Meet the Flavershams

''All this has happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time, it happened in London. It happened on a quiet street in Bloomsbury. That corner house over there is the home of the Flaversham family, and Fievel Mousekewitz chose this particular house because there were mice here who believed in him. There was Mrs. Flaversham.''

In the bathroom of the corner house, there was a plump, brown female mouse with peach markings along her face, curvy pink ears, a pink nose, and gray eyes, wearing spectacles, a white underdress, matching pantalettes, and a pink gown. Her name was Mama Mousekewitz. And she was busy fixing her hair in front of the mirror for a ball.

"Papa dear, do hurry," Mama called out. "We mustn't be late for the party, you know."

''Mrs. Flaversham believed that Fievel Mousekewitz was the spirit of youth. But Mr. Flaversham...''

In the bedroom, there was a brown male mouse with a white beard, peach markings along his face, curvy pink ears, a black nose, and gray eyes, wearing only a white dress shirt and black pants. His name was Papa Mousekewitz, Mama's husband. And he was looking for his gold cuff links through some drawers.

"Mama, unless I find my cuff links, we don't go to the party," Papa called back. "And if we don't go to the party, I can never show my face in the office again. And if I can never--"

Unfortunately, he got cut off by bumping his head on the open top drawer.

"OUCH!" cried Papa, as he hopped around, holding his head.

''Well, Mr. Flaversham was a practical mouse. The mice boys, however, Timothy and Jaq, believed Fievel Mousekewitz was a real mouse and made him the hero of all their nursery games.''

In the nursery, we see two shadows fighting each other with toy swords. One has one in its left hand and a hanger in its right while the other has another in its right hand.

One of the shadows belonged to a mouse with brown fur and small, white buck-teeth, wearing white opera gloves, a red-and-white striped pajama jacket, matching pants, a red marching band hat with a black visor and a white feather in it, and a black eye patch. His name was Timothy Q. Mouse, Papa and Mama's son. And he was the one with the hanger in his right hand and the toy sword in his left.

The other shadow belonged to another mouse with light brown fur, a red nose, buckteeth, and small whiskers, wearing a red-orange cap and green footy pajamas with a zipper, a lighter green collar and wrists, and bumpy white soles. His name was Jaq, Timothy's little brother and Papa and Mama's other son. And he was the one with the sword in his right hand.

"Blast you, Fievel Mousekewitz!" Timothy said in a scary voice.

Jaq bonked his brother on the head twice with his sword. "Take that!" he cried. Then he and Timothy blocked their toy swords together. "Give up, Captain Jenner?" he smirked, "Give up?"

"Never!" called Timothy. Then he opened a drawer that was underneath Jaq's pajama-clad feet with the hanger, and he fell in as Timothy yelled, "I'll teach you to cut off me hand!"

Just about then, a 5-year-old mouse with tan fur, a small white bucktooth, curvy pink ears, chocolate brown eyes, a dark red heart-shaped nose, a round head, and little hands and feet walked in. She was wearing white panties and baby blue footy pajamas over them. She also wears a matching hair-bow behind her left ear. Her name was Olivia Flaversham, Papa and Mama's daughter, Timothy's little sister, and Jaq's big sister. She was also carrying a jug.

"Oh no, Timothy," Olivia giggled. "It was the left hand."

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Olivia." said Timothy, as he switched the hanger from his right hand to his left and the sword from his left hand to his right.

''Olivia Flaversham, the middle child, not only believed. She was the supreme authority on Fievel Mousekewitz and all his marvelous adventures.''

While Olivia was in the hallway, she sighed as she talked to someone, "Oh, Pal. Must we always take that nasty tonic?"

"Yes, you have to." said a voice. The figure walked out to reveal a peach dog with a pink nose and beady eyes, wearing a red dog collar with a silver license named Pal. He was carrying a tray of three spoons and a bottle of tonic for Olivia, Timothy, and Jaq.

Pal the butler, being a dog, kept his opinions to himself.

"I do not!" Pal insisted after he walked over a pillow.

And he viewed the whole affair with a certain tolerance.

Pal put the tray on a small table. Then he went over to the pillow to pick it up while Timothy and Jaq were still playing.

"Take that!" Jaq called.

Timothy and Jaq played around, hopping around the beds. "Insolent mouse, I'll slash you to ribbons!" Timothy yelled.

Pal went to the bed, placed the pillow there, and fixed up the sheets and blanket up. "And I'll cut you to pieces! Aha!" Jaq called.

As he hit Timothy, the circus mouse yelped in pain. "Ouch! Careful, Jaq, you almost broke my nose!"

"I'm sorry, Timothy." Jaq said.

Then Pal picked up two blocks and went to the other blocks. Timothy and Jaq hopped back to the bed, messing it up again. "Ah! You'll never leave this ship alive!" Timothy shouted.

So both of them bounced up and down as the pillow fell off again. "Oh yes, I will," Jaq shouted back. "Take that!"

When Pal placed the ABC on the top, he quickly turned as he realized that he had made a mistake. He got them to BAC. "Oops," said Pal. "I got A and B backwards." So he took the A block, moved the B block, and placed it to the first. He smiled and walked to the tonic for the kids.

