Between the Lines: Three Blind Mice

Hello again. As promised last week, I am posting a brand new interview this week after featuring "reruns" for the past several. We're back with a bang, as I actually have three interviewees for the price of one. Allow me to introduce the Three Blind Mice. Let's see if we can get the inside scoop on them shall we?

Greg:  Welcome. I'm glad you all could be here together today. I gather that it's been a while since you've all been together.

Mouse #1:  Yeah, it's been a long time. We ain't seen each other in years.

Mouse #2:  Hah, that's a good one--seen each other. As if we could. You always was an insensitive bloke, Morty.

Mouse #3:  Now Fred, don't be so hard on the lad, you know he ain't one t' think before he speaks. It's just his way.

Fred:  You quit stickin' up for him Jasper. You was always stickin' up for Mort you was.

Jasper:  Now don't take on like that, Fred. It weren't his fault. He saw his chance and he took it. If it had worked out, I'm sure he would of gotten us in, too. But the whole plan went belly up and that's that. Then there was that whole deal with the farmer's wife.

Greg:  Hold on. I'm a little lost here. Can we take it from the top. What broke you three up?

Mort:  It's a long, rather painful story. I don't think we need to go into it.

Fred:  No, I think we should go into it, Mort. We got to get it out in the open-like. Maybe then everyone can judge for themselves.

Jasper:  No Fred, I think maybe Mort's right. There ain't no need to go dredgin' all that stuff back up.

Mort:  No, don't worry about it, Jasper. Maybe Fred's right. It might be good t' clear the air.

Greg:  Hey cool. It sounds like we've got a scoop here folks. Okay, we all want to know what happened to break you guys up.

Mort:  Well, it was like this, see. In our younger days we was always lookin' for some good times. We never stayed in one place long. We was runnin' here, there and everywhere. We lived in this house with this farmer and his wife, boy was she scared of us.

Fred:  Yeah, we'd chase her all over the house, out in the barnyard, wherever.

Mort:  Sure, sure. She was always scared. It was a lot of fun. But that was our day job. We did more than that. We had an act.

Greg:  An act?

Jasper:  Sure, ya know Vaudeville--singin' an' dancin'. We was real good, too. Had a lot of Hollywood types interested in us.

Fred:  Yeah, yeah. They was interested in all of us--one in particular was real interested.

Greg: Who, who?

Fred:  Ya sound like an owl, talkin' like that. Ya gave me the shivers for a minute there. Watch it, will ya? Anyways, yeah, the big guy himself, Mister Entertainment--Walt Disney--was real interested. He wanted to talk t' someone, so Mort here volunteered t' go.

Mort:  You an' Jasper didn't have time t' go. You was both chasin' the farmer's wife.

Fred:  Ya sure took advantage of that, didn't ya?

Greg:  How? How did he take advantage?

Mort:  I didn't. I met with Disney, but he didn't want a trio. He was lookin' for a single, and he wanted me. I would be Mortimer Mouse and star in all his pictures. I went back t' the others with the news. I promised 'em I'd find a way to work 'em in with me once I got established.

Greg:  Sounds reasonable. So what happened?

Jasper:  Fred and Mort got inta it pretty good. They almost came t' blows. I tried t' step in an' make Fred see reason, but he wasn't havin' none of it. In fact, Mort was just about t' walk out when it happened.

Greg:  What happened?

Mort:  The farmer's wife finally got up her nerve an' came after us. She was totin' a huge carrvin' knife. She was swingin' it madly above her head. Finally, she cornered  us and chopped our tails off. Scared us blind it did.

Greg:  What about Disney?

Mort:  He didn't want no blind, tailess mouse, so he backed outta the deal. Hire some rube from Malibu named Mickey ad the rest is history.

Greg:  Oh, bad luck. But listen, you shouldn't let a little setback like that get you down.

Fred:  Yeah, I suppose not. I'm willin' t' let bygones be bygones if you are.

Mort:  Sure thing ol' pal. Put her there.

Jasper:  Aw, that's great fellas, I knew you'd make peace. Now let's see if we can't scare up an agent. I hear they're plannin' a remake of Cinderella, an' they're auditionin' mice an' birds, let's get a move on!

Between the Lines: Cinderella

I've got someone great for you all to meet. She's a real princess, but she's also really down to earth. Yes, that's right, Cinderella is sitting with me here at Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. Let's see what she's got to say.

