Hannah Mulliken's "Peace and Quiet"

Some readers will remember Hannah Mulliken, one of my favorite young writers to be published at Student Publish Here! Hannah is in the seventh grade this year. She recently wrote a story about Noah's flood from the perspective of a mouse family living on the ark. Here is her delightful story.

Peace and Quiet
by Hannah Mulliken

Wise old grandpa mouse perched high up in the rafters of the ark, watching Noah and his family care for all the animals.

“Grandpa, grandpa!” called Little Ellen.

“When do I ever get some peace and quiet around here?” Grandpa mumbled. “Coming, Ellen!”

Grandpa slid down the rafters and trudged into the cozy little mouse hole, right next to the horse stall. “Whew!” He sighed and sat down heavily in the rocker. “What do you need?”

“We want to know why we are on this huge boat.” Her brother Mikey hurriedly whispered, “Momma won’t tell us so we hoped you would, because you always do!”

Grandpa smiled. “Well I guess so. Only, if your Momma hears about this, which I know she will, don’t blame me.” Then he began the story: “Many years ago, long before you were born, I had a dream. God told me to quickly and quietly pack up everything in our mouse hole and leave Shemphal’s house…..”

“What’s Shemphal’s house Grandpa?” asked Mikey.

“It was where they lived silly!” Ellen said. “Don’t you remember? Momma told us that!”

“And God told me to go to this boat in the middle of a desert and…..”

“What’s a desert?” Ellen interrupted.

‘This is going to be a long story,” Grandpa sighed. “Well, a desert is a place where there is no water, only sand. We soon found that we weren’t the only ones who were going to be living here. Many other animals were told to come here too, and so the boat was speedily filled. Then, God shut the door, sent the water and here we are!”

“But what about us? How did we get here?” Mikey wondered out loud.

“Well, five days later you twins were born to your Momma and Papa. And now you are thirty-five days old.”

“Grandpa, look!” gasped Ellen. “Master Noah’s opening the window and it doesn’t look like its raining!”

Mikey scampered out of the mouse hole, through Mr. Grumpy Goat’s stall to the window and climbed on the sill. “Wow” he shouted, amazed at what he saw.

“Mikey,” Grandpa rebuked, “Come back! What would your mother say if the saw you?”

But Mikey wasn’t listening because he was too intent on trying to find a dry patch of land. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted by something or someone.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be up there, little fellow,” said Noah. “I was about to let loose this raven to find dry ground.”

Days passed. The raven came back, but had found no land. Seven days later, Noah sent a dove, which came back with an olive branch in his beak.

Mikey was getting tired of waiting. “When will the earth dry up?”

Grandpa smiled. “God will decide in his own time.”

“But when is His time?” Mikey whined.

“Be patient. God will decide when it is time, Mikey.”

Suddenly, there was a loud thud, shaking the entire boat. The door was open!

Mikey’s mouth dropped open. “Look!” Ellen pulled his tail and said, “Come on.”

The twin mice raced out the door tumbling into the soft green grass. They did not know what they were looking at, but for miles all they could see was grass, and trees, and flowers. All of the animals bowed their heads in honor of the One who brought them safely through the storm.

Grandpa chuckled as he watched his grandmice scamper on the green earth. “Finally, I can have some peace and quiet.”

(To read other of Hannah's writings go to the INDEX and click on her name.)