The Vow
June 3, 2020 at 8:53 am 44 comments
For Friday Fictioneers 100-Word Challenge: 5 June 2020
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| Photo Credit: Ted Strutz |
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One day I found a mouse eating crumbs left on the table. It scampered away as soon as it saw me.
It became a regular visitor becoming more and more trusting, albeit keeping distance, as the days went by.
Although the mouse was cute, it had to go. I went looking for a live trap to get rid of it.
“Bad idea,“ the hardware salesman said. “Once you set it free, it’ll come back.
I ended up getting one that caught and killed it instantly.
Since then, I vowed not to be a murderer again by keeping the place clean.
Entry filed under: Blogroll, Daily Post, friday fictioneers. Tags: 100-word challenge, fiction, humor.
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Musings of a Random Mind 
1.
Iain Kelly | June 3, 2020 at 9:38 am
Tough justice. The mouse will never understand what it had done wrong…
2.
plaridel | June 3, 2020 at 6:35 pm
iain:
true that!
3.
neilmacdon | June 3, 2020 at 9:43 am
The moral is never trust humans bearing gifts
4.
plaridel | June 3, 2020 at 6:34 pm
neil:
the mouse didn’t know any better.
5.
theministryofshrawleywalks | June 3, 2020 at 11:10 am
Humans are bastards, end of!
6.
plaridel | June 3, 2020 at 6:34 pm
shrawley:
unfortunately, sometimes, they are.
7.
justjoyfulness | June 3, 2020 at 6:03 pm
These damn rats, they come even if your place is clean. They get their revenge by eating your wires and cords, even plastic bottle tops.
8.
plaridel | June 3, 2020 at 6:34 pm
justjoyfulness:
they’re in survival mode when they do that.
9.
Tannille | June 3, 2020 at 10:56 pm
Awful choice. They are living creatures, but they breed rapidly and become pest.
10.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:23 am
tannille:
sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
11.
draliman | June 4, 2020 at 12:14 am
The happy medium of course – which is what I did a few times – was to trap it and then drive it a few miles away and release it. And it gets a nice car ride!
12.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:22 am
draliman:
it’s the humane way to do it.
13.
Sandra | June 4, 2020 at 3:02 am
Yes, it’s a difficult one isn’t it? I know they have to be disposed of, because of the way they breed, but it worries me all the same. Thankfully my cat has proved to be a great disincentive.
14.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:22 am
sandra:
sounds like having a cat is a great idea. 🙂
15.
Liz Young | June 4, 2020 at 4:20 am
We are in the process of trying to kill a rat, so I’m on the side of the salesman – sorry!
16.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:22 am
liz:
you’ve made me feel a little better. 🙂
17.
Sascha Darlington | June 4, 2020 at 5:55 am
Hmm. Think the salesman is wrong. If you moved the mouse a mile away, how would that tiny thing ever find it’s way back?
18.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:21 am
sascha:
it would likely enter another house, but then it’s not your problem anymore.
19.
Keith's Ramblings | June 4, 2020 at 8:03 am
I wasn’t expecting to be participating in a discussion on mice today, but here I am! I have used humane traps and never had a problem with them returning. Doesn’t stop their mates turning up for supper though!
20.
plaridel | June 4, 2020 at 8:25 am
keith:
how lovely! 🙂
21.
ceayr | June 4, 2020 at 10:35 am
Aaarrgghhh!
Meeces are people too!
And all you need is something that smells of cat, the mice will just disappear.
22.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:43 am
ceayr:
excellent idea.
23.
Dale | June 4, 2020 at 2:15 pm
I would have ignored the salesperson and gotten what I was comfortable with! He could have brought the little fellow far away!
24.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:42 am
dale:
the salesperson can only offer a suggestion indeed. the buyer has to decide for himself.
25.
msjadeli | June 4, 2020 at 5:42 pm
Never trust a hardware salesman. The kill trap is instant (but hideous.) The glue trap is torture. The live trap is humane. You could drive 10 miles and the mouse would never find its way back. The best mouse deterrents are cats. I think mice are scared come in where cats are. Cleanliness is too extreme 😉 Good story.
26.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:42 am
msjadeli:
i agree with you that a cat offers the best solution under the circumstances. it may not be able to get rid all of them but at least keep them at bay. 🙂
27.
msjadeli | June 5, 2020 at 12:39 pm
Oh my! They sound like hungry mice!
28.
plaridel | June 8, 2020 at 1:47 pm
msjadeli:
you bet. 🙂
29.
Markus + Micah | June 4, 2020 at 11:23 pm
Not the best companions. Here sometimes frogs get inside the kitchen and it is not fun.
30.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:41 am
markus + micah:
i guess it goes with the territory. we must learn to live with them somehow.
31.
James McEwan | June 5, 2020 at 2:05 am
yes, we don’t want to kill the little creatures – yet we don’t want them in our house.
32.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:41 am
james:
it does present a moral dilemma.
33.
rochellewisoff | June 5, 2020 at 2:24 am
Dear Plaridel,
Tough call. Creative and unique take on the prompt.
Shalom,
Rochelle
34.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:40 am
rochelle:
thanks for reading as usual. it was the first idea that came to mind when i saw this week’s prompt.
35.
michaelwynnauthor | June 5, 2020 at 3:30 am
I had this problem and sometimes the mice died in the humane traps. Those that survived I ended up transporting miles away to ensure they didn’t come back.
36.
plaridel | June 5, 2020 at 8:40 am
mick:
they become somebody else problem then. 🙂
37.
granonine | June 5, 2020 at 12:45 pm
I wish simple cleanliness worked perfectly. In the cold months, mice do seem to find their way into a warmer place. As do squirrels. We’ve had no problems in the last several years because Terry has plugged holes and set out poison traps. Makes me feel bad, though. Poor little guys just want a warm place to –um–breed?
38.
plaridel | June 8, 2020 at 1:47 pm
linda:
it’s really hard to know where to draw the line. we’re supposed to respect all living things.
39.
granonine | June 8, 2020 at 6:16 pm
Yes–but no self-respecting rattlesnake wants to anywhere NEAR my place! I’d kill it in a New York minute!
40.
plaridel | June 10, 2020 at 10:04 am
linda:
i hear you loud and clear and hopefully the rattlesnake does too. 🙂
41.
pennygadd51 | June 6, 2020 at 10:07 am
One mouse – not too bad. Then you get more, and it’s a real nuisance – and a health hazard. A mean young cat deters as well as reduces numbers of mice.
42.
plaridel | June 8, 2020 at 1:47 pm
penny:
a cat will definitely scare the critters away.
43.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | June 7, 2020 at 12:47 pm
Poor mouse… but with a cleaner place there will not be another.
44.
plaridel | June 8, 2020 at 1:46 pm
björn:
a neat and tidy place will certainly help. 🙂