"Scuttle me bones, mouse! I'll slit your gizzard!" Timothy yelled, as he stabbed as his wooden sword. It ripped through the sheets.

Then Pal poured on the spoons. "Oh, no, you won't," Jaq cried. "Back! Back! Back, you villain!" As they moved through the sheets, he pushed his wooden sword against Timothy's.

"Insolent pup!" Timothy snarled.

Pal heard that as he turned, only to get the tonic on his paw. He put it down. "Wicked rat pirate!" Jaq cried.

"Aha! I got you!" Timothy shouted.

"You didn't either. You never touched me!" Jaq smirked. When Pal licked it off, he was grossed out by the taste. "Oooh!" he grimaced, "This tonic does taste nasty." "Take that! And that! And that!" When Jaq thrust his sword at Timothy, he got it under his arm as if he made it look like he got him.

Pretending he was dead, Timothy placed a hand over his chest, groaned a fake death groan, and collapsed to the floor. That's when Papa came into the nursery.

"Boys, boys. Less noise, please." Papa said, without looking where he was going. He knocked the blocks down as Pal heard that, and he had to get them back together as they frowned in annoyance.

Timothy saw him. "Oh, hello, father." he said in a normal voice. But Jaq was still playing.

"You old bilge rat!" Jaq cried out.

Then Papa heard that and was insulted. "Wha- wha-what? Now see here, Jaq!"

"Oh, not you, father. You see, he's Fievel Mousekewitz." Timothy told him.

"And Timothy's Captain Jenner." Jaq added.

"Yes, yes, of course. Er, have you seen my cuff links?" Papa asked before he bumped Pal, knocking the blocks down again. "Oh, Pal, for goodness' sake!" Papa shouted, walking past the annoyed dog, "Where are those cuff links?" Pal smashed the last blocks that were standing with his paw.

"Cuff links, father?" asked Timothy.

"Yes. The gold ones." Papa answered, still looking around.

"Jaq, the buried treasure," Timothy whispered to his brother. "Where is it?"

"I don't know, Timothy." Jaq said in an innocent way.

"The map then… Where's the treasure map?" Timothy whispered.

"It got lost." Jaq said.

While Papa was looking around the bed, he then spotted something under the covers, he was shocked as he shouted, "Good heavens! My shirt front!" He grabbed his shirt front.

"Hurray! You found it! You found it!" Jaq cheered.

Papa put it on, as he turned. He didn't know that it got chalk all over his shirt front, the one that looked like the lost map. "Yes, so I have. And hereafter..." As then, Jaq came and pulled his shirt front "Don't paw me, Jaq! This is my last clean..." It was loose as he has saw something shocking and horrifying. He saw a lost map. "No..." He can't say something, only he covered his shirt front shouting, "NO!"

Mama came in and said, "Papa dear, we really must hurry or we'll be late."

"Mama! Look!" Papa said, showing Mama his shirt front.

Mama saw that and was shocked. "Papa!"

"It's only chalk, papa." Jaq said.

"Why, Jaq..." Mama was about to say something when Timothy cut in.

"It's not his fault," said Timothy. "It's in the story. And Olivia said..."

When Papa heard what Timothy said, he now knew what was up. "Olivia? Story? I might have known." He walked to the door as he called out, "OLIVIA?" He crossed his arms and called out even louder. "OLIVIA!"

Olivia heard him, walked in, and asked, "Yes, daddy?"

"Would you kindly expl-" Papa was about to say something. But Olivia walked by him when she saw the radiance of Mama's dress.

"Oh, mommy! You look simply lovely!" Olivia said.

"Thank you, dear." Mama smiled.

Papa turned to her in annoyance and said, "Olivia..."

"Just my old gown made over but it did turn out right. And I-" Mama was about to say.

"Mama, if you don't mind, I'd..." Papa said, as Olivia turned and saw his shirt front.

"Why, daddy! What have you done to your shirt?" Olivia asked.

Papa couldn't believe what she was saying. "What have I...?" He then turned and screamed in shame. "AAAAAOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"

Mama walked to him with a damp washcloth. "Now, Papa, really. It comes right off." She washed off the chalk on his shirt front.

"That's no excuse!" He frowned while Olivia, Timothy, and Jaq were putting the toys away. "Olivia, haven't I warned you? Stuffing the boys' heads with a lot of silly stories."

"Oh, but they aren't!" Olivia protested.

"I say they are! Captain Jabber! Fievel Ratskewitz!" Papa said.

"Fievel Mousekewitz, daddy." Olivia told him.

"Mouse, rat," Papa shouted, trying to put on collar around his neck. "Poppycock!"

"Oh no, daddy."

"Papa, have you ever-"

"You don't understand." The children tried to tell him.

"ABSOLUTE POPPYCOCK!" Papa shouted, finally getting the collar together. "And let me tell you, this ridiculous..."

"Now, Papa..." Mama said, about to do his white bow tie.

"Now, Papa! Now, Papa!" He repeated of what Mama said, while Pal was almost done putting the blocks back up. But he stopped to listen. "WELL, 'NOW, PAPA' WILL HAVE HIS SAY!" He did the bow tie himself, but he made a furious tangle.

