him to say the right answer.

"Ummmmmm, oh yeah, I know!! Martin yelled. "It's F!!"

"F as in Failure," Jonathan sighed as he shook his head. "Come on, Martin. We went over this the other day."

"Awwwww, I'm sorry dad," Martin said. "I'm just tired. Can I go and take a nap?"

"Only if you spell nap," Jonathan answered.

"OK," Martin said. "That'll be easy."

"We'll see," Jonathan said as he slowly pat his palm with his stick.

"All right," Martin said. "Nap. N.A.P.E. Nap!"

After a pause, Jonathan grinned and said,

"You're mine for the afternoon."

Inside the house, Teresa helped Elizabeth clean. As they cleared off the table, Elizabeth asked,

"So, what is your father teaching Martin?"

"The alphabet," Teresa answered. "He taught me the same thing too."

After a pause, Elizabeth asked,

"What's the alphabet?"

Teresa stopped clearing the table and stared at Elizabeth, as if surprised.

"I don't know what the Alphabet is," Elizabeth smiled. "Would you mind telling me what it is?"

"Sure," Teresa smiled back as she continued to clear the table.

As Elizabeth listened, Teresa explained,

"The alphabet is a complete standardized set of letters. Each letter roughly represents a phoneme, a set of speech sounds or sign elements, of spoken language. The alphabet comes in many forms and languages. The common alphabet that we know of is made up of 26 letters. Would you like me to recite it for you mom?"

Elizabeth stared at her, dumbfounded.

Mr. Brisby and the Rats of NIMH

Farmer Fitzgibbons was a working man. He got up and worked when the sun rose and stopped when the sun set, from dawn till dusk. One day, while his wife cleaned the house and his son tried to catch bugs with a net, Farmer Fitzgibbons searched his barn for some equipment.

"Now where did I put that extension cord? He asked himself as he searched through a pile of junk. "Don't tell me I'm missing that too."

For the past week, some of Farmer Fitzgibbons' tools and equipment have been disappearing. From a hammer, to machine parts, and now his extension cord. As he continued to search for it, he became frustrated.

"Damn!!" He yelled as he started throwing things around. "It can't be missing! I used it last night!"

Then he walked over to another junk pile and yelled,

"Where's that extension cord!!"

As he started digging through the pile, a rat scurried out of the barn. Meanwhile, Jonathan was taking a stroll through the field. It has been a year since he married Elizabeth. He would take strolls sometimes so he could relax and just let everything go. Not that he was stressed out but he needed some time to himself. This also gave Elizabeth a chance to spend time with kids. As he walked through the field he heard a scream coming from his left. After hearing the scream again, Jonathan decided to investigate. He ran into the direction that the scream came from. After running through some wheat, he found a clearing. Stepping into it, he found Auntie Shrew, who was backing away from a rat.

"Get away from me!!" Auntie Shrew yelled as she backed away. Don't come any closer!!"

Jonathan looked at the rat and immediately recognized him. It was Jenner and as he sighed, he said,

"Madame, I won't hurt you. I already told you that..."

Auntie Shrew threw a rock which hit him on the head. As he gritted his teeth, Jenner said to himself,

"I could do it...but I'm not going to..."

Auntie Shrew continued to scream. As he walked toward her, Jenner said,

"For the last time, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm looking for a Jonathan Brisby. He's a mouse about..."

"Jenner?" Jonathan asked as he walked up to him.

Jenner turned and looked at Jonathan. After a pause, he smiled and said,

"Ah, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"What for?" Jonathan asked as he stopped in front of him.

He noticed that Jenner was wearing clothes complete with a cape. After giving a sigh of relief, Auntie Shrew said,

"Thank God for you, Mr. Brisby. You've come to save me from this horrid rat."

"Uh, no I'm not," Jonathan replied as he raised an eyebrow. "I was just curious..."

As he stepped in front of Jenner, he looked at Auntie Shrew and asked,

"What ever happened to the shrew who wouldn't stand for trouble?"

Auntie Shrew looked at Jenner and then back at Jonathan and answered,

"I'm petrified of rats!"

Later, as they walked through the field, Jonathan and Jenner talked.

"So, you live under a rosebush?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes," Jenner answered. "A...temporary home...As Nicodemus wanted."

"How's he doing?" Jonathan asked. "Taking it easy I hope."

"I wouldn't know," Jenner answered coldly. "He spends most of his days in his room, planning our next exodus..."

"What?" Joanthan asked. "You guys are leaving?"

"That's what Nicodemus wants to do..." Jenner grumbled. "He's got this crazy idea about leaving these lands so we may fend for ourselves instead of living off the farmer, benefiting from the technology that he has. We've come a long way since NIMH. We are now advanced, holding council, creating technology our own, prospering and yet Nicodemus wants to throw all of that away over a dream."

He looked at Jonathan and asked,

"Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

"Well, I understand where you're coming from. It's easier when you have resources all around you that can be yours for the taking. It's an easy life with little to no worries. You have a point but I think I'm with Nicodemus on this one. His plan isn't as crazy as it sounds. It doesn't sound like he wants to ruin all of you. I think he's trying to do the opposite. He..."

"You agree with Nicodemus, I get it," Jenner interrupted. "I expected that from you. Loyal to Nicodemus even after breaking away from him. You would've been his pet if you hadn't of left."

Jonathan frowned and asked,

"...So what's this all about anyway? You haven't told me why you came to get me."

"Well speaking of his majesty, Nicodemus want's to see you," Jenner answered.

"What for?' Jonathan asked.

"It's about our current problem," Jenner answered. "Dragon."

When they reached the rosebush, Jenner said,

"Well, I have to go and help Sullivan steal some equipment. You can go in. Brutus is waiting to escort you."

"Wait, what about Dragon?" Jonathan asked. "Is it safe for you to be running around with him out and about?"

"Your friend, Mr. Ages, took care of that," Jenner answered. "The old goat said that that would be the last time too..."

He stared at Jonathan and asked,

"By the way, how's that stone of yours?"

"Stone?" Jonathan asked, "Oh, you mean the amulet. Well, it's fine. I have it stashed away in my home."

"Such great power in the hands of someone like you," Jenner said. "It makes me sick..."

He turned around and scurried away.

"Huh?" Jonathan asked himself. "How does he know about the amulet's power?"

"Everyone knows," Nicodemus said as he watched Jonathan through his foreseeing orb. "The amulet is special...and so are you, my friend. You've done so much for us and yet I must ask you to do more. I don't wish to bring you into our matters, especially since you have a family now but you're our last hope. Whether you help us or not is up to you. Whatever your decision may be, it'll be for the best..."

After being escorted by Brutus, the guardian of the rat's home, to the main entrance deep underground, Jonathan went in alone. He walked down a hallway that was decorated with lights, jewels, and even toys. As he past a formation of toy soldiers, he didn't notice that he was being watched. A rat stepped out of the formation and crept up on him. Before Jonathan knew what hit him, the rat grabbed him and covered his eyes.

"Reveal my name," the rat whispered.

After a pause, Jonathan smiled and said,

"Justin."

Justin laughed and released him.

"It's been a long time, Jonathan," Justin laughed. "Yet you were able to guess who I was even with your eyes covered. Heh, you're good."

"I haven't forgotten about you," Jonathan said as he turned and faced him. "I would never forget about any of my friends for that matter. It's good to see you again. Justin."

"Likewise," Justin smiled. "The prodigal son returns at long last. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much," Jonathan answered. "Just raising a family."

After a pause, Justin smiled and said,

"Well, good for you. That's what you wanted too, right?"

Jonathan nodded and asked,

"So, where's Nicodemus?"

"He's down on the next level," Justin answered. "I'll take you there. Nicodemus has been expecting you."

As they began to walk further down the hallway, Jonathan said,

"I figured. Jenner told me he wanted to see me."

"How was Jenner anyway?" Jonathan asked. "I hope he didn't give you any trouble."

"Well, he was just being Jenner," Jonathan answered. "The same Jenner that I remember from the forest. Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

"Well, Jenner has been speaking out against Nicodemus lately," Justin answered. "It doesn't help that he's on the council too. I'm sure he told you about that. He's been using his influence to start an opposition against Nicodemus and the plan to move to Thorn Valley."

