Visiting the Northern Mouse

Before they moved to Macadamia Grove, the Outback koala family lived in Town.  Like many Town children, Adelaide Outback always looked forward to visiting the Grand Department Store in December.  Not to shop for presents, nor because of the lovely festive atmosphere, but to visit the Northern Mouse!  He wasn't the real Northern Mouse, of course, but the Grand Department Store always had the best "Northern Mouse", and at three years old Addy was still little enough to think he just might be the real thing!

Although they had moved away, the Outbacks wanted to continue this tradition, and this year would be the first time little Karri would be in the photo too!  So one fine December day, Kylie Outback took her two children to Town on the train.  They did some Christmas shopping first, had lunch in one of the cafes, and then - finally! - it was time for the long-awaited visit with the Northern Mouse.

The mouse in the suit this year was a very kind gentlemouse, who had played the Northern Mouse at the store for several years.  He greeted Adelaide, who was nearly jumping out of her skin with excitement!

Karri wasn't so sure about this strange big mouse in the bright red suit...

It was time for the children to sit in the Northern Mouse's sleigh for their photograph.  

"Lift me!  Lift me!" shrieked Adelaide - she couldn't wait to hop into the sleigh.  She could already imagine herself zooming through the night sky...!

But Kylie lifted Karri in first.  Her little bottom lip had started to tremble...

Karri was not cooperating.  She clung to her mother fiercely, whilst Kylie tried hard to put her in the sleigh.

Finally, Adelaide couldn't wait any longer, and decided to take matters into her own paws.  She scrambled aboard...

"Oh dear," thought the Northern Mouse to himself, "Not another one..."

Kylie was never quite sure, afterward, how they managed it, but between the two of them (and with the help of the photographer), she and the Northern Mouse somehow got both little koalas under control and into the sleigh!

"Just look at them!" she said to her husband that evening, showing him the picture.  "You'd never know that one of them was nearly bouncing out of the sleigh, and the other one was petrified with fear, would you?"

Steve chuckled fondly.  "Well, it doesn't seem to have done Karri any lasting harm," he said, looking at her asleep in her sling.  "Don't forget, Addy was a bit nervous the first time.  I bet next year Karri will be right as rain."

Merry Christmas, Outbacks - and Merry Christmas to all!

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Edit:  For anyone who may be reading this post several months later, you may be wondering why the Outbacks suddenly only have two children in this story!  Don't worry - no harm has befallen little Jarrah!  We found him in a SF Shopping Series blind bag in early 2020, and decided to add him to the Outback family.  I didn't want him to be a newborn though, as they already have Karri in that role (and he's bigger than her anyway).  So I have just slyly inserted him into the family, but I decided to let this story stand as it is rather than completely rewriting and reshooting it.   - GreyRabbit.