02/03/2023
A Story for .
Norman The Mouse who was Late
I once knew a mouse called Norman who was always incredibly late, so much so he was known as ‘Norman the mouse that was late.’ He was late for everything - birthdays, meetings and even the occasional fancy ball. You name it, he was late for them all.
The problem was he just forgot the time, the place or the day. He would arrive in the right place at the right time but on the wrong day, or on the right day at the right time in the wrong place.
But Norman the mouse had a very special event he needed to be on time for. How would he ever make it?
He wrote a reminder on post-it notes and covered the whole of the outside of his house in them. Whenever he would return home he would see his house covered in post-it notes, he would read the notes and be reminded of the day the big event was. Once he read the note on the right day, he would then need to know the time he needed to leave the house.
He would write that on his wrist next to his watch - 6 o’clock. To his surprise when he checked his watch, it was 6 o’clock already! So, he left the house, but where was he going? He had the right day, and the right time, but he didn’t know the place.
Norman had left himself clues for the time and day, so he surely must have left himself a clue for the place the event was being held at. He looked at the bowling alley but there was no clue, he went to his best friend Sally’s house but she wasn’t home, he went to the park and checked the swings, the slide and the roundabout - nothing!
‘Oh I’m never going to find the clue, I’m so useless I can’t get to the right place on the right day at the right time. I’m such a fool and I can’t even remember where I put the final clue. I know this was the most important event and I am going to let everyone down.’
Feeling sad and sorry for himself, Norman the mouse gives up and walks slowly home. He feels awfully upset.
It was 7 o’clock by the time Norman got home. It was now dark. He enters the house and closes the door behind him. It is in complete darkness, he scrambles around trying to find the light switch.
‘CLICK’
The light flicks on
‘SURPRISE!!!!’
Standing in front of Norman were all his friends and family and behind them was a huge banner saying, ‘ HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORMAN.’
Sally heads straight to Norman, and while giving him a great big hug she whispers, ‘right on time.’
‘But how?’ Asks Norman. ‘How am I in the right place on the right day at the right time?’
Sally explains, ‘well you see Norman this was your plan all along. You knew you would read the post-it notes covering your house when you got home. You always get home around 6 o’clock so you would write that time next to your watch and head straight out, before you forgot.’
‘But I forgot the place, didn't I, I made you all wait because I was late…. Again,’ sighed Norman.
‘No, you knew you would check the bowling alley, my house and then the park before giving up. That would take about 45 minutes, leaving 15 minutes for a slow walk home and enough time for us all to gather to surprise you. You arrived right on time.’
‘You mean I really did get to the right place on the right day at the right time after all?’
‘You sure did Norman, the mouse who WASN’T late.’
End