"Thorn Valley?" Jonathan asked.

Later, when they arrived to Nicodemus' door, Justin said good-bye to Jonathan and left him. After a pause, Jonathan knocked on the door twice. The door swung open and a blast of bright light shot out. After a minute, the light disappeared. Jonathan just stood there with his jaw dropped.

"Come in, my friend," Nicodemus said.

As he walked in, Jonathan joked,

"I don't think I can because I've been blinded."

After stepping in, the door closed behind him. Jonathan looked and found Nicodemus sitting on a throne surrounded by menacing roots straight ahead.

"Hello Jonathan," he greeted.

With a smiled, Jonathan returned the greeting.

"Nicodemus. It's been a long time..."

"Never to long for two old friends to come together," Nicodemus smiled. Come closer, Jonathan."

Jonathan walked toward Nicodemus and as he did so, a box slowly flew over his head.

"Uhhhhhhh..." Jonathan said as watched it float by. "So, what's this I here about Thorn Valley?"

"It is a place far away from here," Nicodemus answered. "It is where we can thrive and prosper on our own, where we don't have to rely on man for survival. I'm afraid to say that since we moved here, we've been stealing from the farmer. We've stolen not just food but technology as well. That is our shame. Everything you saw around you when you entered our home were not from our very minds but from the very cords, machine parts, and equipment that Farmer Fitzgibbons used. We have so much potential to succeed on our own and yet we continue to rely on human beings. Just as we did before our time at NIMH. We are no better than the simple minded creatures that we once were. We need to break off this farm so we can grow our own food, create our own technology, and live off our own resources..."

Jonathan nodded as Nicodemus continued to talk.

"This is my dream, Jonathan. A colony of complete independence. Thorn Valley is where we can accomplish this..."

Nicodemus sighed and added,

"Until then, we must continue stealing from the farmer in order to survive."

After reaching Nicodemus, Jonathan stood in front of him and said,

"It's good to see you Nicodemus."

Nicodemus smiled and rose from his throne. Putting his hand on Jonathan's shoulder, he asked,

"How are you doing, my friend? How is your family?"

Without asking how Nicodemus knew about his family, Jonathan answered,

"I'm doing fine and so is my family. My wife and two kids, God love them, have been my only reason for living ever since moving here."

Nicodemus coward slightly when Jonathan talked about his family.

"I love my family so much," Jonathan continued. "I don't know what I'd do without them. Heh, it makes me happy just to think about them. Elizabeth, the love of my life, and my two children..."

Without finishing what he was going to say, Jonathan smiled and slowly shook his head.

"Indeed, you are a great husband and father," Nicodemus said while he bowed his head. "They love you dearly...They'd be devastated if something ever happened to you."

Jonathan noticed that something was wrong with Nicodemus.

"Nicodemus, what's wrong?" He asked.

"It's about why you're here, Jonathan," Nicodemus answered without looking at him. "Jonathan, I don't want to ask you this but...we are desperate. Our power is running put and so is our food..."

"Is there something you'd like me to do?" Jonathan asked. "I'll be glad to help you if you need it."

"Jonathan, you don't need to help us," Nicodemus said. "What I'm asking of is too risky. I don't want to bring you into our matters, not with a wife and two kids, and not with a third on the way."

"Third?" Jonathan asked himself under his breath.

"...Forget it, Jonathan," Nicodemus said while waving his hands. "I don't want you to risk your life..."

"What do you want me to do?" Jonathan interrupted. "I'll do anything for you, Nicodemus. Tell me what I have to do."

"I can't..." Nicodemus said as he turned and began to walk away.

"Tell me," Jonathan said as he followed him.

As he walked up along side him, Jonathan put his hand on Nicodemus' shoulder and asked,

"What do you want me to do?"

Although reluctant, Nicodemus retorted,

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," Jonathan answered.

"...Jenner told you about Dragon, the farmer's cat," Nicodemus said. "He has become a major problem for us. It's no longer safe to leave the rosebush. Dragon has killed over five of our comrades. We've tired almost everything to stop him but nothing worked. Then we devised a plan. Using a sleeping powder provided by Mr. Ages, we could drug Dragon. With the cat knocked out, travel could be safer. There is a problem though. In order to drug Dragon, the sleeping powder has to be put into his food. His food dish is located in the kitchen. To get there, one must go through a hole in the porch of the house. There's another hole inside, in the kitchen floor. Our problem is that none of us can fit through it. This is what I ask of you. You could fit through there, Jonathan. Mr. Ages already did it today but it'll probably be his last. He is too old for it and he almost got caught. Jonathan, you're the only other individual who can fit through that hole. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to do it but..."

"I'll do it," Jonathan interrupted.

"Jonathan..." Nicodemus said while shaking his head.

"I'll do it," Jonathan repeated. "I want to do it. I want to help you."

Before Nicodemus could say anything, Jonathan said,

"You had best tell me when I need to perform this task because my mind is made up. I'm going to help you."

Nicodemus stared at him for the longest time with a sad look on his face. He didn't want to use Jonathan to solve their problem but he knew that he was going to help no matter what. After giving a deep sigh, Nicodemus said,

"Tomorrow morning. You'll need to get up early. Dragon has his breakfast as 6:30. Justin will meet you at the hole in the porch."

"Thank you, Nicodemus," Jonathan said.

"No, thank you," Nicodemus retorted. "You have come to our aide once more and this time you're risking your own life as well."

After a pause, Jonathan said,

"Anything for my friends."

Later, as Jonathan walked back to his house, he thought to himself,

"I am risking my life. There is a good possibility that I could get caught. What's worse though is my family. How will they know if...?"

He thought about a conversation that he and Nicodemus had before he left him.

"Jonathan?" Nicodemus asked as he watched him leave.

Jonathan stopped and turned around. Staring at Nicodemus, Jonathan answered,

"Yes?"

"Are you going to tell your wife about this?' Nicodemus asked. "Are you going to tell her that you're risking your life to help us?"

After a long pause, Jonathan answered,

"...No..."

"Oh?" Nicodemus asked. "Why not?"

"She wouldn't understand and I don't want her to worry anyway," Jonathan answered. "It'd be too much for her knowing that her husband could get killed."

He looked away as if uncomfortable with talking about it. Nicodemus noticed this as he walked toward him.

"Jonathan, is there anything wrong?' He asked.

Jonathan didn't answer him. After reaching him, Nicodemus put his hand on his shoulder and asked,

"Is there something bothering you? Is it about what you have to do tomorrow?"

"No..." Jonathan answered as he slowly looked at him. "...It's something..."

"I'm going to outlive Elizabeth..." Jonathan thought to himself as he walked through the field. "I'm going to live longer than her..."

He kicked a twig out of the way as he continued to walk.

"I could never tell her the truth," he thought. "I could never tell her that..."

He continued to think about the rest of the conversation that he and Nicodemus had.

"Have you told Elizabeth about us, Jonathan?" Nicodemus asked. "About NIMH and...?"

"No..." Jonathan answered.

"Why not?" Nicodemus asked. "Why keep everything a secret? Why not tell her the truth?"

"I don't want to tell her," Jonathan answered. "I can't bring myself to tell her that unlike me and the kids, she'll die long before us. I've been thinking about it for a while and it's really gotten to me. I mean, just thinking about it...She'll die of old age while me and the kids will remain young. I just..."

"I don't want to tell her," Jonathan said to himself as he walked toward the house. "But I'd be living a life of lies...I already am...Maybe..."

After reaching the house, Jonathan stood at the entrance and thought,

"...Maybe in time, I'll tell her..."

He walked in and as he made his way down the stairs he heard Elizabeth humming to himself. After slowly stepping into the kitchen, Jonathan found Elizabeth cleaning the table. As she continued to hum she looked at Jonathan and smiled.

"Elizabeth?" Jonathan asked. "Is there...?"

He remembered what Nicodemus said earlier,

"Not with a third on the way..."

A smile came to his face. Forgetting about all of his problems he walked over to Elizabeth as she continued to clean the table. Embracing her from behind, he rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her on the neck.

