Dreams of Stars (A Once Upon a Time/Jiminy Cricket fanfic)

Dreams of Stars Part 18

The first home Jiminy Cricket and Kaelin Mouse chose for themselves was a small, partially-hollowed stump in the forest near the orphanage. The stump was dark brown, rough, and often damp with toadstools sprouting from the top and soft, bulging patches of moss climbing all over it. The inside was still full of rotting leaves when they first found it, but Kaelin tidied it up as best she could and made two, soft nests out of moss. Jiminy said he didn't really need a nest since he was an insect, but Kaelin insisted on making one for him anyway.

While Geppetto remained in the orphanage, Jiminy and Kaelin watched over him from a distance, as well as they could. Actually, in Kaelin's thinking, it was only Jiminy who was watching over him. Jiminy would sneak into the orphanage and try to do some of Geppetto's work for him or distract the workers to help him, but Kaelin found she couldn't bear to go in. Just seeing a worker, or hearing their voice, or smelling a familiar odor was enough to give her panic attacks. Kaelin Mouse was as timid and shy as any mouse, if not more so. To her shame, she was unable to help Geppetto.

Certain she was a burden on Jiminy, Kaelin spent her time foraging for food, never going too far into the forest because she was afraid of getting lost. She collected rainwater and dew in leaves. She discovered raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries in bushes and mulberries on the ground around trees. Her favorite thing to find was a walnut because she could take the time to roll it home and then nibble through the skin and the tough shell. Kaelin usually had too much time during the day.

Though Kaelin was constantly wracked with fear, shame, and anxiety—and often paralyzed by it—Jiminy never once grew angry with her. On the contrary, he seemed continually grateful. The small amount Kaelin felt she did to help would have been called worthless by the orphanage workers, so she wondered if Jiminy was just trying to be nice. She wished she could do something of actual value, like help Geppetto. Deep down, Kaelin Mouse was unceasingly amazed and grateful that she was living in the stump with Jiminy Cricket instead of in the orphanage, but she pushed away even those feelings. She felt guilty that she was out here and safe, while Geppetto remained in there.

Almost a year after Kaelin left with Jiminy, Geppetto turned 18 and was sent away from the orphanage. The cricket and the mouse managed to slip onto his carriage as it was departing, but it simply took him to the nearest town. They hopped off into a bush and watched him as he stood in the street and looked around. He shivered with anticipation and uncertainty.

"I want to go talk to him," Kaelin whispered to Jiminy. This was the first time she had really seen him since she left the orphanage.

"Go ahead," Jiminy replied, "You'll have better luck than I would."

Her little heart pounding faster than ever with anticipation, Kaelin slipped out from the bush and cautiously approached Geppetto's foot. She paused at his toe, then slowly stood up on her hind legs and folded her front paws together. She squeaked.

Geppetto looked down, and his eyes widened slightly with quiet surprise. Kaelin realized that she was still wearing her dress, so she must already look very unusual for a mouse.

Very cautiously, as though afraid of scaring her away, Geppetto knelt down and placed one hand on the ground, palm up. Kaelin wasn't afraid. Even though Geppetto carried a deep anger, he was an extremely gentle person. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Silently, she slipped onto his hand, and he stood up.

Looking into his thin face again with its strikingly dark eyes and short, black beard, Kaelin wanted to cry. She wanted to pour out all her apologies for not having been there for him in his last year, for not having been able to even enter the orphanage. But she remained silent.