Once upon a time, Etwas the Elf was running through the forests of grass, under the canopies of clover and around the stems of tall flowers when she saw a mouse darting through the weeds and gave chase. The mouse was being followed by a hawk but Etwas was pretty sure it was running from her so she leaned into her sprint.
The mouse disappeared suddenly and Etwas, upon reaching the last place it was seen, found a hole in the ground. She pinched her nostrils and jumped in. Down she fell, three, four, five times her own height and landed on her bottom in moist soil. Looking around she could see nothing so she felt her way along the wall of the cave.
The cave become a tunnel and the tunnel became several. Wherever it branched, the Elf went to the right, her lucky side. Her eyes grew used to the dark and her pupils got very wide and still everything was black until she entered a cavern and in the distance there appeared a constellation of green-lit eyes.
"Hello!" Etwas called.
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
Etwas giggled.
"Giggle"
"Giggle"
"Giggle"
The array of green eyeballs swirled like a galaxy or an application of gnats. Tiny eyes rose above larger ones and disappeared. The large eyes swept left and right and then disappeared. Soon, all the light had disappeared from the cave.
"Where are you going?" Etwas asked.
"Going"
"Going"
"Going"
She crept forward with hands outstretched to where the jumple of peepers had been. On rare occasions the smallest sets of eyes relit and then furrowed out of view. When Etwas reached the other side of the cave, she found the noses of big, fuzzy mice covered in frightened babies. They were warm and soft and so Etwas leapt into their midst and took a nap.
When she woke up, she was alone in the nest except for a tiny crust of bread that had been left for her.
And ever since then, Etwas has believed that the most nurturing peers echo.
The mouse disappeared suddenly and Etwas, upon reaching the last place it was seen, found a hole in the ground. She pinched her nostrils and jumped in. Down she fell, three, four, five times her own height and landed on her bottom in moist soil. Looking around she could see nothing so she felt her way along the wall of the cave.
The cave become a tunnel and the tunnel became several. Wherever it branched, the Elf went to the right, her lucky side. Her eyes grew used to the dark and her pupils got very wide and still everything was black until she entered a cavern and in the distance there appeared a constellation of green-lit eyes.
"Hello!" Etwas called.
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
"Hello!"
Etwas giggled.
"Giggle"
"Giggle"
"Giggle"
The array of green eyeballs swirled like a galaxy or an application of gnats. Tiny eyes rose above larger ones and disappeared. The large eyes swept left and right and then disappeared. Soon, all the light had disappeared from the cave.
"Where are you going?" Etwas asked.
"Going"
"Going"
"Going"
She crept forward with hands outstretched to where the jumple of peepers had been. On rare occasions the smallest sets of eyes relit and then furrowed out of view. When Etwas reached the other side of the cave, she found the noses of big, fuzzy mice covered in frightened babies. They were warm and soft and so Etwas leapt into their midst and took a nap.
When she woke up, she was alone in the nest except for a tiny crust of bread that had been left for her.
And ever since then, Etwas has believed that the most nurturing peers echo.
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