"Elizabeth?" He asked softly.

"Yes, Jonathan?" Elizabeth answered as she stopped cleaning.

"Are you...?" Jonathan asked.

"Am I what?" Elizabeth teased as she looked at him.

Jonathan moved his hands to her belly and twirled her fur around his fingers.

"What would you like to name the baby if it's a girl?" Jonathan smiled.

"Cynthia sounds nice," Elizabeth answered. "What would you like to name the baby if it's a boy?"

Timothy

For the next three weeks, Jonathan drugged Dragon. Every morning while Elizabeth stayed with the two kids and relaxed, Jonathan met up with Justin at the hole in the porch. Like Nicodemus told him, there was a hole in the kitchen floor that only Jonathan could easily fit through. Every time they did this, Justin talked Jonathan through it. Jonathan was nervous the first few times and almost got caught at one point. By the fifth time though, Jonathan was used to it. He was no longer fearful of getting caught. Jonathan and Justin became good friends during this time. Every time he completed the task, Jonathan and Justin took their time in heading back to their respective homes so they could have conversations about daily life. Jonathan would always come back two hours later than expected. He told Elizabeth that he would be taking morning strolls to cover up for what he was really doing. Elizabeth believed him although she did get angry at the times when he came in three hours later. He told her that his strolls would only be a half an hour long. By the end of the third week, Elizabeth was very pregnant. She became tired and relaxed more often while Teresa and Martin took care of the house. One day as Teresa swept the stairs, Martin cleaned out the fire place.

"Work, work, work," Martin complained. "Why do we have to do so many chores?"

"Because we are helping mom," Teresa said as she swept the leaves off the steps. "We are doing all these chores so that she doesn't have to."

"I am tired of chores," Martin said, as he stuck his finger the soot. "I want to go out and have fun!"

"Martin...!" Teresa said as she continued to sweep the stairs.

Suddenly, Martin jumped up and spun around revealing that he had made markings all over his face with the soot.

"I am Martimus Brisby!" He shouted. "A great warrior who shall have his vengeance in this life or the next!"

"Martin, not so loud!" Teresa said. "Mom is sleeping!"

Ignoring her, Martin took a stick that was leaning against the fireplace and started swinging it around.

"Let's fight to the death!!" Martin yelled.

He ran over and jumped on the table.

"Martin!" Teresa shouted as she ran down the stairs.

"Take that and that!" Martin yelled as he stabbed the air with his stick. "Die, die, die!"

He raise his arms and yelled,

"Martimus Brisby reigns supreme! Good has triumphed! Let freedom..."

"Brisby!" A voice called. "Brisby!"

"Oh, it's Auntie Shrew," Teresa said as she ran back up the stairs.

"Ha!" Martin laughed as he jumped off the table. "All evil is not vanquished yet!"

"Brisby!" Auntie Shrew called again.

"So the evil overlord has come to challenge me!" Martin yelled as he swung his stick. "A worthy adversary indeed but with all my might, I shall strike her down!"

"Shhhhhhhhh!!" Teresa said while waiting at the entrance.

A minute later, Auntie Shrew walked in. Without noticing Teresa, she yelled,

"Brisby!!"

"Auntie Shrew," Teresa said as she walked out in front of her.

"Oh, hello my child," Auntie Shrew said while rubbing her eyes. "Where is your mother? I have come to see how she's doing."

"She's sleeping right now," Teresa answered. "She was too tired to get up this morning so we've been taking care of the house."

"Have you," Auntie Shrew said as she slowly made her way down the stairs. "How very thoughtful of you two. Where might the Mr. be?"

"He went out for a walk," Teresa answered as she followed her. "He goes out every morning and I don't know why. He told us that it relaxes him. He's usually out for a long time before..."

When Auntie Shrew reached the middle stair, Martin held out his stick and tripped her.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Auntie Shrew screamed as she fell down the rest of the stairs.

She rolled out into the kitchen and lied sprawled on the floor.

"Victory!" Martin yelled as he walked over and stepped on top of Auntie Shrew. "Evil is vanquished!! Let freedom reign!!"

Suddenly, Auntie Shrew sat up and grabbed Martin. She pulled him down to her face and after taking a huge gulp, Martin quivered,

"Evil lives."

"And evil shall smite you, you little brat," Auntie Shrew grinned as she started to squeeze him.

Suddenly, Elizabeth called,

"Auntie Shrew, is that you?"

Auntie Shrew sighed and released Martin. Getting up, she answered,

"Yes, Mrs. Brisby, it's me."

"...Help me!!!" Elizabeth groaned. "The baby is coming!!!"

Without saying anything, Auntie Shrew ran into Elizabeth's room. A minute later, she ran back out and yelled,

"Teresa, your mother needs help! Get a wet cloth and bring it to me. Then I want you to grab all the blankets you can find because we're going to need them. Hurry child!"

Teresa obeyed and ran to the other side of the kitchen to find a cloth. Before Auntie Shrew could run back into Elizabeth's room, Martin yelled,

"Hey what about me?! What should I do?!"

"Go find your father," Auntie Shrew answered. "He needs to be here so try and find him as quickly as you can. Now go!!"

Without protest, Martin turned and ran up the stairs. When he heard his mother scream he stopped. He was concerned and wanted to go back down and see if she was all right but he knew that that wouldn't help. After a pause, he ran out of the house. Meanwhile, Elizabeth clutched a pillow and began to moan in pain as Auntie Shrew and Teresa ran in. Teresa handed Auntie Shrew the wet cloth and ran back out to get some blankets. Auntie Shrew ran to Elizabeth's bedside and tried to comfort her.

"It's all right, Mrs. Brisby," she said. "It's OK. You're going to get through this so try and relax..."

"I can't!!!" Elizabeth cried. "I can't!!! It hurts so bad!!!"

She squeezed the pillow and tried to spread her legs apart but it was too painful. As Elizabeth continued to cry, Auntie Shrew put the wet cloth on her forehead. Teresa ran back in with some blankets in her arms. Seeing her mother in pain, Teresa cried,

"Mother..."

"Teresa!" Elizabeth cried.

Auntie Shrew looked at Teresa and said,

"It's all right, Teresa. Your mother is going to be fine so just bring those blankets over here. Come on, hurry!"

As she began to cry, Teresa ran over to Auntie Shrew and handed her the blankets. As she took them, Auntie Shrew thought to herself,

"Where is Mr. Brisby?"

Out in the field, Jonathan was slowly walking back to the house when Martin toward him.

"Dad!!!" Martin yelled. "Dad!!!"

"Martin?" Jonathan asked. "What are you doing out here? Why aren't you..."

"Dad, mom is having the baby!!!" Martin interrupted. "You need to come back to the house quick!!!"

"What!!!" Jonathan yelled.

"Auntie Shrew sent me out to find you!" Martin added. "She said that you need to be there!"

"She's right so let's go!!" Jonathan yelled as he began to run. "Come on!!"

Back at the house, Elizabeth clenched the bed sheets and screamed while Auntie Shrew tried to come her down. Teresa watched from the other side of the room, crying as her mother continued to scream in pain. As Jonathan and Martin ran to the house, Jonathan asked,

"When did she go into labor?"

"What doe labor mean?" Martin retorted.

"What does labor...What do you think it means?!!" Jonathan yelled. "When did she start giving birth?!"

"I don't know," Martin answered. "I'm sorry that I..."

"How can you not know?!! Jonathan yelled. "You were there when it started weren't you?!!"

Martin didn't answer him. Forgetting about him, Jonathan ran ahead. When he reached the house he ran inside. Martin didn't follow him. He just slowly walked to the side of the house with tears in his eyes. Jonathan had never yelled at him before. Meanwhile, Jonathan ran into the bedroom where he found Auntie Shrew trying to comfort Elizabeth while Teresa sat in the corner and cried.

"Elizabeth, are you OK?" Jonathan asked as he ran to her bedside. "Are you..."

Jonathan!!!" Elizabeth cried as she held out her arms.

Jonathan leaned over and they embraced.

"Mr. Brisby, the baby is coming!" Auntie Shrew yelled. "What are you doing?!"

