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"Watch out!" shouted Martin, a wee,
gray mouse. "You nearly stepped on me again." Martin looked up at the huge
bull. "Why don’t you be more careful and watch where you walk!"
Rusty pulled a few thistles out of
the damp earth. "I’m not going to look at the ground every single step I
take. I’ve more important things to do. I’ve got to keep my eyes open for
some fluffy, purple thistles and for the most tender heather bells. I
think YOU should watch where you are going!"
"I’m always searching for seeds,
nuts and berries. I can’t always be watching out for a big, clumsy
highland bulls, such as yourself. I was just sitting here minding my own
business when you came by and stepped on my tail. I don’t think there’s
room in this glen for both of us," Martin challenged.
"Oh? Would you like to have a
contest and whoever loses has to leave the glen?" Rusty suggested.
"What kind of a contest? Remember,
you’re a huge bull and I’m only a wee mouse. What sort of thing could we
do that is fair?" Martin wondered.
"I challenge you to a swimming
contest. The first one of us to swim across the loch is the winner. The
loser stays on the other side and never comes back to this glen. Have we
got a deal?" Rusty asked.
Martin rubbed his furry chin and
played with his whiskers. "That hardly seems fair. You’re much bigger than
I am and could swim across the loch much quicker."
"You’re right, I am bigger than you
are, but because I am so big and have so much hair, I couldn’t possibly
swim as fast as a wee mouse, such as yourself," Rusty argued.
Martin bounced his long tail up and
down as he thought about what Rusty had said. "That makes sense. I’ll meet
you down at the loch." The mouse ran into the tall grass.
Rusty plodded down to the muddy bank
of the loch. It was wide and very deep. "I can do this," he sighed. "I am
tired of that mouse always bothering me. I’ll swim across and win and then
never have to see him again in my glen."
Martin came running out of the
grass. "I’m ready." He stood gazing across the loch. "Gulp. The loch’s
much wider than I had thought."
"I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you a
head start, because you’re so wee. You go ahead, jump in, and start
swimming. I’ll count to ten and then I’ll start," Rusty smiled, knowing
that the mouse couldn’t possibly go too far in that short a time.
"Thanks, Rusty. That’s nice of you,"
Martin said. He took a few steps backwards and ran as fast as he could. He
leapt into the cold water and started swimming.
"One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten. Here I come," shouted Rusty. He jumped into the
water, sending a huge wave out in all directions. Martin wasn’t far enough
away and got caught in the splash. He was picked up and tossed back onto
the shore with the water.
"Cough, cough, cough. Hey! That
wasn’t fair! Now I’ve got to start all over," the mouse cursed. He was
already tired from all the swimming.
Rusty ignored Martin’s cries and
kept on going. His long, shaggy, reddish fur was heavy in the water and
slowed him down, but not enough for Martin to catch up. Martin sat in the
mud. He began to cry. "I’ll never win now. I don’t want to leave the glen.
It’s my home."
Just then the water began to shake
and shimmer. A huge green head burst through the surface. "Who are you?"
Martin shivered in fear.
"I’m Nessie. Some people call me the
Loch Ness monster, but I’m not really a monster. I’m actually a dinosaur.
I live in the caves under the water. I was swimming by and saw you crying.
What’s the matter?" she asked.
"Rusty and I are having a race.
Whoever wins gets to live in the glen," Martin said. He told Nessie the
whole story.
"So, the bull is a bit of a bully,"
Nessie said. "I can help you. Why don’t you climb on top of my head and
I’ll swim you over. I’ll stay under the water so Rusty can’t see you. When
we get near the shore, I’ll sink down and you can swim the last bit to the
shore."
"That’s a great idea," Martin
laughed. "That way Rusty can’t step on me anymore because he’ll have to
live on the other side of the loch. I’ll be able to eat my berries, nuts
and seeds without getting hurt."
"Climb aboard," Nessie said. She
sunk into the water and the wee mouse sat on her head. It looked like he
was swimming as she made her way into the depths of the loch.
Soon they passed the struggling
bull. "Getting tired?" Martin asked, as he whizzed by.
Rusty was surprised to see the mouse
swimming by. "How did he catch up with me so quickly?" he wondered.
Nessie stayed hidden and dropped
Martin off close to shore. "Thanks, Nessie," Martin waved.
Nessie raised her head a bit and
whispered, "Beat the bully," and then she disappeared under the water.
Martin swam a few more feet and
pulled himself out of the water. He sat on the muddy bank drying himself
off with a huge leaf. A few minutes later Rusty swam ashore. His fur
dripped with water. "How did you beat me here?" he asked the mouse.
"You’re just a wee mouse. I didn’t think mice could swim that fast."
"Looks like you lost, Rusty. You
have to stay over here on this side of the loch," Martin reminded the
bull.
Rusty was angry. He wasn’t happy
that he’d lost. He gave out a loud MOO and stomped into a wood of rowan
trees.
A few minutes later, Nessie came
back out of the water. "Ready to go home?" she asked.
Martin climbed on top and Nessie
swam across the loch, but this time kept her neck and head out of the
water. She let Martin off on the other side. "There you go," she said.
He climbed off and stood in a patch
of yellow buttercups. The two of them could see Rusty standing on the
hillside across the loch. "Go and enjoy your seeds in peace. I’m off to my
cave now, and if you ever have problems with other bullies, you know where
to find me," Nessie said and disappeared below the water.
Martin never had to worry about
being stepped on again now that Rusty was gone. He could run through the
glen and didn’t have to watch where he was going. |
