Chapter 1
Pip was a small mouse in a very busy world
She often felt it was too busy
She lived in a place that was loud and fast
But Pip wasn’t loud or fast
While others hurried and scurried
She noticed the little things
How the light rested and shadows moved
How the wind blew the leaves
She tried to be louder and faster, like the others
But when she did, something inside her felt quieter instead
She knew she was not like the others, she was… different. And that was okay, even if it felt a little strange sometimes
Pip didnt know where her happy place was but she knew she wanted to find the place that felt like her own kind of happy.
The place that made her smile
The place that made her laugh
The place where she could breathe when the world felt like too much
The place where she could be herself
So with a twitch of her whiskers, Pip set off to find the place that felt like happiness itself
She scurried as long as her tiny legs could take her, searching for the perfect place
She looked under mushrooms, in a pile of leaves, in the hollow of a tree, near a pile of rocks. Nothing felt quite right
She was starting to feel tired but she didn’t want to give up
“I think it’s time to rest.” She said
She found a spot under a tree and rested for a moment, thinking about how far she had come. Such a long way for a little mouse
The next morning Pip set off again, determined. She searched far and wide.
She could feel it in her heart, she was so close
She scurried for hours when she finally spotted it.
A hollow log covered in moss. She slowly crept inside and immediately felt at ease
“Yes this is perfect.” She said, settling in
Over the next few days she added a few little touches here and there, making it her own space.
She spent a lot of time there, sometimes just taking a quiet moment for herself
But sometimes she missed the hustle and bustle of home
She missed the flurry of activity. Everyone coming and going
Keeping busy and doing things
She realised that home wasnt always just one place
She realised that home was where she could be the best version of herself. Sometimes she needed loud and busy, sometimes she needed soft and quiet, and that was okay.
She could go wherever she needed to go
There would always be a place for her
Full of love, joy and hope
When she returned home that night and settled down to sleep, she looked around at her surroundings and whispered
“There’s no place like home.”