"I know, I know," Jonathan said as he let go of Elizabeth. "Hold on..."

"Jonathan!!!" Elizabeth cried.

"It's all right, Elizabeth," Jonathan said as he ran around to the foot of the be. "It'll be all right. We've done this before..."

He took Elizabeth by the legs and lifted her rear end up. As Auntie Shrew put some more blankets under her, Jonathan smiled at Elizabeth and added,

"Two times already."

Elizabeth tried to smile but the pain was too much. She began to moan loudly again. After the blankets were put in place, Jonathan set her back down gently. After a pause, Jonathan looked at Teresa and said,

"Hey, run out and fill a bowl with water. I need it, honey, so get up and go get it!"

Without saying a word, Teresa got up and ran out. Jonathan turned back to Elizabeth and asked,

"All right, Elizabeth, are you ready?"

Through her pain and tears, Elizabeth managed to give him a nod.

"Let's hope I am," Jonathan sighed.

Meanwhile, Teresa ran out of the house with a bowl in her hands. She didn't notice Martin leaning against the house as she ran by. Running to a flooded area of the field, Teresa filled the bowl with water and quickly ran back to the house. This time, she noticed Martin but didn't say anything to him. She ran back inside leaving Martin to cry by himself. After running down the stairs, Teresa ran back into the bedroom and handed Jonathan the bowl. Jonathan took it and said,

"Thanks, honey."

He put the bowl down on the bed and dunked his hands in it. Then he took them out and looked at Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth?' He asked.

Elizabeth just stared at him and cried. Without saying anything, Jonathan took her legs and slowly spread them apart. A pain shot up Elizabeth's spine and made her scream. As Jonathan continued to spread her legs apart, Elizabeth closed her eyed and gritted her teeth. After spreading her legs as far as they could go, Jonathan asked Auntie Shrew,

"Would you...?"

Knowing what he wanted her to do, Auntie Shrew took Elizabeth's hand and held it tightly.

"All right," Jonathan said. "Ready?"

Elizabeth nodded as she started to breathe heavily. After a pause, Jonathan slowly moved his hands in. The minute she felt it, Elizabeth began to scream. Outside, Martin ignored his mother's cries. For a minute he just stood there, unable to think. Then he sighed and wiped his tears away. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's screams were replaced by the cries of a baby. Back in the bedroom, Auntie Shrew wiped all of the sweat off of Elizabeth's face while Jonathan walked around the room with their newborn baby in his arms.

"Hello, Timothy," Jonathan smiled as he looked at the baby.

"Jonathan," Elizabeth gasped.

As he continued to smile at Timothy, Jonathan turned and walked over to the bed. Then he slowly got on and lied down next to Elizabeth. They both looked at Timothy and then at each other. After smiling at each other, they kissed. As they began to snuggle with Timothy, Auntie Shrew took Teresa and left the room. Elizabeth took Timothy from Jonathan and held him up to her breast so he could suckle. As Timothy latched on, Elizabeth and Jonathan looked at each other again.

"I love you," Elizabeth said.

"I love you too," Jonathan retorted.

That night, while Elizabeth slept with Timothy, Jonathan went outside and found Martin still leaning against the house.

"Hey," he greeted.

Martin ignored him. Jonathan walked over and leaned next to him.

"Hey, are you all right?" Jonathan asked.

Again, Martin ignored him. After giving a huge sigh, Jonathan asked,

"It this about this morning?"

Martin looked away from him.

"Martin..." Jonathan said. "Martin, I know I yelled at you this morning and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"You've never yelled at me before," Martin quivered without looking at him.

Feeling more guilty now, Jonathan said,

"...I know, Martin...and I'm really sorry. I was...I was very stressed out. I didn't expect your mommy to have the baby today. I panicked and I was afraid. Who knows what could've happened to your mother if I hadn't of gotten here in time. You see, Martin..."

He knelt down and put his hand on Martin's shoulder.

"So much could've gone wrong. I was very nervous and I couldn't about anything else but your mother. I wasn't thinking about you and I hurt your feelings. For that I'm sorry. I'll never yell at you again..."

Martin turned around, revealing that he had been crying the entire time. As tears continued to stream down his face, Martin leapt into his father's arms. As they embraced, Jonathan whispered into Martin's ear,

"Never again."

One morning a week later, as Jonathan was serving Martin and Teresa breakfast, Elizabeth screamed and ran out of the bedroom carrying Timothy.

"Jonathan!!!" Elizabeth cried.

'What, what is it?" Jonathan asked as he walked around the table. 'What's wrong, Elizabeth?"

"It's Timothy!!" Elizabeth cried. "He's been bitten by a spider!!"

"What?!" Jonathan asked as he ran to her side. "When did he get bitten?!"

"On the arm!!" Elizabeth cried as she sowed him. "Right there...!!"

Jonathan looked and found that the bite mark was starting to pus.

"Look, it's getting worse!!" Elizabeth cried. "It's getting worse!!"

Jonathan tried to wipe the pus off but the second he touched the wound, Timothy began to cry. The wound began to bleed and as Timothy continued to cry, Jonathan said,

"We need to go to Mr. Ages."

He turned to the kids and said,

"We're taking Timothy to Mr. Ages. I want you two to stay here and watch the house. We'll be back soon,"

"Is Timothy going to be all right?" Teresa asked.

Jonathan didn't want to be truthful about the severity of the situation so he lied.

"He'll be fine so don't worry," He smiled. "All he needs is a little..."

Timothy threw up all over the blanket that he was wrapped in. His cries became weak.

"Oh God..." Jonathan said under his breath.

"Oh no!!!" Elizabeth cried. "Jonathan, we need to get him to Mr. Ages now!!!"

"All right..." Jonathan said as he put his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and led her to the stairs. "Let's go..."

They ran up the stairs and left, leaving Teresa very concerned. As tears filled her eyes, she said,

"I wish there was a way we could help Timothy."

"Oh, there is..." Martin said.

Teresa turned around and found him kneeling down at the fireplace.

"What are you...?" Teresa asked.

Martin slowly rose and turned around, revealing familiar face markings that he had made with the soot.

"Oh no...!" Teresa said as she put her hand over her eyes.

"Oh yes!" Martin grinned.

Walking over to his stick that he had left leaning against the wall, Martin snatched it. After raising it into the air, he yelled,

"Martimus Brisby has returned to slay the spider!!"

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Elizabeth ran through the field. Timothy began to cough and his wound started to puff up.

"Jonathan!!!" Elizabeth cried.

"I know!" Jonathan yelled. "How bad is he?!"

"He's getting hot!!" Elizabeth cried. "The bite mark is...! Jonathan, we need to hurry!!"

"Don't worry, I see Mr. Ages house straight ahead," Jonathan said. "Tim is going to be all right. You'll see!"

Though he was optimistic on the outside, Jonathan was starting to doubt it on the inside. He was afraid that by the time they reached Mr. Ages' house it would be too late.

Back at the house, Martin and Teresa crept into their parent's bedroom. Martin looked back at Teresa and said,

"So, you've decided to tag along. Well, I'll allow it but I must warn you, Martimus Brisby stops for nobody so you'll have to keep up."

Teresa just rolled her eyes and followed him. As they crept toward the bed, Teresa asked,

"Do you think it's in the bed?"

Martin ignored her and said,

"Obviously the beast is hiding in his lair feasting on the bones of some of it's victims."

They slowly walked around to the left side of the bed. The bed wasn't made because Timothy had been sleeping in it prior to being bitten.

"The beast is lying in wait..." Martin said as he slowly turned to Teresa.

He grabbed her and yelled,

"For his next victim!!!"

Annoyed, Teresa pushed him off and said,

"Just look under the bed and see if it's there."

"Now foul beast," Martin said as he grabbed the covers. "Prepare to..."

He threw them off and found the spider sitting in the middle of the bed. It was big, hairy, and had two sharp fangs sticking out. Martin and Teresa took one look at it and screamed.

