An Itinerant Mouse

20250705

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

On days like these, when the wind whistling past is wet and cold and the air inside the van stinks of petrol and coffee, I wonder if my mother was right. Perhaps I truly am a house mouse at heart. This itinerant life carries such stress. Such uncertainty.
Maybe when they finally park for the night, I’ll investigate the buildings nearby and find a nice little place to settle down and integrate with other mice and…
I snuggle further into my nest, the warm paper shreds crinkling reassurances. I’m just tired. I know this. The van’s been driving flat out today so I’ve only been able to nap. Come tomorrow the mood will pass. Especially if the rain clears up.
My humans - Paul and John - will stop soon. They have to. They’ve been driving since first light and it’s well dark now.
And once we’re finally at rest I’ll rummage through their food wrappers and harvest all the tasty crumbs, then venture out and find bins - there’s always bins near where they park, often full of sandwich scraps and other food. The pool in the wheel well will be overflowing with fresh water, and there’ll be plenty of puddles around.
Then I’ll come back to my cosy nest and sleep. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be clearer, and I can watch the world fly by from the comfort of my bed. A million scents tickling my whiskers. And I’ll laugh that I ever thought of giving this up.
Ah, that sudden turn and slowing means we’re pulling in to a rest stop. Finally! I wriggle close to the bolt-hole and sniff. Vehicles, refuse, vomit…
Doughnuts!!
I only catch a whiff but that instant holds a world of promise. I think someone threw away - or dropped - a whole box! Fresh, too. I must find my way to that spot. I try to track how the van turns as we rumble down another line then turn again and rumble more… finally Paul finds a space and parks.
As the duo grab their bags and lock up (meaning they’ll definitely be gone all night, and I needn’t rush) I have a preparatory wash. Planning my expedition.
First and foremost, those doughnuts. Investigating inside the van can wait for later. It’ll be a good way to round out the night.
Between first and last… well, there’ll be new bins to explore. Maybe some kiosks to break into. Best to stay out of the motel, they always have lots of traps and such around. Out here in the parking lot it’s just about watching out for cats. Hopefully most of them are hiding from the rain. I’ll stay alert, of course. It’s an ancient game and I’m on a winning streak.
The thrill of the unknown sets my whiskers trembling.
Sorry, mom, but I’m not ready to be a house mouse just yet!

Prompt was “Write a story from the perspective of someone living in a van”.