"Please, dear." Mama said, fixing his bow tie neatly.

"Mama, the child's growing up," As when Pal picked up two more blocks, he listened very carefully. "It's high time he had a room of his own!" He pointed at the hall as it shocked them all.

"Daddy!" Olivia gasped.

"Papa!" Mama gasped.

"What?!" Timothy gasped.

"No!" Jaq gasped.

Pal dropped all the blocks while he gasped in shock and couldn't believe what he was hearing and what Papa was doing. "I mean it! Young man, this is your last night in the nursery!" he said, as Timothy lowered his head in sadness. "And that's my last word on the matter!" He walked away, only to nearly stomp on Pal and tried to get out of the way. Papa couldn't move around and was ready to fall. And he was losing his steps!

Pal moved away, as he fully stopped. But he nearly knocked the blocks again because Papa bumped into him and knocked them down. Now he must move away before it happens. But Pal stepped the wagon, rolled back, and fell as Papa stepped on it and rolled around here. "NO!" And when Pal were rolling by, the wagon made a tear in the rug, and Papa was sent flying as he yelled, "NO!" And with a large crash, he fell into the dresser, knocking the toys down. Olivia, Timothy, Jaq, and Mama were shocked that Pal was against the wall.

As for Papa, he was on the floor in pain, and last of the toys fell on his head, the last was the jack-in-the-box, and up popped the jack, as it stood on his head, which made Papa mad and annoyed.

"Oh!" Olivia, Timothy, Jaq, and Mama all said together. Papa heard them, and knew that they saw him get hurt, and caring of him. So he closed his eyes and waited for them. But suddenly, they ran past him, which made Papa open his widened eyes in shock. As they ran to Pal, but Papa.

"Poor Pal!" they said together again.

Papa couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Poor Pal?" Now he was very angry as he hopped up on his feet when he stomped up and shouted, "This is the last straw!" He pointed his finger out the door shouting, "OUT! OUT, I SAY!"

Jaq was hugging Pal. "No, papa, no!" Jaq pleaded.

Papa grabbed Pal by the collar and shouted, "YES! There'll be no more dogs for butlers in this house!" Jaq grabbed Pal's tail. But Mama stopped him by picking him up as Papa was dragging Pal out the room.

Jaq started to cry as he waved to his friend. "Goodbye, Pal."

"Goodbye, Jaq!" Pal said cheerfully, as he waved goodbye back. As Papa walked out to the back, he muttered to himself, "Poor Pal. Oh yes, poor Pal. But poor father? Oh, no." He let go of Pal and looked for a rope, and couldn't find any. "Blast it! Where is that rope?" He turned as he saw Pal holding a rope in his mouth. Papa walked to him and said, "Oh, thank you." As he was tying the rope to Pal's collar, the dog gave him a sad look. "Oh, boy!" sighed Pa. Papa saw that and couldn't bear the sight. "Oh, dash it all, Pal. D-Don't look at me like that."

He walked to the fountain and filled up Pal's dish. He picked it up and filled it more. "It's nothing personal. It's just that- Well, you're not really a butler at all You're… Well, a dog. And the children aren't puppies, they're a mice." He placed the water dish near Pal. "And sooner or later, Pal, mice have to grow up." He pet Pal's head.

Inside the house, the kids are in various objects for their beds, as Mama knew that Papa didn't mean to do that to Pal.

Olivia uses a jewelry box as a bed. She looked depressed. "But mommy, I don't want to grow up." she pleaded.

"Now dear," Mama said, as she kissed her on the forehead and covered her up with a blue blanket. "Don't worry about it anymore tonight."

As for Timothy, he uses a matchbox as a bed. "He called Fievel Mousekewitz 'absolute poppycock'." Timothy said to himself after what his father had said.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it, Timothy," Mama said, as she took off the bandana and covered him up with a red blanket. "Father was just upset."

As for Jaq, he uses a person's shoe as a bed. He had tears running down his cheeks. "Poor Pal," Jaq sniffled. "out there all alone."

"No more tears, Jaq. It's a warm night. He'll be all right." Mama said, as she covered him up with a yellow blanket, kissed his forehead, and left.

Then Jaq remembered something. "Mama?" he asked.

Mama turned around and asked, "What is it, dear?"

"Buried treasure." Jaq had the cuff links that Papa was looking for, and he gave them to Mama.

"Now, children, don't judge your father too harshly. After all, he really loves you very much." She walked to the window door, and was about to lock it up.

But Olivia stopped her as she said, "Oh don't lock it, mommy. He might come back."

"He?" Mama asked in a puzzled way.

"Yes, Fievel Mousekewitz. You see, I found something that belongs to him." Olivia said, as she lay down.

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Mama.

She yawned and said, "His shadow."

"Shadow?" Mama asked, very surprised.

"Mm-hmm. Pal had it, but I-I took it away." Olivia said, as she drifted off to sleep.

"Oh? Yes, of course. Good night, dear." Mama said, as she turned off the light, walked out, and left for the party.