Back in the field, Jonathan and Elizabeth reached Mr. Ages' house. It was an old threshing machine that Farmer Fitzgibbons had abandoned long ago. The entrance was at the top and when they reached it, Jonathan and Elizabeth headed in. They slowly slid down through the entrance, carefully avoiding the blades that surrounded them. When they reached the bottom they stepped on a wooden platform. Timothy, who was still awake but very weak, began to cough up blood. As Elizabeth watched him and cried, Jonathan panicked and yelled,

"Mr. Ages?!!!"

There was no answer.

"Mr. Ages?!!!" Jonathan called again. "Mr. Ages?!!! Are you home?!!!"

This time, Mr. Ages answered him.

"Go away!"

"Mr. Ages, we need your help!!!" Jonathan yelled as he lead Elizabeth deeper into Mr. Ages' home. "Mr. Ages?!!!"

"Get out of my house!" Mr. Ages yelled.

After walking down on several narrow beams and metal platforms, Jonathan and Elizabeth found a hole. Standing at the edge, they looked down. The hole probably went down four to five feet but they couldn't see the bottom. There was a rope tied to the ceiling that went down into the hole. Before either of them could say anything, Mr. Ages came into view. He was sitting in a basket that was tied to the rope and he was pulling himself up. Elizabeth looked up and found that there was levee system that made this possible.

"Mr. Ages!!!" Jonathan yelled.

As he continued to pull himself up, Mr. Ages looked up. Seeing that it was Jonathan, he asked,

"Jonathan?! What are you doing here?!"

"Mr. Ages, it's an emergency!!!" Jonathan yelled. "It's Timothy, he's in trouble!!!"

"Please help us!!!" Elizabeth cried.

When he finally pulled himself up in front of Jonathan and Elizabeth, he asked,

"What's wrong with Timothy?"

Meanwhile, Auntie Shrew showed up at the Brisby home.

"Brisby!" She called as she stepped inside. "Bri..."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!" Teresa screamed as she ran out of the bedroom.

Martin was right behind her and they both jumped over the table and hid behind the chairs.

"Martin and Teresa?!" Auntie Shrew asked as she walked down the stairs. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"A monster!!" Martin yelled. "It has big fangs and eight eyes!!"

"What?" Auntie Shrew asked as she reached the bottom step. "What are you talking about?"

"A huge spider!" Teresa answered. "It bit Timothy this morning and it's in mom and dad's room!"

"Yeah, yeah!!" Martin shivered as he pointed at the bedroom. "It's in there!!"

As Auntie Shrew stepped into the kitchen, the spider crept out.

"There it is!!!" Martin and Teresa screamed.

Auntie Shrew just stood there and watched as the spider headed toward her foot.

"Look out, Auntie Shrew!!" Teresa screamed. "The spider coming after you!!"

"Yeah, it's going to get you!!" Martin added. "Run while you still can!!"

When the spider was close enough, Auntie Shrew stepped on it.

"Oh...!" Teresa said while covering her mouth.

Martin, with his jaw dropped, said,

"Evil triumphs over evil..."

Then he shook his head and said,

"This doesn't change anything between us!"

"Likewise..." Auntie Shrew said as she scraped the spider off of her foot.

Back at Mr. Ages' house, Jonathan explained to Mr. Ages,

"He got bitten by a spider this morning and I'm afraid he could..."

Timothy started to gag.

"Timothy!!!" Elizabeth cried.

"Here, let me take him," Mr. Ages said as he got out of the basket and held out his hands.

Although reluctant, Elizabeth handed Timothy to Mr. Ages. After taking him, Mr. Ages checked his wound.

"Hmmmmmmm..." he said as he examined it. "It appears that the spider was venomous."

Timothy coughed up blood again.

"Oh God...!!!" Jonathan said as he held a hand out to Timothy. "Mr. Ages, please help us. You must have a medicine or something that can help Timothy."

With a sad look on his face, Mr. Ages said,

"Timothy is in the final stages of the venom's effect. I'm afraid there isn't much I can do..."

"No..." Elizabeth cried as she embraced Jonathan.

"That can't be," Jonathan said as tears came to his eyes. "There's got to be something you can do to save Timothy. There has to be!!"

After a pause, Mr. Ages looked at Timothy and then at Jonathan and said,

"All right. I'll see what I can do."

Taking Timothy with him, Mr. Ages got back into the basket and pulled himself down into the hole.

"Please hurry..." Jonathan cried. "Save Timothy..."

Elizabeth squeezed Jonathan and went into a fit of sorrow.

"Elizabeth..." Jonathan said as he tried to fight back the rest of his tears.

"Jonathan..." Elizabeth cried. "... I don't want Timothy to die!!!"

She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Later, back at the house, the kids and Auntie Shrew were sitting at the table when Jonathan called,

"Kids...?!"

Martin and Teresa jumped up and ran to the stairs while Auntie Shrew remained seated with a sad look on her face. As the kids watched, Jonathan and Elizabeth walked in and to their delight, Elizabeth was carrying Timothy with a smile on her face.

"Timothy's OK!!!" Teresa shouted.

Auntie Shrew smiled as she watched the kids jump up and down for joy.

"Timothy's OK!!!" Teresa repeated. "He's all right!!!"

"I knew he'd be all right," Martin gloated. "I knew it all along!"

As Jonathan and Elizabeth walked down the stairs, Timothy coughed and after a pause, he said his first word.

"D-D-D-Daddy..."

Stopping at the middle step, Jonathan and Elizabeth looked at each other and then at Timothy.

"Well, what do you know..." Jonathan smiled. "Hehe, his first word was daddy..."

He put his arm around Elizabeth and said,

"That's our son, Timothy."

The Final Day

Four months have past since the day Timothy got bitten by the spider. Much has changed since then. Elizabeth had another baby. It was a girl this time and her name was Cynthia. Elizabeth gave birth to her a month after Timothy and because of their close age, he and Cynthia formed a strong bond. One morning, as Timothy and Cynthia played under the table, the rest of the family ate their breakfast. While Martin stuffed his face with berries and Teresa took a sip of water, Jonathan and Elizabeth didn't touch their food. Instead, they just stared at each other as if they had fallen in love all over again. Jonathan winked at Elizabeth and she gave him a smile in return. Suddenly, Timothy popped up next to Jonathan and asked him,

"Daddy, why did you go out early this morning?"

"I already told you," Jonathan smiled. "I like to take morning strolls."

"But it was still dark out," Cynthia said as she popped up on the other side of him.

"How would you two know that unless you got up and spied on me?" Jonathan grinned.

Timothy and Cynthia looked at each other and said,

"Uh oh!"

They scurried back under the table. Everybody else laughed and continued to eat. Elizabeth looked at Jonathan and asked,

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Hmmmmmm," Jonathan said as he chewed on some carrots.

"Well?" Elizabeth asked. "Maybe we could all go out and do something together."

"Yeah, can we please?!" Timothy asked as he popped up on the other side of the table.

"Well, I was going to make you kids read today..."

"No, no, no!!!" All four kids yelled. "We don't want to read!! We want to go outside!!"

Elizabeth looked at Jonathan again and winked. After a pause, Jonathan said,

"...All right. We'll go outside today."

"Yeeeeeesssssssss!!!" The kids yelled.

"After you read," Jonathan smiled.

"Noooooooooo!!!" The kids groaned.

As he slumped in his chair, Martin yelled,

"Boooooooo!!!"

"Or we can just stay inside all day and have no fun at all,' Jonathan said while raising his hands.

The kids fell silent.

"That's what I thought," Jonathan grinned.

Later that morning, as the kids got ready to go outside, Jonathan and Elizabeth snuck into their bedroom. After closing the door, they embraced and kissed. Then Jonathan took his lips off of Elizabeth's and said,

"You know, I'm so glad that we're married."

"Are you?" Elizabeth smiled as she twirled the fur on his chest around her fingers.

"Yup," Jonathan smiled. "I feel this way everyday."

"Everyday, huh?" Elizabeth smiled. "So there aren't any times when you're just tired of all of this?"

Jonathan grinned and answered,

"Never..."

Elizabeth returned the smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she whispered,

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" Jonathan asked as his eyes lit up. "What is it?"

