My head ached. Opening my eyes, I noticed I was in a field of some kind. Was this some kind of prank? It wouldn't be the first time my brothers did something like this. I got to my feet to take a look around.

It was more far to say I was in a clearing in a forest and not meadow or anything. The air was exceptionally fresh, to the point it was taking me off guard. My phone displayed 9PM. Huh. But it was daylight. I guess someone could have switched the timezone or something. No service. Huh. This was...

I turned to find two bags and a book on a strap next to me. A quick peek inside revealed one was filled with water bottles, bananas and apples. The other was filled with my fathers laptop and radios, and other various stuff he took camping. None of it turned off, so all dead batteries. For the first moment a ping of fear hit me. My brothers were jerks but they wouldn't prank me with dad's stuff. I wasn't sure what to expect in this situation.

I sat back next to the tree. There wasn’t much of a point in wasting energy. The first rule of being lost was to wait. People are looking for me, and moving would only make finding them harder. Plus I had enough food for a day or two at the very least. I opened the book strap. It was leather and made to tie off to my belt. That would be useful for transport at least.

The book was refined, the kind of book you’d expect to see in something like the old temple or church. Strange letters carved into it and it had a white crystal at the center of it. Opening it though just revealed a bunch of blank pages. They felt more like parchment than normal paper and at the end of the book was a fountain pen.

Interesting. I set it down next to the bags and just tried to remain calm. It wasn’t my birthday or Christmas. My brothers were the type to troll me before giving me something nice, but that wouldn’t explain the bag and my dad wouldn’t do anything like this. What was I doing?

My memory was fuzzy at best. I remember it was getting colder, like we were in fall and I think everyone had a game or something. I remember I wanted to draw but that was it. The day or the week, or even the month felt like something I couldn’t place. Perhaps retrograde amnesia? I felt my head for any pain or soreness but nothing.

Hours passed with nothing but my thoughts and the slowly moving sun to keep me company. I decided it was time to eat a banana. It wasn’t much but after hours, even something small was a great relief.

“Chu.”

Huh? I thought I heard something. I looked around to check. Up to now I hadn’t heard much of anything, so the distinct squeak noise caught my attention. Then I saw it, though I didn’t want to believe it.

A mouse, it looked like a normal common everyday mouse, except it’s fur was pink. Well, mostly, it had a white underside but the fur on top was a bright pink. It tilted its tiny head as it sniffed the air. Oh, the banana? I broke off a little piece and gently set it nearby.

Adorably it approached and then began biting into it.

I grabbed the book, some small part of me was aware this was probably a terrible idea but I felt a sense of desire. I had been wanting to draw a mouse and I was incredibly bored. Taking the pen and book, I began sketching the mouse before me.

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I tried to imagine a story for her. I pictured her as a detective mouse, on her way back home after a big case but her rations were stolen by a pigeon, and in her hungry stupor, she found a human eating a banana.

This wasn’t my first time drawing on parchment, my father was a huge fan of actdoor stuff, so he had shown me how to make it before, but there was something almost fantastical about this. Sketching a mouse in an old time parchment book with a fancy pen in a clearing in the forest. It brought a smile to my face. I had always wanted to do something like this.

Once the banana was gone, the mouse didn’t stick around much longer but I had enough of my sketch. It took me a couple more hours but eventually I finished my sketch. I decided it would be worth giving her a name.

Mina Nibbles, the Psychic Mouse Detective I wrote in the fanciest cursive I could manage. The moment I did, the page glowed a distinct blue color.

What the heck, I thought, tossing the book and jumping back. The book still glowed blue, until the blue seemed to collect at the top and take on a form. Another mouse just appeared. It turned and faced me.

“Well that’s rude,” a female voice rang out.

“What,” I said. “Who’s there?”

“I’m right here,” the voice repeated. It was ominous. I couldn’t place the voice, it felt like it was being whispered into my ear.

“Right where?” I asked.

“Here,” it echoed again.

I looked down and noticed the mouse was waving its paw at me. “You?”

“Yes, and I still find your use of the term ‘it’ to be quite rude. I am a ‘her’ for your information.”

Talking mouse? Am I going crazy? I am going crazy. That’s the only explanation. Obviously. Why now? I guess maybe I have been going crazy for a while, hence me being lost in the forest.

“Are you listening to me? It would be damn proper of you to offer an apology,” she said.

“Uhm, oh. Sorry,” I said.

“What is your name,” she asked. “I am Mina. Mina Nibbles.”

“What? Mina? The mouse detective?” I asked.

She nodded her head. “I see you know of me? But who are you?”

“Oh, uhm. Theodore. Theodore Chapman,” I said.

I walked over to the book, and picked it up. Opening the first page revealed nothing but a blue glow where my picture had once been. Huh.

“Everything alright Mr. Chapman?” Mina asked.

“Uh, I'm still trying to figure that out,” I said. “Do you know anything about magic?”

“Well, obviously. I am using psychic magic right now,” she said. “Why do you ask?”

I sat down next to my bags. “Honestly, I don’t know. This is all a bit too much for me.”

She just stared at me from a few feet away. Magic mouse? Magic book? I… I didn’t think waiting was a smart idea anymore. For all I knew I was suffering from a kind of traumatic brain injury. I opened the pack with my dad’s stuff. I was hoping for a compass.

“A compass would be a good idea,” she said.

Wait. I didn’t say that. Was she reading my mind? I thought while looking at her.

“Is that a problem? I am a psychic after all.”

Hmm. Well, whatever. I pulled a compass out of my bag and looked around. The sun was moving towards the horizon, that alone should tell me that north should be to the right of the sun but then… the compass needle. It pointed at the sun. What?

“I thought the sun sets in the west?” she asked.

“Yeah, me too,” I said. This was strange. I paused and looked at the mouse. “Any ideas Mina?”

“I saw we walk towards what the compass is pointing to,” she said. “Logic would dictate that there is some sort of magnetic interference over there. Which could lead us to people, or if not, it would be nice to isolate why the compass doesn’t seem to be working.”

Good a plan as any I had. I strapped the book to my belt, and put my dads bag over my shoulders before slinging the water and food over my shoulder like a purse. It was a much heavier load than I wanted to carry but I sure as heck wasn’t leaving anything behind. As long as I went slow. I should be fine.

“Mind if I tag along?” Mina asked.

“Sure,” I said.

She climbed up my jeans and eventually made her way to my shoulder. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I might as well bring her.