Jess was quite a small mouse. Although he was quite a smart one too. As a child he would climb up the tallest pine tree he could find. The wind would sway him back and forth; Jess could see where the trees of the seemingly endless forest met the sky. The young mouse often searched the sky looking for something else to meet the horizon. Yet the trees dark tops were the only things that it met. This left Jess wondering if there was something else, past the forest.

It is now winter and Jess’s childhood has left him. He resides at home reading book after book; waiting for the day he leaves for auxiliary school. His novels contained fables of lands beyond the dense woods. He had read of deserts, mountains, and the tundra. Each night he dreamed more of visiting those places, but each day he was reminded of his commitment to acedemy. When the date of departure came Jess exited his home to begin his journey to the institution. Jess remembered the trail to the academy was east; however, after some thought he turned west and smiled. I hope there are mice in the mountains, he thought.