After giving him another smiled, Elizabeth turned and headed over to the bed. As Jonathan watched, she stopped at the foot of the bed and knelt down. She reached under and pulled out a box. Then she got up and walked back over to Jonathan. She stopped in front of him and held out the box. Without saying anything, Jonathan took the box and opened it. After looking inside, he looked up at Elizabeth and smiled.

"Elizabeth..." he grinned.

Elizabeth nodded and watched as he took out a light green vest. Dropping the box, Jonathan held the vest out so he could take a look at it.

"Do you like it?" Elizabeth asked as she put her hands together.

"I love it," Jonathan answered as he spun it around so he could look at the other side. "Did you make this?"

Elizabeth nodded and said,

"It took me an entire month. I worked on it every time you went on your morning strolls."

"Sneaky," Jonathan said as he tried in on. "It's..."

He put the vest on and after tugging on it, he said,

"It's great."

"It fits?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yup," Jonathan answered as he looked at her. "It's the perfect fit."

He walked over and embraced her.

"Thank you, honey," he said while kissing her on the cheek.

"You really love being married?"

This time, Jonathan frowned as he answered,

"Uh huh. I meant every word."

He held her tightly as he said,

"I love you and the kids. I hope our marriage and family will last forever."

"It will," Elizabeth smiled as she kissed him.

After their lips parted, Elizabeth said,

"I'm going to see if the kids are ready."

'All right," Jonathan said. "I'll be right out."

"Hurry up," Elizabeth teased as she headed for the door. "We'll be waiting."

When she left, Jonathan sighed. Turning around, he headed for the bed.

"How much longer can I lie to you and the kids?" He thought to himself. "I love you all so much and yet I still keep secrets from them..."

He walked around to his side of the bed and knelt down. Reaching under, he pulled out a box of his own.

"Must I continue to keep the truth hidden?" He thought. "You all have a right to know..."

He opened the box.

"For four years, I've been hiding my past," he thought. "I never had the heart to tell you..."

He reached into the box.

"Elizabeth....Kids....," he thought. "I'm going to tell you all the truth..."

He took out the amulet and held it up.

"...Tomorrow," he thought.

A little while later, the Brisby family headed to the pond.

"We're going swimming!" Cynthia yelled as she ran ahead.

"Hey mom, guess what!" Martin said.

"What is it, honey?" Elizabeth asked.

"When we go swimming, I'm going to swim out to the deep end of the pond!"

"Really?" Elizabeth smiled.

"Hey, Martin?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah?" Martin answered.

"Have I ever told you about snapping turtles?" Jonathan asked.

"...No," Martin answered. "What are snapping turtles?"

"Oh, they're just like any other turtle that you would find in the pond," Jonathan answered. "Except they wait around the deep end of the pond for a little mouse to come swimming out. Do you know what they do to little mice that swim out into the deep end?"

"No," Martin answered as he raised his eyebrows.

"They snap it's tail off!!!" Jonathan yelled as he slapped his hands.

Martin screamed and ran ahead.

"Jonathan!" Elizabeth scolded as she pushed him. "Now he'll never go swimming."

"Of course he will," Jonathan smiled. "We just don't have to worry about him swimming out too far."

"Daddy?" Timothy asked as he walked up along side him. "Is that true? About the snapping turtles?"

Jonathan looked at Timothy and without saying a word, he grinned and clapped his hands again. Timothy's eyes widened and without saying anything, he walked ahead. When they reached the pond, the kids jumped in while Jonathan and Elizabeth took their time. Martin splashed Teresa while Timothy helped Cynthia swim. After taking off her cloak, Elizabeth joined the kids. As everybody splashed water at each other, they suddenly heard a Tarzan-like call. They looked up and watched as Jonathan swung off a tree branch, holding onto a string that he had tied to it. He swung past Elizabeth and the kids and let go of the string, landing in the water far away from them. When he resurfaced, Jonathan spat out some water and laughed.

"Jonathan, what were you thinking?!!!" Elizabeth yelled. "That was very dangerous and you could've been..."

"Dad, that was awesome!!!" Martin yelled.

"Yeah!!!" Timothy added. "I want to do that!!!"

After a pause, Teresa and Cynthia yelled,

"Me too!!!"

"You will do no such thing!" Elizabeth said. "No children of mine are going to get themselves hurt over such a foolish stunt!"

"Awwwwwwwww!" the kids cried. "Can we please?!"

Jonathan laughed and yelled,

"Do what your mother says! I really shouldn't have done that anyway! It was very dangerous and I wasn't..."

A snapping turtle poked his head out of the water and said,

"You have a very nice family there."

Jonathan looked at the snapping turtle and said,

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome," the snapping turtle smiled as he went back under water.

By the end of the day, the kids were still playing in the water while Jonathan and Elizabeth sat at the shore. After giving a yawn, Elizabeth said,

"Well, it's getting late. Want to go back home?"

"Not yet," Jonathan answered. "There's something I'd like to show you first..."

He got up and said,

"Come with me. You're going to like this."

"All right," Elizabeth said as she rose. "Let me just get the kids and..."

"No, no, no," Jonathan said as he shook his head. "just you and me."

"But....what about the kids?" Elizabeth asked. "I mean, we can't leave them here all alone. There's nobody to watch them.

Suddenly, Teresa screamed. Jonathan and Elizabeth looked and found that a snapping turtle was giving the kids a ride around the pond.

"Faster!!" Martin yelled as he jumped up and down on the snapping turtle's shell.

"I don't know about fast but have you four ever heard of a submarine?" The snapping turtle asked.

"Submarine?" Cynthia asked. "What's that?"

The snapping turtle grinned and went under water, taking the kids with him. A couple of seconds later, four catfish jumped out of the water with the kids holding onto their tales.

"Whoa!!!" Martin yelled.

As the catfish dove back into the water, the kids let go of their tales and fell into the water. Jonathan laughed and said,

"They'll be fine."

He turned to his left and headed for the forest.

"I don't know..." Elizabeth said as she followed him.

When they entered the forest, Elizabeth hid behind Jonathan and said,

"It's dark..."

"What, afraid of the dark?" Jonathan teased.

"No," Elizabeth quivered. "It's just that..."

A coyote howled, scaring Elizabeth to death. She left Jonathan and ran to her right. As Jonathan just stood there and watched, she ran through some underbrush. When he heard the sound of a splash, Jonathan smiled. On the other side of the underbrush, Elizabeth had fallen into a spring. The water was deep and as she swam to the shore, Jonathan yelled,

"Surprise!!!"

Elizabeth turned around and watched as he slid down a mud slide. When he reached the bottom of the slide he jumped off and did a belly flop. As Elizabeth closed her eyes and cringed at the sound of Jonathan hitting the water, he went under and swam up to her. When Elizabeth peaked through her hands she found Jonathan floating in front of her. He smiled and said,

"Thought this would be a nice place for us to have some alone tome together..."

He did a back float and swam away from her.

"It's quiet and relaxing," he continued. "And it sets a mood that I knew would be perfect for you and me. what do you think?"

Elizabeth didn't answer him.

"Elizabeth?" Jonathan asked as he looked up.

Elizabeth wasn't there and as he got out of his back stroke and looked around, Jonathan called,

"Elizabeth, where are you?!"

Then he turned to the mudslide and after a pause, he smiled. Elizabeth was standing at the top and as she looked down at Jonathan, she yelled,

"Look out below!!"

She jumped on the slide and slid down. As Jonathan watched with a big smirk on his face, Elizabeth reached the bottom of the slide and flew off. Before Jonathan could move, Elizabeth landed on him and they both went under water. A minute later, they slowly resurfaced, embracing and locked in a very passionate kiss. That night, after coming home and putting the children to bed, Jonathan and Elizabeth went to bed as well. As Elizabeth slept on his chest, Jonathan looked up at the ceiling and smiled. He was satisfied with his life and he was very thankful that he had Elizabeth and the kids. At this point, he believed that nothing could go wrong.

The Secret of NIMH

Early next morning, Jonathan got out of bed and got ready to go and drug Dragon. As he put his green vest on, Jonathan looked at Elizabeth and after a pause, he walked around to her side of the bed. As Elizabeth continued to sleep, Jonathan leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Then he turned and headed for the door but before he left, he remembered what he had vowed to do the other day.

