The Tale of Marie Kiss-a-Mouse by BJ Black
This is Marie.
She's in the first grade and lives in a house just a short walk from school.
Her classmates make fun of her, though, because of her last name. (it’s pronounced “Kiss-a-Mouse.”)
One day, Marie got teased really badly and ran home crying.
"What's wrong, little one?" asked her grandmother.
Marie sobbed. "Grandma, why do we have such a weird name? Everyone makes fun of me 'cause it sounds like 'Kiss-a-Mouse!'"
"Oh, dear," said Marie's grandmother. "Sit with me and have some tea."
"Our family is full of heroes,” her grandmother explained. "You have a great destiny!"
"Back in World War 2, your great-grandfather saved a French town all by himself!"
"And his grandmother helped stop a plague in Spain from spreading back in the 1800s."
"I bet you'll be a hero one day, too. Destiny will find you precisely because you're named Kissemaus!"
Marie felt a little better. She thanked her grandmother and went to bed.
That night, Marie had a weird dream. She was in a huge warehouse, cluttered with all kinds of boxes and gadgets.
As she explored, she found dangerous and disturbing things, including a huge tank with a big gun.
The most disturbing of all was a target with a picture on it. A picture of Santa Claus!
As Marie tried to leave, she found a screen showing live video of a busy workshop and a pole with the letter "N".
"Is that...?" Marie wondered, but her question was interrupted by a tiny voice.
"Revenge!" the tiny, squeaky voice said. "Today I shall have my revenge against that wretched Santa Claus!"
Marie peeked and saw where the voice came from. It was a mouse, and an evil-looking one!
Marie's blood ran cold. This tiny mouse with a tiny voice was going to blow up Santa's Workshop or worse!
Marie ran! She might not be able to stop the tiny mouse in the big tank, but Santa might...
This far North in the Arctic, there are no trees. But there are foxes and rabbits and... POLAR BEARS!!!
"Guard, guard, guard. I guard now," the bear said. Marie was in trouble.
She had to warn Santa! So Marie pulled herself together and shouted: "Yes! Guard! Good guard!"
"You're a good bear!" Marie said. "But Santa's in trouble! I need guard help!"
"I help!" said the bear. "Get on!" Marie got on the bear's back and rode to Santa's.
They soon reached Santa's Workshop. Hundreds of elves were busy working.
They ran up to Santa and Marie nervously said, "S-Santa? I have to warn you. There's a mouse with a huge tank that's coming for you. He said 'revenge' and everything!"
"A mouse? A tank?!?" asked Santa. "Ho, ho, ho! Nonsense! Nobody up here even knows how to make one. Not since Olaf Tankbuilder blew himself up in that accident."
A very old elf interrupted. "Um, Santa," he said, "someone has been taking parts from the warehouse, and we never did figure out who."
"A tiny creature like a mouse could do that," Santa said. "Maybe..."
"And just who are YOU, little girl?" Santa wondered.
"My name is Marie," she said. "Marie Kissemaus, from Oregon." (it’s pronounced “Kiss-a-Mouse.”)
"I know that name!" Santa exclaimed. "You come from a family of heroes!"
"If destiny sent you here," said Santa, "then we must need a hero indeed!"
"Sven! Evacuate everyone!" Santa yelled at a nearby elf. "We can't defend against a tank but we can always rebuild later!"
"You're just a little girl, Marie," said Santa. "Hero or not, I can't have you hurt. Put on your coat and you can evacuate with the elves."
But before Marie could escape, the tank came rolling over the hill.
Santa jumped to action to try to buy them more time. Marie snuck out behind him.
The candy cannons didn't help, and the candy just bounced off the tank.
The egg nog barricades were not sticky enough to stop the tank, either.
And the tinsel drop was just silly.
The tank kept going, but when it got to the workshop it paused and a loudspeaker turned on.
Despite the speaker, Santa and the elves couldn’t hear anything. But Marie could!
That tiny voice was still high-pitched and squeeky, but now Marie could hear everything.
"You abandoned me, Santa!" the mouse said, "And you elves called me a pest and threw me out! We've worked together for hundreds of years!"
"You don't hear that, Santa?" Marie asked. "That little mouse says you abandoned him!"
"No, I can't hear..." Santa started. "Wait! You're very young! Young people can hear high-pitched sounds us older folks can't! That's why you can hear him!"
"Oh!" said Marie. "So as you grow older, your hearing changes?"
"That's right!" Santa explained. "That mouse's voice must be outside my hearing range. But not yours!"
Just then, the mouse said "now taste the wrath of Olaf Tankbuilder!"
No time to think, Marie jumped onto the tank and yelled "Olaf! Stop! They can't hear you! Your voice is too high-pitched!"
The tank stopped. "Olaf! Is that you?" Santa asked. "We thought we lost you in that magic accident!"
"What do you mean, old man?" said Olaf the Tankbuilder-Mouse. "I got turned into a mouse and the elves and the cats chased me away."
Marie relayed the message and Santa said, "I'm so sorry, Olaf. We didn't know!"
Marie didn't like having a mouse on her, but she let Olaf on her shoulder anyway and said, "Santa: I'd like to reintroduce you to Olaf the Tankbuilder."
"Nice to meet you again, Olaf." Santa said, "let's get you inside."
The elves made a device to change Olaf's voice so he could be heard. He was home again.
"Before you go home, Marie," said Santa, "you deserve our highest award." And he handed Marie a snow globe that said "Nicest."
Even though she didn't really like mice, she even gave Olaf a peck on the cheek.
And *POOF* the spell was broken and Olaf was an elf again! "You cured me!" Olaf shouted.
With that, Marie woke up in her bed at home. "I guess it was just a dream," she said.
...or was it? The End
