Darcy Fills In

Hello. My name is Darcy Fielding and I'm the editor and owner of the Mellowdene Examiner, the family-run newspaper that serves our village  It's the computer technology in my office that makes it possible for me to share with you the tales that my old friend Jackson Butterglove writes.

At this point I should pass on Jackson's apologies. He has been faced with extra work this month - in addition to spending Christmas time with his family, I understand that he's been approached with regard to a songwriting contract. I have no further news, and he would no doubt prefer to provide details personally, that is, if he wishes to share the news at all. Anyway, I don't want to place any pressure on him concerning his "Life in Mellowdene" pieces. That was our deal. So that's why I'm filling in this time.

Oh, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas!.

I have to say at the outset that I'm not a storyteller like Jackson. My background is in reporting, setting out facts for my readers. Having said that, we'll see how things go. Maybe I'll surprise myself.

Firstly, you may be wondering how it is that my newspaper has this whizzy Internet technology when the rest of Mellowdene only associates the word "web" with spiders. The answer is simple. Newton Butterglove. His work in the Sylvanian Research Group gives him access to a lot of scientific "stuff", some of which he helped develop. With the agreement of the Mellowdene council, Newton has introduced elements of the technology to the village under the proviso it is strictly controlled.

Mice are curious creatures. Maybe that's why I was more than happy to stick with the family business and became a reporter. And maybe that's why Newton gave me the opportunity to upgrade the production of my newspaper.

I don't think he expected me to have an interest in the world beyond Sylvania. Unlike most crittizens in Mellowdene, I have always believed in lands beyond our shores. And if I'm curious about the people out there, it follows that some of them might be curious about our lives in Sylvania. I convinced Newton that we could provide them with tales about our community, and when we discussed possible writers, his brother became the prime candidate. Newton knew that Jackson could be trusted to keep the technology secret from the rest of the village, and I knew he was capable of creating Copy - provided I made the idea attractive enough.

When Jackson reads this he may be surprised at Newton's involvement, but I doubt it. He knows his brother's capabilities.

Speaking of which - and again, mice are part of this - Newton has provided other technology to Mellowdene. Ashley Maces' business with the Hazelwood brothers - Mice & Clean - has benefited from special recycling, processing and safety equipment.

Burrow, Scurry, Tumble and little Sniff work incredibly hard to collect our waste and keep the village clean, and they are unsung heroes of our village.

The equipment makes their work a little easier, and I understand that they can now supply fertilizer to our food producers.

 

There may be other equipment in use around Mellowdene that the council have allowed, provided that they are persuaded that it will improve our lives and our environment. With my reporting background I am sometimes irked by the secrecy, but I understand it. I am a mouse, but I'm also Sylvanian.

o 0 O 0 o

My eldest daughter Una had to be reminded of this a few weeks ago. Like all my children, she likes to do jobs for the Examiner, and it was natural that she became a school reporter as she is perhaps the most curious of them. I shouldn't have been surprised that she figured out what was going on.

"Dad," she said, clearly using her voice to sound as innocent as possible, "Is it true that Mr Butterglove is writing exposés on Mellowdene citizens, and that you're publishing them abroad?"

"Where did you get that idea?" I replied. I had tried to give my words an air of amused surprise, but Una is her father's daughter and she saw straight through me.

"So it is true!" she said, delight in her eyes. "May I see?"

I knew I had to stop her before she took any action.

"If such a thing were true, daughter, it would be confidential. You are far too eager to see such things. If it were true."

"Aw," she pouted, then brightening instantly, "But you can say if he's written anything about Beverley and Brendan?"

I moved to her side and took hold of her shoulders. "Una. Listen to me. You are not to mention any of this..."

"Ooh! What?"

"Stop it, Una. I'm serious. This is not a scoop for your school newspaper. True or false, reporting your suspicions would not be a very nice thing to do. People's feelings may get hurt. Now I want your word that you will drop this."

"But Dad, I'm a reporter..."

"No, you are a student who's working as a trainee reporter but even that is secondary to your schoolwork. You are becoming a good little writer with a nose for a story, but you need to learn restraint and integrity. Promise me."

"What about the truth, Dad? You always say..."

"Alright, Una," I said, looking for another approach. "How about this? What if I wrote a story about what you did on your tenth birthday? It's a good story. It's true. If Mr Butterglove was writing - how did you put it - exposés on people here in Mellowdene, I think your exploits would make excellent reading."

"Dad, you wouldn't..."

"Hypothetically, if such a thing were to be written, how happy would you be for this to appear in your school newspaper?"

Una was silent. I prompted her. "Well?"

"I wouldn't like it, daddy."

"So would other people like their little secrets to come out?"

"No, daddy."

"So do I have your word that you will not pursue this?"

She looked at me. "I promise."

"Good girl."

"But tell me one thing, daddy. There's nothing really bad in there, is there?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Yes. Hypothetically."


I smiled at her. "If Mr Butterglove was writing about our friends and colleagues, do you really think he would write anything nasty about them?"

Her eyes crinkled as the corners of her mouth turned up. "No, Dad. He's a nice man."

"And you're a nice daughter, Una. You're going to be a great reporter one day. You're learning that it's not just about being literate and tenacious. You're beginning to learn choices have consequences. And you're going to make me proud."

There was a hint of a blush as she beamed at me. The expression remained on her face as she left the room.

o 0 O 0 o

Well, my friends - it's time to bring this article to an end. I confess I quite enjoyed writing it. Perhaps I'll do it again. I know things about the mice community that Jackson doesn't. What do you think, Jack? Interested?

o 0 O 0 o