The next morning after watching the sunset with Mr. Wily Owl, Peggy field mouse woke up with a smile and began singing as soon as she was up and had brushed her teeth and combed her hair. "Randy, oh Randy, you would not believe it, you would not believe the colors all of the colors; the clouds changed colors and then ended up near black.

"Peggy, you always exaggerate, you just have an overactive imagination." Then Randy field mouse, Peggy's husband went back to eating the small piece of beef jerky Peggy had found. Randy loved beef jerky, well not only beef jerky, but pork jerky, bear jerky; Randy loved to eat. And he was getting so tubby he had a hard time getting in and out of the burrow, but that was all because his wife made sure her husband had plenty to eat.

"And Randy, it was so neat being up in the air, being up there and looking down seeing the barn, the house and the shed look so small. And it is not very far from the barn up to the Green house, not forty-leben miles as you said it was." Then she made sure all of her children were ready for school, and she knew she was pampering him too much, but she had to reassure Bopper that a tailless mouse was OK and not an oddity.

It seems Bopper had become a favorite of his school group, because he told a big wild tale about how he lost his tail, and his teacher Miss Sadie wheat mouse had believed it all. So now Bopper was the school hero. And oh how Peggy hoped Bopper never really met Old dog or the yellow cat or white tail fox or Hawkeye hawk, for Bopper would surely lose to those predators. "But momma, I couldn't tell them that I lost my tail by having Delph push me into our hole." And as he spoke these words his head drooped and Bopper looked so sad. It seems Bopper field mouse had become along with being a big story teller, a real actor for he could get anyone to do most anything for him, with his looks and emotional displays.

Peggy field mouse whomped Bopper on the rear and in her most stern voice scolded him, "Bopper, don't you try and play that game with me, for you are the one who is now the fearless hero; and what are you going to do when you have to face one of those predators?"

"Ah mom, it just felt so good having the whole class and even Miss Sadie wheat mouse in my hand and listening to my every word. Mom it was a great feeling." The Bopper kissed his mother's cheek and scampered off to school.

"Randy, what are we going to do with that young mouse anyway, Bopper is a natural born story teller, and he thinks it great?" Then Peggy added, "And Delph has become such a big bully, you must have a talk with him. Randy, did you hear me, Randy, I am talking to you?" And Randy field mouse just snored lightly for his breakfast had made him tired.

The day went fast for Peggy field mouse for she seemed to have found a big bucket of energy and so after she had fed her husband and her children supper, she quickly cleaned up and then she put on her blue gingham bonnet and matching apron and went up to the rafters, hoping Mr. Wily Owl would be there.

"Why Hi there my little mouse friend, and how did your day go?" Mr. Wily Owl said as he saw Peggy field mouse scurrying up to the rafter on which he was perched."

"Good evening Mr. Wily Owl, I do hope you had a good and comfortable rest today." Peggy beamed and Mr. Wily Owl could tell this little mouse had enjoyed their outing.

"Mr. Wily Owl, you know that was the greatest and most exciting thing I have ever done in my life. Oh it was great; nothing could top it, I don't think anything could top it." Then she sat down beside her large eyed friend and they chatted about what had happened today.

"Oh Peggy, I did hear about the wild tale your son Bopper told about losing his tail. Bopper's tail tale." Then Mr. Wily Owl laughed a deep laugh. Have you ever heard a barn owl laugh? Heard an old barn owl really laugh? Well it is by itself something, which only a few people or rodents or any critter ever hears or sees in a lifetime.

"Mr. Wily Owl, that boy is just a natural story teller and I don't know what we are going to do with him." Peggy field mouse smoothed her blue gingham apron and awaited the wise old owl's response.

Mr. Wily Owl just looked at his small friend, thought of how he should answer, and then decided prudence would be better here so he looked down at Peggy field mouse and in a low, very pleasant voice spoke, "Peggy field mouse, I think you are very wise and sagacious in your own world and own way, and you will come up with the best solution for you son Bopper."

Peggy field mouse didn't understand a lot of the words Mr. Wily Owl used, but she did sense he had given her a big compliment. She looked around, gathered her poise and then looked back up into those large owl eyes and replied, "Mr. Wily Owl, I try, but I am not as sage and worldly as you, but thank you , I will try."

