Free Listen to the audiobook for kids:
An old woman lived in an old cottage at the edge of the forest. The house was much too big for just one person, so she rented out the attic to a young woman. This way, she was not alone and the young woman could help her with the groceries and take care of the gardening.
As winter approached, the young woman worked in the garden every day. She raked the fallen leaves into a big pile, trimmed the bushes, and swept the paths.
In one of the large piles of leaves, two little mice had taken up residence quite unnoticed. It was cozy and warm amongst the many leaves and twigs. At this time of year, all the animals were looking for safe and warm winter homes.
One day, when the young woman went into the garden, she forgot to close the door to the house. One of the little mice, who was named Timothy, ran in and down the hall as fast as the wind. He soon found himself in the middle of the old woman’s kitchen.
It smelled of freshly baked bread. Cake crumbs and even some old apple peels were scattered all over the floor. The old woman’s sight was poor so she did not even notice when she dropped something. For Timothy, it was a feast. He wanted to stay here forever.
The second little mouse, who was named Melvin, ran up the stairs to the attic where the young woman lived. Melvin sniffed his way from one room to the other, but he could not find a single crumb.
The young woman was very tidy and always mopped the floor until it was spotless.
“It smells like delicious bread downstairs,” Melvin thought.
He was about to run through the apartment and back down the stairs when the young woman returned from the garden. She closed the apartment door behind her, locking Melvin in.
“Oh dear,” thought Melvin. “What am I going to do now?”
He quickly found a hiding place behind the bookshelf where he stayed all night with his stomach growling. Early the next morning, when Melvin could barely stand his hunger any longer, he crawled out of his hiding place.
At that same moment, the young woman went to go out the door. When she spotted Melvin, she shrieked.
“Yikes!”
Melvin was equally frightened and ran as fast as he could down the stairs through the narrow gap in the door. Trembling and breathless, he stood in front of the front door and found a crack to slip through.
Outside, he tried to calm himself down from the shock. Timothy noticed and hurried over to console his friend.
After a warm greeting, they ran into the kitchen together and Timothy showed Melvin all the leftovers on the floor. They prepared a delicious feast.
Timothy was quite proud to present his friend with such perfect lodging. They decided to spend the winter there together. It was warm, cozy, and above all, there was plenty to eat.
When the old woman woke up in the morning to prepare tea in the kitchen, she didn’t notice any of the night’s excitement and they all lived happily together in the old cottage all winter long.
