Lets back up, shall we?
two days ago, a sad little squeaking was heard. a tiny little mouse (maybe it was average sized for a mouse, but I really wouldn't know.) got stuck on a glue trap. I guess the glue trap was doing its job, because that mouse was really stuck on there. :(
thank goodness for the internet. vegetable oil and a little bit of gentle pulling got the mouse of the glue trap, and then I put the mouse in a bucket with a dish towel and some bread and some cheerios and a hot water bottle. Couldn't let the poor little mouse out into the wild while he was covered in vegetable oil, now could I?
Well, that was my reasoning anyway. Keep him (as it was decidedly a he.) until he was dry, then put him into the garage. He was a smart mouse, and would be able to find his way in and out of there as he pleased. So a day passed. and he was still a little bit oily looking. and then it was Christmas Eve, and I couldn't really leave a tiny little mouse outside on Christmas Eve, right? So I kept him another night.
And so, this morning when I went to change his water bottle, he was gone. If he is strong enough to manage to find a way out of a bucket, I suppose that he has recovered well from his adventure with the glue trap. Hopefully he will scamper away and tell all of his friends that they really should avoid those things, because they are a terrible hassle. And then once you get stuck on one, you have a terrible encounter with a giant who will put you in a big plastic prison.
If you love something, you have to learn to let it go. But if it doesn't love you, it will crawl out of the bucket you put it into and run away as soon as it has strength enough to do so.
Merry Christmas!