Mouse’s Cheese
समाधिBot: I just found this and I liked it, so I stole it. What’s this all aboot? Is it a little book?
India: Well it was going to be, until Taji lost the other pages…
समाधिBot: Tell us what’s happening.
India: That’s a little girl, and, well she just got to somebody’s house —
समाधिBot: Is it her house or someone else’s house?
India: It’s her granny’s house.
समाधिBot: Oh, she went to Granny’s house, okay.
India: And Granny really wants… well, her granddaughter or something or other, to come and see the giant tomato plants.
समाधिBot: That happened when we went to your grandmother’s house last year. Is this about that visit to Grandma and Grandpa’s house?
India: Umm, I don’t know —
Taj: Why does this interview gotta be so long?
समाधिBot: Well this is a four-pager…
Taj: You made an interview more than one thousand seconds…
समाधिBot: [Sighs and mutters under breath]
India: I think it’s neat because it shows you what’s going on underground.
समाधिBot: Yes. Is that a mole? That’s a great mole. And what’s this plant here? I recognize carrots and tomatoes, but what’s this?
India: It’s one of the plants which cabbage whites eat —
Taj: It’s a cabbage!
India: Nnn-you know the things that kind of curve in? Not all the way but they just curve in?
Taj: Mm-hmm?
समाधिBot: Umm, let me think what that is… we can look it up later. Is that little girl you, or is that another little girl?
India: That’szz… someone else. And it’s not exactly an old, old granny. It’s just an old person.
समाधिBot: How old is old?
India: I guess about… sixty?
समाधिBot: Sixty? So I’m not old yet?
India: Yeah?
समाधिBot: [Chuffed] Page two!
Taj: The tractor!
India: No! Not the tractor.
समाधिBot: What happens here?
India: That’s where they drive over.
समाधिBot: They drove to Grandma and Grandpa’s house?
India: … Well I guess maybe…
समाधिBot: Where’d they drive to?
India: Somewhere?
Taj: New Jersey?
समाधिBot: They just go for a drive.
India: They went to Granny’s house. See that’s the Granny.
Taj: Why is the Granny so tiny?
India: Because it’s a book!
Taj: Why is the Granny so small in the book?
India: That… that’s not the Granny. That’s the Granny, the lady in the pink dress.
समाधिBot: Who’s up on the balcony?
India: That’s Grandpa with the long hair!
समाधिBot: Okay, page three! What goes on?
India: The little girl is thinking because she sees something, and she wants to grow plants. And the dog dug a hole for no reason.
समाधिBot: Dogs do that…
Taj: There was a cute little Boston Terrier, and it dug a hole and then it went like this… [Demonstrates something]
समाधिBot: Did it hide in the hole?
Taj: No it crawled into it.
India: Dogs do that, they dig holes and then they sit in it.
समाधिBot: Why do you think they do that?
India: Just for fun, maybe?
समाधिBot: Well they have a strange idea of fun…
India: Mm-hmm. Let’s get back on to the subject.
समाधिBot: Who’s in the blue shirt and who’s in the purple pants?
Taj: It’s the Grandpa.
India: That’s Granny.
समाधिBot: That’s Granny, and then the child — I like this! So the little girl, you see three different views of her. First she’s thinking. Cos she’s scratching her head. And then she goes —
India: Running.
समाधिBot: She has an idea, runs to do it, and then she —
India: Plants it.
समाधिBot: Cool! This is great! We see the little girl three times in the same drawing, and it’s a progression from thought to action. That’s really cool!
Taj: Page four!
India: Oh Taj, you’re gonna like this part. These are some mice, and see that little bone —
Taj: Then it will be called “Mouse!”
समाधिBot: Mm-hmm… maybe.
India: Fine, maybe. This is where the seeds sprout…
समाधिBot: Okay, that’s called a garden.
India: And the girl thinks that the carrot might grow as large as her. And the mice had took some cheese from the house, and then they imagine that the cheese grows big.
समाधिBot: And what’s the dog imagining?
India: The dog thinks that it can grow a giant bone. Because it buried its bone right there, and it thought it would sprout.
समाधिBot: Right, it stands to reason.
India: And the mouse… see that big guy? That’s the big daddy. Well actually that’s the mom. The mom has three whiskers.
Taj: Why is she floating? They’re in space?
India: Maybe that’s the dad.
समाधिBot: Are they jumping for joy?
India: Yes.
समाधिBot: Are they gonna be disappointed when their carrot, bone and cheese don’t actually grow that big? Or they’ll be okay with it?
India: Maybe they might be just the tiniest bit… disappointed.
समाधिBot: Maybe they’ll forget by then, because these things take a while to grow.
India: Yeah. ‘Specially the cheese. In page five, which Taji hopelessly lost, the cheese gets all yucky.
समाधिBot: Is that how we get stilton?
India: Maybe.
समाधिBot: What should this be called?
Taj: “Mouse?” Just “Mouse?”
India: How ‘bout “Mouse’s Cheese?”
Taj: These ones are gonna be special. It will be called “Mouse’s Cheese.”
