Little Anna had always wanted a pet – it didn’t matter what kind, as long as it was something alive. Since the discussion with her parents about getting a dog or a cat proved difficult, she brought home whatever she could find outside. There were earthworms, tadpoles, snails, cicadas, butterflies, and similar creatures. Anna took care of them and usually set them free after a certain amount of time.

One day, Vivien offered her two mice. Naturally, there was no need to convince Anna – her answer was an immediate “yes!” The real question was how Anna would convince her parents. Unsurprisingly, the discussion that evening was tough. Despite Anna’s tactical skill, her parents didn’t want to hear anything about mice. Anna was quite upset. She refused her favorite food and even turned down the movie they offered to watch together. She withdrew to her room and flipped through her large animal encyclopedia, which she had received from her grandmother for Christmas two years earlier. But the pictures offered her no comfort. Anna had an immense longing for something alive, something she could care for.

Meanwhile, her parents discussed whether it might indeed be possible to give two little mice a home. It could be beneficial for Anna, they thought. Anna’s mother visited her in her room and asked how long these little mice would live. Anna didn’t know, so they began searching for information. They found that mice have a lifespan of about two years. For her mother, this seemed like a manageable risk – she would never have agreed to a turtle.

And so, two little mice – Lisa and Isa – moved in with the Müllers. Together with Anna, her father got a large terrarium second-hand, and Anna set up a cozy and loving home for her two mice. After school, Anna would lock her bedroom door and let the mice roam freely in her room. Her parents would occasionally check to see if everything was okay, but it wasn’t really necessary. Anna took care of Lisa and Isa very responsibly and diligently. Weeks, months, and eventually years passed. By this time, Anna was a teenager, and the two mice had lived with them for nearly four years. The mice’s fur had turned white on the sides, but their advanced age didn’t seem to cause them any problems.

One day, when Anna came home from school, Lisa was no longer moving. She had died. Isa sat closely beside the lifeless Lisa, completely still. Anna didn’t dare move Lisa’s body. She was deeply shaken by the death of the little mouse, but she was even more worried about Isa. Isa, who had never been alone in her life and shared everything with her companion, was now left by herself. Anna didn’t know how to comfort a mouse or how to help her.

Anna sought advice from Vivien, from whom Lisa and Isa had originally come, and who, in Anna’s eyes, was the greatest expert when it came to mice. Vivien was concerned and told Anna that Isa couldn’t be left alone – otherwise, she would die too. So, Anna and Vivien decided that Isa should join Vivien’s mice. But this wasn’t so simple, because even though Isa had originally come from Vivien’s terrarium, the mice living there now didn’t accept Isa right away. Vivien therefore prepared a chamomile bath and bathed all her mice in it. The mice weren’t too thrilled, but none managed to escape Vivien’s grasp. Finally, Anna bathed her Isa in the chamomile bath as well. The entire room smelled of chamomile. With a heavy heart, Anna left Isa with Vivien’s mice, who immediately began sniffing her. The acceptance was there, and so Isa found a new home in the company of other mice.

Vivien explained to Anna that if they hadn’t bathed the mice and Isa had smelled different, the other mice might have bitten her.

And with that, the chapter of having pets came to an end. Lisa was buried in the garden amid tears, the terrarium was sold again – even for the same price as it was bought – and Anna had to explain to her mother that the two-year lifespan applied to wild mice, but under conditions with little stress and plenty of food, their lifespan could double.

Anna learned how important it is to have the same “group smell” in order to be accepted into a community. What applies to mice is no different for humans – it’s just that the solutions that work for mice are hardly practical for people.