Sensing his little friend was a little down, Mr. Wily Owl thought he would make his last night in the barn, a most memorable one for his small rodent friend. "Peggy field mouse, how would you like to see the city at night, to fly around and see the city by night?"

Peggy field mouse's eyes lit up and she stood straight up and looked up at her friend, "Mr. Wily Owl, last night was the greatest night of my life and I do appreciate it, appreciate it from the bottom of my heart." Then a tear, a small mouse size tear slowly formed and then rolled from her right eye. "But Mr. Wily Owl, you do not have to do this for me, for you have already given me the greatest gift you could give me."

Mr. Wily Owl was moved by the slow, precise and selection of words used by his little friend. "But Peggy field mouse, I want to show you the city by night, I want to." Then he looked away for a second, and then back down at his little friend. "But if you do not wish to see it, I will understand."

"Oh no Mr. Wily Owl!" Peggy field mouse stood up and looked at her friend, "Oh no that would be fantastic, oh it would be fantastic."

Mr. Wily Owl moved over to the hole in the eaves and Peggy field mouse moved over and this predator owl lifted this small field mouse, the one with the blue gingham bonnet and matching apron and off they went. He flew up and up and up and up nearly as high as he could fly and when he leveled out, he looked down at his little goggle-eyed friend. "Look and there that long line of lights is the airport, and the flame way down there where all the smoke is , that is the refinery. And Peggy field mouse's eyes watered and her heart raced for her friend slowly flew around and pointed out al of the pertinent sights.

And when they had flown around the edge of the city and started back, Peggy field mouse looked up at her friend and asked, "Mr. Wily Owl can we go back to the tower where we watched the sun set last night, for a minute?"

Mr. Wily Owl smiled and veered a little to the left and soon landed on top of the cell phone antenna mast. Mr. Wily Owl was puffing and breathing hard as he let his little friend go.

"Mr. Wily Owl I wanted to come back here, to put it all in perspective and to get it all straight in my brain. And it was here you made possible the great evening of my life and now I had another with is just a wee bit below the one last night."

"I am glad Peggy field mouse, I am very glad, for you have really made this old owl happy." Mr. Wily Owl had nearly gotten his breath and his pulse rate had come down to near normal. And so the wise old barn owl and his friend a small field mouse sat a hundred fifty feet in the air atop a cell phone antenna mast and looked at the city's night lights and just chatted, about things in Mr. Wily Owl's life and of Peggy field mouse's life in the barn.

"Mr. Wily Owl, I really have enjoyed having you for a friend and your wisdom and thought has helped me a lot," then with tears running down her furry cheek she reached up as far as she could and hugged the wise old owl and kissed him. Then after a minute she said, "I guess I had better get home for my husband with for sure think you have had me for dinner."

Mr. Wily Owl again laughed and replied, "Yes most of my friends cannot understand how or why I have a rodent friend. They think I am just dotty with age."

"And I think you are the bestest friend anyone could ever have," and then Mr. Wily Owl again lifted his small friend and they flew back to the barn.

When they were back in the barn, Peggy field mouse again thanked her wise old owl friend and scampered back down into the foundation of the barn where she and her family lived; not knowing, thinking or realizing that it would be the last night for her good friend Mr. Wily Owl.

The next morning Peggy field mouse was again super dynamic and darted here and there with a big smile on her face for she had been to the mountain, and she had seen the light, for she was content. Content and happy as she sped through the day, heck she even found a piece of skunk root for her children, and another small piece of beef jerky for her husband Randy field mouse. And of course Randy just laughed when she told him about the sights of the city and how large it was and how high they had been. Randy was beginning to thing his wife was getting or going a little bonkers.

After supper Peggy field mouse went up to the rafters and there was no Mr. Wily Owl, and about a week later she found out he had passed on to owl heaven she then understood her old friend's actions. For a good and true friend will give their all to make a friend happy and to insure their safety. That night Peggy field mouse sat and watch the sun set through the hole in the eaves and as she sat there she talked with her wise friend who she knew was listening to her.