A Mouse Sets out into the Frigid Air
It was a frigid yet sunny morning on November 28th, and a mouse set out to begin his morning stroll.
Hmm, thought the mouse, I could really go for some nice pumpkin chocolate chip cookies right now.
And so he made plans to bake a warm, soft batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies as soon as he got back to his home inside a hole inside an old tree surrounded by mushrooms. (Because of course, this kind of place is where all mice are found.)
He could taste the hot, goey chocolate taste of the cookies, which seemed to be floating in the air. He couldn't wait to get back and start baking his cookies.
The Battle Begins
Fall Maven watched the mouse set out on his morning walk through the forest from behind a tree.
"Alright," said a voice from behind the spirit, "your time here is up. It's winter now."
"Just one more day," said the Fall Maven spirit to its sibling the Holiday spirit. "Fall's not over just yet. And I'm bringing such wonderful feelings to this beautiful little mouse here!"
"It's my turn. You want to make something out of it?"
"No, I just..." Fall Maven stuttered, but it was already too late.
The battle between siblings had begun.
A Change of Heart
The mouse was now in the middle of his morning stroll.
Of course, he had not made it very far, as he was a mouse, and could only take tiny steps.
From somewhere within the forest, the shrieking and howling of two spirits interlocked in battle could be heard.
To the mouse, this seemed quite strange, though he didn't think much of it.
The winds picked up, and a swirling, sort of baby tornado whirled around the tiny mouse, bringing along with it orange and yellow leaves that had fallen from the trees.
Actually... the mouse decided, I might rather bake some gingerbread.
Gingerbread sounded quite nice in this cold weather that nipped the nose.
The mouse couldn't wait to go home and start baking his gingerbread.
Yet Another Change of Heart! ...and Another?
The mouse was now three-quarters of the way through his morning stroll. He was almost back to his small, cozy cottage nestled inside a tree trunk.
Boy, he couldn't wait to start baking his gingerbread!
But wait! All of the sudden, he was once again craving some gooey, warm, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies instead.
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies would be quite nice, yes.
But wait again!
It was back to gingerbread. Yes, he wanted gingerbread, as it was winter now and gingerbread was the sort of thing you consumed in the winter time.
...But wait?
Fall was not over yet. He wanted pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
No, gingerbread!
Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
Gingerbread!
"Oh dear, oh dear," muttered the mouse. For the great conflict over which type of cookie he was to bake had grown so large inside him that he could no longer concentrate on his beautiful morning stroll, or the lovely weather. (It's a wonder that the mouse could have considered the weather to be "lovely." It was quite chilly, actually.)
The mouse, overwhelmed by the growing tidal wave of debate over which cookie was better inside him, hurriedly headed back to his cottage inside a hollow tree, deciding that perhaps it was best not to make any cookies at all.
The War's End
"See, look what you've done," said Fall Maven to the Holiday spirit, stopping mid-combat. "You've brought great trauma onto a little mouse."
"I've done nothing," said the Holiday spirit, "that was your doing."
"Fine. You'll have it your way," said Fall Maven grudgingly.
"Fine by me," said the Holiday spirit.
And the Great Fall Maven left for the year, planning the wonderful feelings it would bring to the world in years to come.