Little Fieldmouse and the First Christmas – a Nativity Story

 

Little Fieldmouse and the First Christmas – Read and Print

By Rachel Dunstan Muller, copyright 2022

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Long, long ago, on one of the coldest nights of the year, a little fieldmouse was peeking out of her den, staring up at the stars. Oh, but they were beautiful – like a shimmering river across the sky. But there was one star that was shining more brightly than all the others – a star the little fieldmouse had never noticed before. Just looking at it filled her with wonder. Where had the star come from? And why did it make her feel all fluttery inside?

Just then, a little gust of wind blew past the fieldmouse. Come and see! whispered the wind.

“Come and see what?” said the fieldmouse.

But the little wind had already blown past – across the meadow and into the darkness beyond.

Now the little fieldmouse was a very small animal, and very small animals do not generally like to travel far from their homes. The great, big world can be a scary place when you’re small. But something about that bright star gave the little fieldmouse courage – and the words the wind had whispered made her curious. The little fieldmouse wanted to follow; she wanted to come and see. And so, she did. She left the warmth and safety of her den, and she started out into the night.

The little fieldmouse hadn’t gone far when she saw other animals, all travelling in the same direction. There was a hedgehog, and a squirrel, and a rabbit; there was a deer, and a badger and a bear. They had all seen the bright star too; they had all heard the wind’s words, and just like the fieldmouse, they wanted to see where the star led.

On they went, through field and forest and stream. And as they went, more animals joined them. There was a fox, and a wolf, and an owl; an otter, and an elk, and a beaver. The bigger animals made the fieldmouse a little nervous at first. But as they travelled by the light of that star, even the fiercest animals were gentle.

On and on they went through the night, until it seemed they might never reach their destination. The poor fieldmouse with her little, scurrying feet. She wanted to see where the star was leading, but it was hard to keep up with the bigger animals, with their great, long legs.

“Oh dear,” the little hedgehog squeaked. “I can’t go any farther.”

“Oh, I want to keep going,” said the squirrel, “but it’s just too far!”

“It is too far,” the little fieldmouse said sadly. And she was so disappointed, that a tear spilled down her whiskers.  

Well, when the bear and the elk saw that the little ones were falling behind – they stopped. “Climb on my back,” the bear said to the fieldmouse. “I’m strong; I can carry you.” “Oh yes,” said the elk. “There’s lots of room on my back too. Climb aboard,” she told the hedgehog and the squirrel.

And so, the animals continued through the darkness – all of the animals – until at last the star led them to the outskirts of a dusty little town. There was a stable on the edge of that town. The wild animals stayed in the shadows as they crept closer, to see what else might be inside besides cows and donkeys. And what did the wild animals see? They saw a man and a woman, and a newborn baby, lying in a manger. Now, wild creatures usually keep their distance from humans. They’re afraid of us. But this baby? Oh, this baby was different. Just to see him filled the wild animals with wonder – and peace. You see, this was the very first Christmas, and the newborn baby was the baby Jesus.

The bigger animals – the wolf, the fox, the bear, the elk – they all waited outside, watching from the shadows. They didn’t want to scare Mary and Joseph, the baby’s parents. But the little fieldmouse, she crept inside, right across the straw-covered floor. Then she climbed a bale of hay so she could see the tiny baby up close. Oh, but the baby was beautiful, even more beautiful than the star that had led her to the baby’s side.

The little fieldmouse never forgot that night – her long journey through the darkness with the other wild animals, and the baby that was waiting when they reached the stable. No one who saw the baby in the manger ever forgot that night. And 2,000 years later, people all around the Earth still celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus.

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