Grace

Grrrrmmm… The sudden, inevitable sound was so loud it shook the ground she’s standing. Never thought a mouse’s tummy could be so thunderous.

She looked around, looking for any sight of the sun. Gone. The sun had set long time ago. Abundance of time must have flown away.

She peek her wrist watch. Eight in the evening? Already? She rubbed her tiny black eyes and blinked twice. Oh dear, I have to quicken my pace.

Fifty more toddler chicos to feed. Working in a chico farm isn’t as easy as many presume, especially after the mating season. That when all the female chicos lay about ten to fifteen eggs each, no thanks to the male chicos. The young ones, however, are undeniable extremely adorable. It’s as small as your fist, smaller even if you have big hands. Big, shimmering brown, exceptionally innocent eyes. Their teeny-weeny body covered with immature sunrise-yellow fur-like feathers. Small, cute beak. Its musical squeal for its mommy. Well, their “musical cry” can get very annoying when there are over hundreds of them.

Despite their little annoyances, she likes her job very much. Seeing each and every little chico grow makes her heart smile a little wider. Witnessing her tall, strong chicos marching alongside with the Ruby Brigade is one of her ultimate pleasures.

Whoops… mind drifted away… again. Back to work!

Then, suddenly, the little mouse senses a heavy fog of supreme pride looming…

“Yoohoo there!” There she was. Standing across the road. Clad in a pink mink coat, with an enormous gold chain wrapped around her neck. The little mouse could not recognize her at a glance. It’s only when she starts waving her, the sheen of the gigantic diamond rings pierced through the night darkness. It was her old friend, bulldog.
“Mousie-dear, what in the world are you doing here?” marched out the words with an odd accent.
“I am helping Mrs. Keilog to feed the younglings. She is …”
“Oh dear me! Working, still? At this time? When you are supposed to be in the comfort of your home?”
“You see, Mrs. Keilog…”
“Tsk~ tsk~! Why suffer so much for so little Dil! I doubt Mrs. Keilog is paying you for the extra sweat you’re pouring.”
“Actually, no, it’s because…”
“Now, now… you ought to learn more from me. Be more money-minded! For goodness sake, you will not earn anything if you kept on with your ill-fated ignorance. I tell you, this is how the world works. No matter how hard you toil and strive, they will still never, never ever, ever ever, will appreciate you. Mark my word! They will use you until your very last breathe. What will you gained then? Zippo! Nil! Zilch! Nothing… Have your faith build strongly on money! Let it be your inspiration, your utmost desire, your pillar! Because with it, you will gain EVERYTHING! Money, power, status, money, clothes, jewelries, money, mansion, oh, and have I mentioned money?” said the bulldog excitingly. Her sinister giggle and her gleaming eyes were very much disturbing.
“But… you see…”
“Ah! The time, the time! Wish I could stay to chat, sweetie, but I got a dinner appointment with some awfully charming chaps. And, you ought to get some good shut-eye. Your complexion looks deadly miserable.”
“…”
“Ta ta…” she said, with her usual finale pose before strutting away.

The little mouse was finally alone. She let out a long, silent sigh…

“All I want to say was Mrs. Keilog is not feeling very well today. Besides, even if she was not sick, I would still volunteer to help. Because if she was the only one doing all the work, she would not able complete until sunrise. She had asked me to go home, but I chose to stay.”

For the love for her dear friend, her work and the hungry little chicos.

Was it wrong to help? Was it wrong to work hard? Did she really not gain anything? The sweat she shed surely could not buy her the little pink dress she had her eye on last week. Nor the sound of the hungry tummy could get her the mouth-watering dinner set at Capier’s Corner. Diamond rings? Sapphire necklaces? Rubies? Bah~! Dream on, little mouse. Another ten years of hard labor, maybe.

So, the little mouse lives poorly and pitifully. Suffering and dragging the weights of agony through the days of her pathetic life. Alone. Meaningless. A testimony of ultimate hopelessness…


The end…




Ok ok… Just joking. That’s not how her mousie journey is going to end. Or at least, she hopes so.

All of the sudden, there was silence among the noisy bunch. Shock, the little mouse glares around. She felt like she just fell into the velvet mattress of the Milky Way. The twinkling and so most dazzling eyes of the little chicos was like the stars on the darkest night.

Somehow understood her little mousie feeling, they gathered around her.

Aww…. Ain’t that cute. Bet not even Duke McMorriche encounter this as often as he encounters weight gain. She was glad she had stayed and helped. There maybe many things can only be bought by worldly wealth. But there are definitely more many, many, many things that can’t be bought by even the richest man in the world. Like the smiles on the chicos’ cute little faces (now everyone, say “Awww….”). Or how about seeing a rainbow after a horrible storm. The feeling when you dance, jump, sing and shout for you just can’t contain the abundance of joy. Or even when you just are having a cup of hot chocolate on a cold, cold night. And even the old lady you once help cross the road remembered your name.

And especially, you know, every morning you wake up, He’ll be there to greet you.
When you’re sick, He’s next to you.
When you cry, He’ll hug you.
When you fall, He’ll pick you up.
When you’re tired, He’ll carry you.
When you sleep, He’ll lull you.
When you walk away from Him, He’ll woo you back.

In your every breathe, He’ll whisper “I love you” to your ears.

All these, can’t be bought; diamonds, gold, cash, whatsoever. Can’t be robbed, raid or deprived. Can’t be bartered with toil or sweat or blood. Nor can it be earned with truck load of good deeds.

It’s granted by grace.

Now, won’t you want that too?