Once upon a time, there lived a family of mice: Papa mouse, Mama mouse, Sister mouse, and Brother mouse. They lived in a cosy hole on the edge of a meadow beside a farmhouse. Every day, Sister mouse and Brother mouse would watch the old farmer feed his clucking chickens, milk the cows as they lowed and mooed, and water his crops. The farmer worked hard, and Sister and Brother mouse wanted to be like him when they grew up.

“What big cows he has!” Sister mouse squeaked.

“What noisy chickens he has!” Brother mouse muttered. 

After the old farmer took care of his farm and the noisy animals, the mouse siblings would scamper over the rocks and grass stalks until they reached their cosy home. Mama mouse would be cooking grass seed soup, and Papa mouse would be sitting in his leaf chair. It was a good life, and the siblings didn’t want it to change one bit. 

One day, Sister mouse and Brother mouse were coming back from watching the old farmer tend to his lowing cows when Mama mouse met them outside the entrance of their hole.

“You children must be quiet. Papa mouse is sick today” she said quietly. 

Sister mouse and Brother mouse slowly crept into their cosy hole, past the kitchen, past the empty leaf chair that Papa mouse always sat in, past their parent’s bedroom, and into their bedrooms. 

“What’s wrong with Papa?” Brother mouse quietly asked as he crept into his small bed.

“I don’t know” Sister mouse answered as she pulled the covers up to her chin. 

“We should gather as many flowers as possible to make Papa feel better!” Brother mouse suddenly exclaimed from his bed. 

“Good idea! That way, he has to feel better!” Sister mouse agreed. 

Over the next few days, the siblings scurried out to complete their plan after watching the old farmer and listening to the noisy farm animals. They gathered flower blossoms, flower petals, and even flower seeds and brought them into their room. Soon, there was no more room for the siblings to sleep.

Flowers were everywhere! 

“Now we bring Papa here to see all the flowers” Brother mouse said, nodding his head. 

“He will feel better in no time!” Sister mouse cheered. 

Mama mouse came into their room, looking sad as big tears rolled down her furry cheeks.

“Mama! What’s wrong?” the mouse siblings cried out in unison. 

“Children, as you know, Papa has been sick for a long time. Today, he has gone to the meadow in the sky. He is not sick anymore” Mama mouse said quietly. 

The mouse siblings sat amongst the gathered flower petals, flower seeds and flower blossoms in silence.

“Why did he have to go?” Brother mouse spoke up.

Mama mouse gathered her children close to her and sat down amongst the gathered flowers. 

“Your papa had to go to the meadow in the sky. Every time you see the sun shining, or hear birds chirping…that’s your papa looking down at you. His love for us can be seen when the flowers grow again when spring comes, and when the wind rustles through the leaves in the trees” Mama said.

“Will we ever see him again?” Sister mouse asked quietly.

"Did he leave us because he was mad at us?" Brother mouse asked.

“No, we will not see him. We will see him in our memories. He wasn't mad at you and this is not your fault. When you are sad please come to me. Although we will not see Papa mouse again, we will remember him together" Mama mouse said as she gave each of her children a gentle hug.