"For four years, I've been hiding my past. I never had the heart to tell you. Elizabeth...Kids...I'm going to tell you all the truth....tomorrow..."

Jonathan sighed and turned back. Stopping at the foot of the bed, he knelt down and reached under and pulled out the box. After opening it, he took the amulet out and put it on. As the amulet began to glow, he got up and headed for the door. When he reached it he opened it but before leaving he looked back at Elizabeth and thought to himself,

"...Today..."

He walked out and closed the door behind him. After peering in at all of the kids, Jonathan left the house. As he began to walk through the field he saw a crow flying overhead. At first, Jonathan didn't think much of it but when he heard the crow talking to himself, he stopped and listened.

"Gahhhhhhhhhh!!!" The crow screamed.

From the look of it, the crow had his legs and wings tangled in some string and was having trouble flying. As Jonathan watched, the crow struggled to remain in the air.

"N-Need more string, haha!" The crow gasped as it flew over Jonathan. "Got to g-g-get more string so that I can make a love nest!"

"What's his deal?" Jonathan thought to himself as he watched the crow fly off.

After shaking his head, Jonathan continued to walk through the field. After meeting up with Justin at the rosebush, they headed for Farmer Fitzgibbons' house. When they reached it they entered the hole in the porch. Once they reached the hole in the floor, Jonathan took off his vest and said,

"Well, here it goes. Do you have the powder?"

Without saying anything, Justin took out and envelope and gave it to Jonathan in return for his vest. After taking the envelope, Jonathan took off the amulet and gave it to Justin.

"Why did you bring this?" Justin asked as he took it.

"I want you to give it to Nicodemus," Jonathan answered. "I want him to have it for safe keeping just in case something ever happens to me."

Then he thought to himself,

"I'm not ready for it. I want Elizabeth to have it if anything ever happens to me but right now, she isn't ready for it either..."

He began to climb a box of trash that helped him get to the holed above them. When he reached it, Jonathan was about to climb up through it when Justin said,

"Hey, be careful."

"I've done this enough," Jonathan smiled as he looked down at him. "Don't worry about me."

Then he climbed up through the hole. The hole was hidden under a cupboard but Jonathan never took any chances. He peaked out from under the cupboard and seeing that the coast clear, he scurried to Dragon's bowl that was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The lights weren't on but there was enough sunlight coming through the window to light up the kitchen. When Jonathan reached the bowl he threw the envelope in and ran back. Before he could get back under the cupboard though, a huge claw slammed down in front of him. Jonathan froze in fear and looked up. Looking down at him with devilish eyes and razor sharp teeth was Dragon. At first, Jonathan couldn't move but when Dragon snarled at him, he turned and ran. After giving out a huge screech, Dragon chased after him.

Justin heard Dragon and yelled,

"Jonathan?!"

Dragon chased Jonathan around the kitchen. Jonathan barely avoided Dragon's claws as he kept on swiping at him. As he continued to run, Jonathan thought to himself,

"I'm not going to die!! I'm not going to die!!"

After running around a chair, he ran under Dragon's legs and scurried for the hole again. By this time, Justin stuck his head up through the hole. Seeing Jonathan running from Dragon, he yelled,

"Jonathan!!!"

Jonathan ran as fast as he could.

"Jonathan, hurry up!!!" Justin screamed.

Jonathan was only two feet away from the cupboard.

"Jonathan!!!" Justin screamed again.

Suddenly, time slowed down and Jonathan's whole life flashed before him. From his days as a street mouse, to his time at NIMH, and his last four years in the wheat field.

"Jonathan, look out!!!" Justin shouted.

Dragon's claw slammed down on Jonathan.

"Jonathan, no!!!" Justin screamed.

Jonathan, with his body broken and all hope of escaping lost, thought about the last thing that had flashed before him.

"Jonathan!!!" Justin yelled as he tried to squeeze through the hole.

The last thing that Jonathan thought about was his family. As Justin watched in horror, Dragon took Jonathan by the head and ran off. At the same time, Elizabeth woke up and found that Jonathan wasn't there. Later that day, Justin gave Nicodemus the amulet. After a pause, Nicodemus embraced it and wept. Then after a minute, he got up and slowly walked toward a closed book that sat on a desk. A chair moved out by itself and when he reached the desk, Nicodemus sat down in the chair and opened the book. Taking out a quill, he dabbed it in an inkpot and started to write in the book. As he wrote, the words appeared in a radiant glow.

"Jonathan Brisby was killed today while helping with the plan," he wrote. "It has been four years since our departure from NIMH and our world is changing. We cannot stay here much longer. Jonathan was a dear friend. I am lost in knowing how to help his widow. She knows nothing of us or the plan. Perhaps I do nothing at present. I shall miss him. Jonathan, wherever you are your thoughts must comfort her tonight. She'll be waiting and you will not return. Farewell my friend."

He closed the book. Next morning, at the Brisby house, Elizabeth didn't come out of her room. She was lying on the bed, crying in her pillow. She knew that Jonathan wasn't coming back and as she continued to cry, Timothy entered the room. Walking around to her side of the bed, he stopped and watched her cry. Seeing his mother like this made him cry as well and with tears streaming down his face, he sobbed,

"Mom..."

Elizabeth slowly looked up at Timothy. As he continued to cry, Timothy held out his arms, wanting to embrace her. After a pause, Elizabeth got up and took Timothy into her arms. As she held him tightly and continued to cry, Teresa and Cynthia cried at the door while Martin stood outside. After a long pause, he yelled,

"Dad?! Dad?!"

With no answer, tears filled Martins eyes.

"Dad?!!" He continued to call. "Dad?!!"

Back in the house, Teresa and Cynthia joined Elizabeth and Timothy. As she embraced them, Elizabeth continued to sob. Her heart was broken and she didn't know what to do. She'll continue to mourn Jonathan's death for an entire week. It'll be around this time that Timothy will come down pneumonia and from there, Elizabeth, known to everyone as Mrs. Brisby, will have an adventure of her own.

The End

All characters and quotes from the Secret of NIMH are copyright of whoever owns them :roll:

Hope you all enjoyed :D

Wow, awesome story! I always like this phrase - "Mr. and Mrs. Brisby".

Thank you :D

This took me a month and a very long month it was. I don't think I'll ever look at April the same way again. Then again, it was worth it because this was a lot of fun to write :)

Well I'm glad you enjoyed writing it Light. As you already know I certainly enjoyed reading it. :wink:

it was quite a pleasant little read plan on doing more any time in the futur

Nice read, although now i'm really gonna have to get creative. I had a story in the works that was almost too similar to that. OH, well.
Anyway, good story. You did all the characters well, true to how they were portrayed in the original movie. The endind gets me, but then again, any ending where Jonathan Brisby dies gets me. I just don't like thinking about that. You did it well, though. Very well.
Keep writing, that's all i can say. Keep writing.

it was quite a pleasant little read plan on doing more any time in the futur

I've actually started a sequel, Thorn Valley. It'll take place after the Secret of NIMH where Martin, Timothy, and Cynthia go to Thorn Valley. That's the only major thing I'll reveal right now although I might use Jenny from the Secret of NIMH 2 for she was the only good thing about that cinematic trash. Although she will be different because I feel that outside of that movie, she has potential.

Nice read, although now i'm really gonna have to get creative. I had a story in the works that was almost too similar to that. OH, well.

Awwwww, don't let it stop you. It's not like my fic will be written into canon law saying that that happened before the Secret of NIMH.

The endind gets me, but then again, any ending where Jonathan Brisby dies gets me. I just don't like thinking about that. You did it well, though. Very well.
Keep writing, that's all i can say. Keep writing.

Yup. The ending is second to the scenes involving Jonathan and Elizabeth all alone as my favorite.

Thank you very much by the way and pretend that this fic doesn't exist so you can continue writng your fic like it was :D

Oh, don't worry. i think i've got it figured out now, i just have to get off my lazy butt and write it. (it's gonna be long if i do it the way i want to.) Anyway, very nice story. I look forward to seeing more.

