By Kamali Godwin

PART I

Once upon a time in Kagulu village, there lived a poor little mouse. 

His name was Suubi. 

Suubi’s home was always dead silent! You could hear the crack of a stick once you stepped on one. Suubi lived in a very small, dark and creepy house. It was very scary that he hardly had any visitors. Even his brothers would never visit his compound because it looked like a graveyard. The sound that the wind made as it blew past his house had many convinced that his house was haunted.

Suubi always wore a ragged backcloth which made him look like a leper. Whenever he walked through the market, everybody detested him. The little children always hid every time they caught a glimpse of him. His own relatives would shy away from him whenever they met.

His only friend was his pet, Kato who was a grasshopper. Often, he would express his emotions to Kato. He would speak to him for hours even when he never got any reply.

“Everybody sees me as useless and nasty! Kato, what did I do to deserve this?” Suubi always lamented.

PART II

One evening as the crickets began to chirp, Suubi decided to take a walk along the banks of Lake Kyoga. As he approached the reeded banks,he spotted a little mouse curled in the reeds. His heart sank, and he was moved to act with compassion. At once, he started walking towards the sleepy little mouse as fast as a cheetah.

“Hello there,” Suubi spoke with a lot of sympathy in voice,

”What’s your name?”

The little mouse had not sensed Suubi until he spoke. He instantly woke up in a lot of shock and started to extend away from the stranger.

“I mean no harm to you little one, I am here to help you. 

My name is Suubi, what’s yours?”

“M-mmmm, my name is Tendo.” The mouse spoke with quacking lips.

“That’s a nice name. Where is your family?”

Tendo just cast his face to the ground and started crying.

“Oh, sorry! I get it. You are not any different from me.”

Tears could not stop rolling down from Tendo’s sunken eyes as he said,”I am all by myself.” Tendo narrated to Suubi. He seemed to have built a strong trust in him already.

However much he tried, Suubi could not help holding back his tears as Tendo narrated. He developed flashbacks of his own life even though Tendo’s seemed worse.

“Is it okay to come with me to my house? There’s plenty of room for the two of us.”

“Thank you very much, but I don’t wish to be your burden.”

PART III

Suubi finally convinced Tendo to come with him. The two started living together, and Suubi treated Tendo as his own son.

For the next couple of months, they enjoyed each other’s company. They would go for evening walks together. Kato loved Tendo so much that he would always rest on his shoulder. Since they had both grown up from different places, they taught  each other a lot of things. They were a family now. 

PART IV

One day during their evening walk through the market, Suubi did something very heroic. The market was particularly busy that day. It was congested, with an atmosphere filled with voices of vendors and customers bargaining. The air intensified with the smell of plantain and maize roasting in the various corners.

“What a beautiful evening!” Suubi exclaimed.

As they went on, Suubi caught a glimpse of an old mouse,  which was slowly crossing the road with an old sack on her bent back. She relied on the support of a bent stick to walk.

At the same time, Suubi spotted a speeding cart whose owner had lost control of. The owner ran behind it yelling for help. Suubi instantly felt he needed to do something.

He ran with all his might while his tattered backcloth swayed behind him like a flag on a mast. The cart was headed in the direction of Maria

“Help! Help!” The mouse running behind the cart continued screaming out loud.

Those who finally saw it closed their eyes in fear of what awaited to happen. At that moment, Suubi had just reached where Maria was, pushing her hard to the side of the road. Instantly, the cart hit him, throwing him far ahead.

For a moment, silence filled the place as no one believed what they had just seen. 

Maria rose up, still trembling, as she had just survived her death. 

For Suubi, he was so severely injured that he couldn’t move a muscle. Different mice dashed to his rescue. He panted so hard as they rashed him to the nearby clinic. His body was covered with bruises and he looked to have fractured some bones severely. 

Tendo was tense as he witnessed Suubi being laid on a stretcher and rushed away. He followed the mob to the nearest clinic though he couldn’t stop wailing. Tendo never wanted to lose sight of Suubi.

On reaching the clinic’s doorstep, everyone wanted to flood in until Musawo Kirabo stopped them.

“Apart from the two carrying the stretcher, the rest stay outside!” Musawo  Kirabo commanded.

Tendo pleaded and explained to the doctor that he was the patient’s son. After a few hesitations, he was finally let in. 

PART V

For the next three weeks, Suubi was on the clinic bed. Tendo was always by his side. Suubi spent most of his time laying on the bed while Tendo read him stories and sang him soothing songs.

Many villagers always flooded Suubi’s room with presents. Also, Maria never spent a day without going to the clinic. She always prepared and brought him food. 

One chilly Monday morning, Musawo Kirabo discharged Suubi. Tendo wheeled Suubi back home. 

Upon reaching home, the two could not believe their eyes. 

Filled with joy, tears ran fast down Suubi’s cheeks. He couldn’t hold them back for the big surprise. It was their little house. 

The rest of the village mice had renovated his house as a way of showing gratitude for his noble act. They had installed new iron sheets, cemented the floor, fitted in windows and planted flowers all around the place. It looked very attractive.

“Oh my! Is this……. our house?” Suubi cried.

“It’s a palace.” Tendo exclaimed.

“You’re right. Who did this for us?”

“The whole village, the whole village Suubi.”

“Thank you very much.” Suubi answered excitedly.

Tendo wheeled Suubi inside. The sight was so beautiful . Suubi wished he could jump off his wheelchair and tread around his house. Tendo made sure he wheeled him everywhere.

PART VI

For the next couple of weeks, villagers continued visiting Suubi. Some carried for him grapes, corn and many other edibles. Suubi always sent some of his edibles to Maria. They had become great friends. 

For the next many years, everyone in Kagulu village extended compassion to one another. They shared seedlings, and even gave food to those who lacked. They visited each other in hospitals. Suubi had inspired them.

Suubi and Tendo continued to live a happy life. Suubi, who was despised by society, had become the village hero.