While the people family was asleep Little Mouse and Little Cheese bumped into each other in the middle of the dining room floor. "Ouch!", said Little Cheese.

"WHAT?" said Little Mouse. "What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be in the refrigerator."

Little Cheese was careful- for mice love to eat cheese. "Wha, what do you mean? Didn't your parents tell you that we cheeses like to get out once and while, and that's when we are most in danger from, well, you mice?"

Little Mouse got a sad look on its face. "Why would you cheeses be afraid of us?"

"You EAT cheese!", cried Little Cheese.

"WE DO?", exclaimed Little Mouse. "I wouldn't eat you! I think you are a very friendly cheese, but then, you are the first cheese I've ever met. Even so, probably all the cheeses are as nice as you are."

"Most of us, I think. I'm glad you like me." Then, with a big cheesy smile he added, "I like you too Little Mouse."

"I'll tell you what," said Little Mouse. "I will never eat any cheese for my whole life. You are so fun to be with! I just wish all of the cheeses and mice could be together without any, uh, cheese eating."

Little Cheese thought and thought. "But then what would you mice eat to stay alive?"

"I don't know," the Mouse said with big eyes. "Let's go ask our parents."

"Okay", agreed Little Cheese.

Just then, they heard the big feet of the Little people kids hopping down the steps. The cheese and mouse ran! Little Cheese popped open the refrigerator and safely closed the door. It found its' parents waiting and worried.

"Where have you been Little Cheese?"

"Talking to a very nice Little Mouse."

"Little Cheese! That was very dangerous! Haven't we told you that all mice are bad and dangerous?"

"Yes, but this mouse had kind brown eyes, and, and, it said I was nice."

"Of course it did!" said the mother. "Nice to eat!"

"No, no, mother. Little Mouse said it would never eat cheese for its' whole life."

Now, the mother had always thought her Little Cheese was special, that it would do something great some day. So she went to the top shelf of the refrigerator and asked if she could speak with the Big Cheese. She was allowed, and after they spoke for a bit, the Big Cheese announced to all the cheese- the Swiss, the American, the Munster, the Cheddar, the Mozzarella, and the rest- that there would be a big meeting to attend.

So when nighttime had come again, and all the people family was asleep, the cheeses all met in a dark corner of the dining room floor. To their great surprise they saw far off on the other side of the dining room that all the mice- the brown, the white, the black, and the spotted ones- were also having a meeting. The only thing that kept them from running away was that Little Cheese was under the table... and the strangest thing! He was having a friendly talk with Little Mouse! A mouse and cheese!

You might have guessed also that the only thing which kept the mice from running after the cheeses was that their Little Mouse was smiling and chatting away with Little Cheese. It actually made some of the older mice feel guilty for wanting to eat all the other cheese.

The Big Mouse asked if anyone knew what could be eaten besides cheese, for he was tired of all the mean cheese-chasing and cheese-eating. From the back of the meeting a very old mouse raised its paw and said, "We could eat all the crumbs from under the dining room table. This people family is pretty messy, and they have little kids that spill drinks, and drop food all the time. When the people go to sleep, we could have a feast!"

Everyone agreed it was a great idea, and they all felt terribly sorry for all the nice cheeses they had eaten in the past. Many mice cried.

Meanwhile, the cheese meeting was much the same. The Big Cheese asked the group, "How could we trust the mice, after all they have done to us in the past?"

From the back of the meeting a very old, moldy, piece of cheese spoke up and said, "We can talk to them and see if they are sorry and willing to change and eat different things."

The Big Cheese was surprised. "But we have always hated the mice for what they have done to us. We can't just forget all the mean things they have done to us through the years! But, I am willing to listen to ideas."

So the moldy cheese stood high and shouted to all the cheese: "If the mice will be sorry and stop eating us then it is our duty, our job, to forgive them for all that they did to us in the past." With these words, the cheeses melted into tears- they so wanted to forgive, if only the mice would be sorry!

From the other side of the dining room the mouse meeting noticed all the weeping and crying at the cheese meeting. The Big Mouse walked out to the middle of the room where Little Mouse and Little Cheese were still talking to each other with love and kindness on their faces. The Big Cheese noticed, and bravely walked up to meet the Big Mouse under the dining room table. They told Little Cheese and Little Mouse to go back to their families, for a great talk was about to happen that was only for the leaders. So, the little friends said good-bye and returned to their own families.

Both meetings whispered quietly at separate corners of the room as they watched the Big Cheese and Big Mouse talk. They couldn't hear what was being said, but only that the looks on their faces were very serious. The talk went on, until suddenly both groups could hear the Big Mouse start to cry loudly. He wept because he was sorry about cheese-eating. He said he would not let mice eat cheese anymore.

Then it became twice as loud, because the Big Cheese began to cry also. He told the Big Mouse that he forgave him for all of the mean things he and the other mice had done.

And then came little shouts of joy from each meeting, and then great big shouts of joy and happiness! All the mice and all the cheese ran as fast as they could to meet each other under the dining room table. Everyone had tears in their eyes and huge smiles on their faces, and the cheeses and mice all began to hug each other, and say, "I'm so sorry!" or, "I totally forgive you!" Then the tears and the hugging turned into music and dancing! Some mice used their whiskers like guitar strings or fiddle strings and played a happy song. Some of the cheeses laid down on the floor and asked other cheeses to hop on them to make deep drum sounds. And around and around danced all the cheese and mice, late into the night, with shouts of joy and laughter that almost woke up the people family.

Little Cheese and Little Mouse found each other in the crowd and winked at each other, then hugged. It was the happiest night of their lives.

The End.