When I was reading it, I pictured the whole thing in my mind. When Johnathan was killed... I also pictured that.

When Johnathan was killed... I also pictured that. It showed him carried by the head. I felt like crying.

I think i did cry... a little...

I had similar reactions. :cry: I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one who was moved by this. :P

I knew this would be a hit here Light. :wink:

It's okay to express your feelings on a heartbreaking story.

Well, I'm surprised to say the least. I mean, I was making this story knowing that it wouldn't be bad but to actually draw tears...

I'm happy all of you like this, seeing as to how this was my first NIMH Fic :D

Anyway, thing is I was actually thinking about making Jonathan's death more graphic. But I considered this fic to be very precious to me so I took a different direction. I made it more subtle and real enough that you could visualize it. I see that that was the better choice :D

Like I said before, I was afraid of how you were going to do Jonathans death scene. But it was done extremley well. Ahh.... poor Jonny :(

Lightindark76, maybe you should draw a picture of the death scene!

Writing stories is one thing, drawing is another ball game for me. I'd stay tuned though because I've got three people who might be interested in drawing a scene for me if I asked them. They're waaaaaayyyyy better at drawing than I am :wink:

Here you go, Jonathans death. :twisted:

http:/" alt=""/img102.imageshack.us/img="102/8145/jonathansendfinalstages3ol.jpg[" alt=""/img]

Sorry it took so long

Here you go, Jonathans death. :twisted:

http:/" alt=""/img102.imageshack.us/img="102/8145/jonathansendfinalstages3ol.jpg[" alt=""/img]

Sorry it took so long[/quote]

Looks good Scifly, yum, John stakes, no onions... OK you all can kill me for that, I could not help my lower self. :twisted:
What?,, Let go of me I Whiskers will not be be fed to this fat cat! , as the mice throw a loud mouth mouse into dragan`s jaws, in time while in the gut , Hey johnathon being here long ?

Any who story rocks, so far, but have not read it all, in time I will get there. :D

Thanks Whiskers :wink:

OK you all can kill me for that, I could not help my lower self. :twisted:

I've posted this on another forum, and one of the members there is telling me that this picture is just another stepping stone on my path to hell :P

He also assures me that he will be there waiting for me :?

Here you go, Jonathans death. :twisted:

http:/" alt=""/img102.imageshack.us/img="102/8145/jonathansendfinalstages3ol.jpg[" alt=""/img]

Sorry it took so long[/quote]

Looks good Scifly, yum, John stakes, no onions... OK you all can kill me for that, I could not help my lower self. :twisted:
What?,, Let go of me I Whiskers will not be be fed to this fat cat! , as the mice throw a loud mouth mouse into dragan`s jaws, in time while in the gut , Hey johnathon being here long ?

Any who story rocks, so far, but have not read it all, in time I will get there. :D[/quote]

Well, well!
Way to go Scifly! :D Looks really good! Keep up the good work!

Thanks Whiskers :wink:

OK you all can kill me for that, I could not help my lower self. :twisted:

I've posted this on another forum, and one of the members there is telling me that this picture is just another stepping stone on my path to hell :P

He also assures me that he will be there waiting for me :?

In that is boloney, I did not mean a talk of your end times, your art shows no such thing, a great work I say and a blessing to the NIMH folks here, I must stand off from the neg.

Oooooohhhooo! Crud! :shock:
Way to go Scifly! :D
Looks really good! :P :P
Keep up the good work!

I'm glad you like it Nimhster :)

In that is boloney, I did not mean a talk of your end times, your art shows no such thing,

I knew what you were saying. I'm not worried about what that other person is saying to me, it's just harmless teasing. :roll:

great work I say and a blessing to the NIMH folks here, I must stand off from the neg.

One of the most unique compliments I've ever recieved, thanks :D

Great story! Can't wait to read more of your work ;-).

Great art also Scifly.

Aideen/Ethan

-------

"We--we were just talking about you."

"Well that's refreshing Jenner usually your screaming about us."-Justin, Captain of the Guard

With another story, you'll probably see more Scif art. I'm currently working, although very slowly, on a sequel.

With another story, you'll probably see more Scif art. I'm currently working, although very slowly, on a sequel.

Take your time Lightindark76. Like my fanfic, I only done with five chapters! There is a lot more chapters than that! So take your time.

Might I add that you're doing a good job on your story :wink:

Don't know what I'm doing. Been very busy lately. Don't if I should do one where the children go to Thorn Valley or to just have an epic about the family's years after NIMH. I'll probably just go back and fix the mistakes in this story in the mean time.

Thanks. I loved your story. In the meantime, take your time.

I absolutely loved this story. This could be a prequel to the SON if Don Bluth and MGM/UA ever come to terms.

Peace :D
NIMHmaniac

It's been a while. Thanks for the comments :D

I ahve many fics going these days but once I've got all the major ones out of the way, I'll focus on a sequal.

I want to go back and edit some of the mistakes in this anyway because I know there is a few mistakes. I was so excited that I rushed through the editing :roll:

Cool. I heard about a month ago that another person was attempting to get his own sequel off the ground and onto the screen. He seems to be telling the truth, but even if he is it's no 100% chance it will fly. He has to go through MGM first (doggone copywrights).
In any case, good luck with that. :)

There isn't going to be a sequel but keep this forum alive for a few more years.

Yeah, no one's heard from him in months. Face it, I'm gullible for these false claims.

A very well-written story, nice work.

Finally getting around to posting on this one. Very well-written work, with Jonathan depicted the way I've always seen him as one who'd describe himself as "a lover, not a fighter," one whose first priority is his loved ones. My own fascination early on with him was probably the main impetus for starting my own fan-fiction, way back in '85-'86. Would definitely make a dandy prequel. A few minor quibbles the Owl makes a point of Jonathan having a destiny, but he dies anyway? No origin for the amulet, and how did it get into the Owl's possession? And why'd Elizabeth experience such excruciating labor pains with Timothy when that didn't seem to be an issue in the other kids' births? I see you're not the only one who used Elizabeth as Mrs. B's name; but Hartman for a maiden name? Unsubtle perhaps, but a nice tribute to the late, lamented voice of Mrs. B.
Quick aside to Simon how come this is in the Forum instead of the Library?

Quick aside to Simon: how come this is in the Forum instead of the Library?

Probably because this one didn't go through the standard submission process, and mostly because I'm a lazy-butt who probably didn't notice this when it posted.

Quick aside to Simon: how come this is in the Forum instead of the Library?

Probably because this one didn't go through the standard submission process, and mostly because I'm a lazy-butt who probably didn't notice this when it posted.

Don`t forget Party Animal.

Just Kidding :lol:

You created such a wonderful story! I enjoyed every minute of it! You have some awesome skill in writing!Seriously you deserve a round of applause!

Pretty cheesy, but I kinda enjoyed it. The whole thing with the amulet and the owl could've been done better as well as the building of romance between Mr. and Mrs. B.

It's been a long time but I stop by every now and then and lurk around, just to see if this forum is still alive and it is alive and well fortunately :wink:

I appreciate that people are still reading this and have been giving it positive feedback. I posted this fanfic years ago. The main reason for writing this was passion for the film. Yet, I can be the first to admit that it isn't perfect. I was still learning how to write fanfictions back then and if I wrote the same thing today, this would be considered a draft, lol.

Pretty cheesy, but I kinda enjoyed it. The whole thing with the amulet and the owl could've been done better as well as the building of romance between Mr. and Mrs. B.

I noticed a couple posts criticizing the owl and the amulet and that, I can explain. I was paying homage towards the mystery surrounding the owl in the film and how he knew Jonathan and the rats. I tried to make up my own interpretation here while adding a whole new mystery to it.

And I agree, it's cheesy, lol. Thanks for the feedback again, everyone. I'm my own critic so it means something to me 8)

My first f-f was pretty cheesy and hurried, too, with more than a few what-was-I-thinking bits. Like you, I'm definitely my biggest critic. :) :x

Say, Light, you referred earlier (Okay, like 6 years ago) about another story in the works. Any chance it'll get done?

Eventually I should get to doing up a full review of Mr. & Mrs. B.