In a cozy little house, snug against the floor, there lived a little mouse named Benny. Benny was no ordinary mouse; he was about to turn five, which is quite mature for a mouse, and he had the biggest hazel eyes you could imagine, just like two beautiful marbles. His father used to tell him that he could see the world in those big eyes. All his brothers and sisters had grown up and gone their way, but Benny was rather a timid little fellow and could not bear to part from his dear mama, even though he was quite big.
Now, the house where Benny lived was almost at the end of the garden, with huge yellow roses running up the wall and tasting as sweet as honey. How Benny loved to sit in his window, with his bright little eyes sleeping up, looking at the great big world outside! But one day, Benny threw up his tiny little ears, and a tear rolled down his rosy cheek.
“What is the matter?” asked his mama.
“I want to go there,” cried Benny, clinging close to his mother’s neck. “Everybody says I must not go on the other side of the window because of the terrible dark thing that eats little mice; but I am big enough to take care of myself now, and I do want to go so much! Do let me go, mama, do!”
“You know no, dear little Benny,” said his mother gently. “But everybody else goes; they climb out of the window, they run and run, and they never come home anymore! And why must I stay, dear mama? I am so big now, I can find my way alone. Do tell me why I mustn’t go?”
“Ah, my child,” said his mama, “they go among the clover, they run in the paths there, they roam in the cornfield and under the wild cherry tree. They look everywhere, and they get home by night; but their eyes are so dim that they can never see a-“
“Oh, dear mama,” said Benny, interrupting her, “you know I can see with my beautiful big eyes, even during the darkest night! Oh, let me go, let me go! To wait any longer is unbearable. I will come back the very first moment I can!”
“Well, be it so, my child,” said his good mama, as she kissed him on both eyes. Benny sprang for joy. “On the other side of the window, on the other side of the window!” he kept singing; and then he climbed gently and cautiously out of the window onto the moon. There he stayed sitting for a whole hour, his tiny little heart beating very loud all the time.
At last the moon ran up a little hillock, held out new roses and flowers to him, and said, “Well, little Benny? Are you coming?”
“More excitedly than ever, ‘Yes, yes, I am coming!’” “But you will tire yourself out by going so many steps,” said the moon. “No matter. I am going to the beautiful new world.”
Out in the moonbeam his little foot stepped gently into the tender hills and thick meadows. Now the moon was so full, and in so many places it reflected itself such an immense depth in the grass, that Benny’s little eyes glistened like two tiny stars. From immediate terror he raised up his courage to throw his heart into the depths of space and jump from toil. Boldly he left home, and when he was a long, long way away, and the huge yellow house looked so tiny and so little, away there came over rainbow arches two other little mouses towards him.
“Welcome to the new world, Mr. Benny,” said both mouses. “Have you just come from home, too?”
“Yes,” said Benny. “I am a little mouse, and I have beautiful big hazel eyes, and I can see even when it is very dark. That is why I came. And who are you?”
“Oh, we are the lovely little mice from the meadow. With us you will be safe. It is true that there is a large dark thing lying in wait for any little mouse that is foolish enough to pass too near. But you can also do in such a situation as we do, do what we do and get home by night. We are glad you have come with you beautiful big hazel eyes, and then we, too, shall once more see what it is that lies in wait for us. Come, follow us!” So both the mouses danced away so nimbly already the grass under their feet looked quite crushed. Benny’s feet, too, moved, and away they ran with their heads close together.
The country beyond the house did not seem so wide as Benny had imagined beforehand. It was a green-clad, cobweb well sheltered meadow. In the middle of it cleared a beautiful green hillock, glowing with clover and daisies. On all sides you could see cornfields and blooming cherry trees. “This is to be my part of the world!” thought Benny. “Here I will be king.”
Suddenly both his new acquaintances made a sudden turn. “It is beginning to be perilous here,” said one little mouse. They crept in under a wild cherry tree, which was waving over their heads like a gigantic umbrella. And although it did seem so very dark under it, Benny’s big hazel eyes saw a nice cozy house. It stood there quite stylishly and looked just like a charming little doll’s residence. There was Benny’s very own mummy standing! He flew up to him: “Oh, my good mama,” he called delightedly, “this really is so delightful! I see everything so clearly, although it does seem so dark! I should have laughed out loud, if I had known beforehand that it was a lie that those long mustached things of whom my brothers were so frightened are hidden here!”
“You see, tis not so bad at all,” beamed the old lady in modest Woodsprightly, bowing, out there like a mistress of the house, “but you don’t tremble; tis very cold work to stand in the grass. Yes, yes, they are to be sure long old mustaches, and no doubt they look threatening, but bless your heart, they never hurt anybody! And now tell me, my love ones, where did you learn the road so well?”
“We are mice from the meadow!” was shouted here. “We are its charmers in fairy tales! No road is strange to us! And we are thankful that little Benny came here and did not turn home again!”
Benny was very happy and saw everything so clearly with his big hazel eyes. Ever since he has lived on in the new world. Now, when the moon in the summer’s night swings over the beautiful garden way, and looks down on the house nestled against the floor, this is always what blesses it with: “There lives a clever little mouse with two hazel eyes; his name is Benny, and he knows everything. He has lived among the meadows and is so good-hearted!” And then the flowers attributed to all sorts of incredible things.