missing He could hear her sobbing at night as he was trying to fall asleep It had been almost a full year now since Father had not returned from gathering straw and bedding Mother had held on to hope that he would return to them Maximilian had searched for his father every day for weeks But he found nothing He often found himself sitting on the same ash tree thinking life would never be the same again He had accepted his new role as mouse of the house He took that role very seriously So it pained him greatly to see his mother this upset I don't understand he said What's wrong Mother sat next to him at the table She leaned over and placed her paw over his This afternoon Bartholomew Squirrel stopped in He told us Farmer Tanner is losing the farm she said in a low sad voice How can that be Maximilian asked in amazement This farm and its land have been in his family for as long as the oak tree has been in ours Why would he want to sell it
Maximilian thought for a moment He finally said Maybe another farmer will buy it Maybe he will use it just as Farmer Tanner has Maybe this won't really affect us at all Maximilian hoped to calm his mother's nerves She shook her head sadly The farm isn't being sold Maximilian The bank is foreclosing on it she explained That means that Farmer Tanner is behind on his payments and the bank is taking his farm from him Mother sighed She continued her story by saying Bartholomew overheard Farmer Tanner speaking with the realtor The land is being purchased by a development group that plans on leveling the entire glen Mother broke down and put her face in her paws Maximilian was growing more concerned What would his family do They had no other place to go His mother dabbed her eyes with her towel She rose from her chair and continued making dinner A worried Maximilian went to his room lay down and listened to the storm outside
The rain continued to pelt the windows But Maximilian wasn't paying attention to the rain He was focused on lacing up his shoes He grabbed the backpack that he had filled with sunflower seeds a canteen and a compass Maximilian's parents had always warned him of the dangers in the woods at night It was perfectly clear that he was never to leave the oak tree once darkness had fallen on Tanner's Glen But tonight Maximilian had to face the danger in order to save his home He lit a small lantern He threw the backpack over his shoulder and took a final glance back at the bedroom He sent a silent good bye to the room where his mother and sister lay asleep Then he opened the door and disappeared into the night
Chapter 3 DANGER IN THE MOONLIGHT by now it had been raining for several hours Maximilian had all he could do to avoid the large puddles along the path One slip and he could find himself in a serious predicament Maximilian didn't have a plan really But he knew that doing nothing would result in losing his home As mouse of the house he had to do something Maximilian knew the importance of using the underbrush as protection Owls and other birds of prey were almost certainly out hunting for their next meal As he walked the moon's light began to slowly break through the clouds and the rain began to lessen
