Mango is a five-year old Beagle attending Faducah Falls Elementary School. Her teacher, Mrs. Snodwhimple, a three foot tall owl with thick framed glasses was about to assign the weekends homework.

"Class, listen up," she said. "I have a writing assignment for the weekend I think you will enjoy."

Writing and enjoy in the same sentence? Mango leaned over to her friend Slushie and whispered, "I sure hope this will be fun, not like last weekend."

"Okay, class, ready?" Mrs. Snodwhimple clapped her feathered limbs in excitement. "For your assignment, I want you to," she paused for emphasis, "write a story based on a nursery rhyme."

In unison the class mouthed one big groan.
. . . . . . .

The next morning, Mango sat down to a delightful breakfast of kibble pancakes smothered in beef gravy. Content after her very last bite, Mango was ready to complete her assignment.

"Have you given your nursery rhyme story some thought, Mango?" asked Momma Beagle.

"Oh yes, Momma. Sure have. Want to hear my rough draft? I wrote it last night in bed, under the covers using my flashlight."

"Mango, I would love to hear it. Did you think I would say no?"

Mango took a deep breath. "Okay. Here goes..."

. . . . .

Hickory, Dickory, Dock!
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, Dickory, Dock!

Momma and Poppa Mouse lived inside the walls of a quiet little house with their family, Hickory, Dickory and Dockerella.

Hickory and Dickory were twin boys and a wee bit older than their sister, Dockerella, or Dock for short. The boys were full of spirit and spunk and liked to run the length of the darkened walls together or with friends. They would scamper down the walls and around all corners. Sometimes they would venture out from a mouse hole and enter the house searching for adventures not possible inside the walls.

Dock was more reserved than the boys and free from raising any type of commotion. She enjoyed staying behind to read a good book.

One day Dickory was teasing Dock, calling her a bore and a goody two-paws. Dock began to cry. Momma Mouse heard everything.

"What's going on here, Dickory? Why are you teasing your little sister? You know better then to do that to her. Go to your room immediately. And no video games."

"But, Momma," Dickory started to say.

"No buts! Go! And don't come out of your room until you've thought about what you did."

With shoulders drooping Dickory walked towards his room. As he passed Dock, he mumbled under his breath, Girls... Yuck.

"Momma, did you hear that? Dickory called me yuck."

Momma was already busy scrubbing laundry in a basin. She didn't hear a thing. Dockerella stuck her tongue out at her big brother.

A little while later Poppa came home. He and his friend were out gathering food for their families. It was their job to go out every day and look for food. Sometimes Poppa would find crumbs of bread, rice or flour. One time he came home with rainbow colored cotton candy. The family was very excited that day.

After he put his findings down and gave Momma a kiss, he asked, "Where are the kids? It's much too quiet in here."

"Dickory is being punished, again for teasing Dock. Dock is sitting on the rocker reading a book and Hickory is..." Momma looked around. "Hickory is..." Suddenly frantic, Momma yelled, "Hickory. Hickory, where are you?"

Hickory was nowhere to he found. Momma looked in his room, in his bed and under it. She looked down each length of their wall. Nothing! "Where the dickens did he go?"

"Momma, I'm sure he's alright. Just being an adventurous boy. He'll be back when his belly gets real hungry." Poppa went on. "Why I remember when I was a young'n, I would..."

"Oh shush with your stories for a minute, Poppa, we gotta find Hickory."

"We'll find'em. Don't twist your whiskers. Dickory. Dock. Come here a minute please. Momma needs your help."

Poppa explained the situation. When Dickory saw Momma all upset he said, "Momma, I'm pretty sure I know where Hickory is. We'll find'em. Right Dock?"

Dock didn't know but nodded her head anyway. She wanted to be big like her brother. "Want us to fetch him, Momma?" she asked.

"You two go get your brother," Poppa said. "I'll stay here with your Momma. Don't be long."

The two mice started off down the wall with Dickory leading the way. Soon they came to the mouse hole in the wall.

"Let me take a look first," Dickory said sticking his head through the hole. "Everything looks quiet. I don't see Festor the Cat. Come on, Dock."

Dickory squeezed through the crack first. "I'm right behind you," Dock said. Her little heart beat fast with excitement. She never ventured this far from her home and couldn't wait to tell her friend, Millie Mouse.

They ran as fast as their tiny legs would carry them over the thick, blue carpet. Dickory spotted what he was looking for.

"He's over there. See those slippers in front of the tall clock."

In the quiet surroundings, Hickory, Dickory and Dock listened to the steady beat of the clock.

Tick...Tock, Tick...Tock, Tick...Tock

Dock stood in awe of the clock. She'd never seen one before.

Tick...Tock, Tick...Tock, Tick...Tock

"Cool, isn't it? Doesn't it look like its alive?" Hickory said, suddenly standing next to Dock. "Come on, follow us."

Hickory, Dickory, Dock...

suddenly stood behind the clock. "Stick your head in this hole and look all the way up to the tippy-tippy-top."

"Wha... What's gonna happen if I do? You guys always tease me. Am I gonna get hurt?"

"Trust us," Hickory pleaded. "Go ahead, look. It's so neat."

Dock stuck her head inside and looked up. "Wow. What is that?"

Before either of her brothers could answer, Dock was over-run with adventure, squeezed through the hole and took off.

The mouse ran up the clock...

When Dock reached the top, she saw what was so amazing. "These wheels are so shiny."

"Slide down and ride the pendulum," Hickory yelled up to Dock.

"Really? I can do that? Neat."

Doc thought about it when suddenly "Bong!" went the clock.

The clock struck one...

The gong was just beside Dock's ear and the noise nearly deafened her. She gave a loud scream.

The mouse ran down...

as fast as she could go. When she reached the bottom, her brothers were rolling with laughter.

"Come on, we better get back," said Dickory.

That evening, at the dinner table, Momma and Poppa heard all about the adventure of,

Hickory, Dickory, Dock...

Though the twin brothers continued to tease Dockerella, they now had more respect for their courageous little sister.

The End
. . . . . . . .

"So, Momma, did you like it?"

"Mango," Momma said giving her a big Beagle hug, "that was absolutely wonderful. I am very proud of you."

"Thanks, Momma. Any more kibble pancakes on the stove?"