Greg:  First off, thanks so much for stopping by to talk with us. A princess must lead a pretty busy life.

Cinderella:  Yes it can get quite busy, I must admit. I still try to find some quiet time whenever I can, though. All work and no play makes Cindy a dull princess.

Greg:  Cindy?

Cindy:  Yes, that's what my friends call me. Prunella was the first to call me Cindy. You may call me that if you like.

Greg:  Uh, thanks. Um, Prunella?

Cindy:  Yes, my Fairy Godmother. That's her name. I call her Pruny, but I think I'm the only one who does.

Greg:  I think I can understand why. Your Fairy Godmother...isn't she the one who helped you out of your life of poverty?

Cindy:  She's just one of many people who helped me become what I am today, but she's the one who made the magic happen. When I met her I was not in a very good place. She helped my dreams come true, so to speak.

Greg:  Yes, I know. You were being very poorly treated by your stepmother and your two stepsisters. That must have been awful.

Cindy:  It was no party, that's for sure. After my father died, they took everything for themselves and made me serve them hand and foot. I had nothing but the rags on my back and dreams in my heart. There was nothing dreamlike about my life, though. It was one big nightmare.

My stepsisters treated my horribly and my stepmother was simply wicked. I worked from before dawn to late at night in the house that should rightfully have been mine. Those were hard times, but I still managed to find some happy moments--watching the sun rise as I cleaned out thee stables, the play of light through the windows as I washed them, the song of a bird as I did the laundry.

Greg:  Yes, those must have been lovely moments, but hardly reason for celebration.

Cindy:  Oh, maybe not celebration, but definitely appreciation. Life was hard, but I still had my dreams and the belief that if I kept working one day good things would come my way. I have to admit, though, that I was feeling very downhearted the night of the ball and my dreams seemed very far away indeed.

In fact, I was very nearly in despair, sobbing in the garden. That's when Pruny came. Things got better right away. She whipped up a beautiful gown and transportation and some beautiful glass slippers. Oh it was all so divine, but she told me I had to be back by midnight. That did not give me long, but at least I was able to go to the ball and meet the prince.

Greg:  The prince. Oh yes, I've wondered about that. How exactly did you two meet?

Cindy:  Everyone who attended the ball was presented to the prince. You see, what I didn't know was that the ball had been arranged so that he could find thee woman he was going to marry.

Greg:  Hmmm. It must have been rough for him, all those eligible young ladies falling over themselves to be noticed and perhaps selected to be his princess. I knew princes had it tough, but never imagined anything like that.

Cindy:  Well, you might laugh but it was difficult for him. Imagine, all those women throwing themselves at him. Some were quite attractive, but most just weren't his type. The poor dear was beside himself.

Greg:  But then he met you...

Cindy:  Yes, then he met me and I think we both knew at the same moment. We danced all night. I felt like I was floating on air. All too soon, the clock struck midnight. I was in a panic. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to get out of there. There was no time for a graceful exit.

Greg:  You ran.

Cindy: Yes, I ran, but I left a glass slipper behind. That turned out to be amazingly fortunate.

Greg:  Yes it was. But never mind that. I've always been puzzled by one thing. A glass slipper can't be very comfortable. What was it like to wear those things?

Cindy:  Ugh. If I could have asked Pruny to rethink one thing it would have been the glass slippers. Horridly uncomfortable things. I was afraid to take a step for fear they'd break and slice my feet to ribbons. Plus they did not give at all--stiff as a board. It was next to impossible to run in them.

Greg:  But you managed to do what you had to do. So, you made it home. Was anything different?

Cindy  Well, my wonderful gown changed back into rags, so when I returned home, it was like I had never left. I slipped back into my old life, but that night I dreamt of the prince. He was so charming.

The next morning when I awoke it seemed that thee previous night had been only a dream, except for the fact that I still had the one glass slipper. I thought that was all I had until the prince came looking for me. Naturally, my stepsisters tried to convince him that they were his heart's desire, but he would have none of that. He put the glass slipper on my foot and I left my old life behind for a new one of wonder and magic.

Greg:  That's really fantastic. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It was most fascinating.

Cindy:  It was my pleasure. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have to get back to the Magic Kingdom. I've got a hair appointment. Pruny says I'm starting to get a little mousy looking. Sometimes I just think she's plain goofy!