Chapter Text
“-and you just take the wire and connect it to the penny. See?”
Lucy nodded frantically, doing her best to commit every piece of information to memory.
“Now you take the other end,” Hank continued. “And connect it to the nail.” He demonstrated, connecting the two potatoes with his piece of wire. “And the lightbulb should light up right about… now!”
Lucy held her breathe, eagerly awaiting the miracle of science. But nothing happened. The bulb remained as inert as it was before.
“Awe man,” she whined. “It didn’t work dad!”
Hank frowned. “Odd. It should have worked,” he murmured. “It’s first grade science.” He examined the setup carefully, before removing the bulb and holding it up to examine it closer. His face lit up. “I got it!” He declared. “I know why this experiment didn’t work!”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “Why dad?” She asked excitedly. “Why didn’t it work?”
“Because this bulb is faulty. See?” He held it to her ear and shook it. Lucy giggled, hearing the faint clattering of a broken bit inside the bulb.
“Sugarbomb, be a dear and fetch a fresh bulb from the maintenance room, please?” Hank asked, getting up to toss the bulb in the recycle bin.
“Okey dokey!” Lucy squealed, already running for the front door. It was not often her dad gave her such an important task to do, and she was super determined not to let him down. She ran down the corridor, knowing exactly where she needed to go.
After all, she’d been born and raised down here. And at seven years old, she knew every nook and cranny of the vault like the back of her own hand.
Lucy opened the door to the maintenance room and stepped inside. It had everything anyone could ever need. Batteries, bulbs, parts, you name it. She rushed over to the bulb drawer, and carefully selected one similar to the one they had been using for their science experiment.
Satisfied, she closed the drawer and prepared to go back home.
Squeak! Squeak!
She froze, the unknown noise frightening her. Lucy had never heard anything like it before.
Squeak! Squeak!
It was coming from the corner, somewhere underneath one of the tables. She was almost afraid to look, but her curiosity was overwhelming her fear. Surely one little peak wouldn’t hurt. Lucy carefully set the bulb down on the table, and crouched down to look underneath.
At first she didn’t see anything, but a tiny little ball of fuzz wriggling in the corner caught her attention.
It was a tiny little mouse.
“Awww!” Lucy squealed with joy. It was so cute! Even cuter than the pictures she was shown at school. She crept closer to the little critter, quietly talking so as to not scare it. “It’s ok little mouse,” she whispered, reaching out with her hands. “I’m not gonna hurt you. My name is Lucy. Let’s be friends.”
The mouse squeaked at her, but didn’t make any attempt to run off. Lucy gingerly picked it up, cupping it close to her chest. It was so small! She’d never seen a real mouse before, but she was certain it was still a baby. It’s eyes were only half open, and it squeaked and nosed around, as if it was searching for something.
“Where’s your mom?” Lucy asked, petting it’s little body with her thumb. “Are you lost?” She held the little mouse closer, examining it for any ouches. The mouse looked fine, it wasn’t bleeding anywhere she could see. It squeaked again, nosing around her palm.
“Are you hungry? Is that it?” Lucy touched her pinky to it’s nose, and it suckled at it desperately. “Aww, I’m sorry little guy,” she apologized, withdrawing her finger. “But we don’t have any mouse milk at home.”
Lucy thought carefully. Why was this little mouse so hungry? Wasn’t it’s mommy feeding him enough?
Unless…
“Is your mommy dead, little mouse?” She asked quietly. It squeaked at her, and Lucy thought it sounded kinda sad now.
“You know, my mommy is dead too,” she murmured. “She died in a weevil famine. My daddy told me all about her.” And despite being too young to really remember her mom, tears started streaming down her face. “Is that what happened to your mommy? Did she starve to death too?” She asked, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
The little mouse didn’t respond this time, for it had curled up on her palm and fallen asleep. Thanks to the vault’s history of weevil famines, Lucy knew that one of the symptoms of starving to death was feeling weaker and sleepier than usual.
Lucy was suddenly filled with the type of determination that wasn’t usually found in children of her age. She couldn’t save her mom from dying, but perhaps she could save this baby mouse from certain death.
“Don’t worry little guy,” she whispered, petting it again. “I won’t let you die. I promise!” Lucy carefully placed the mouse in her pocket, checking to make sure that it wouldn’t accidentally get squished.
It squeaked up at her once, before curling up in her pocket and falling back asleep. Lucy smiled and gave it one last boop on it’s little nose.
“I’m gonna call you Snuffles,” she whispered, grinning from ear to ear. She picked up her light bulb and headed back home to her father, slowly and carefully so as to not wake up her little friend.
Her little mommy-less friend.
Just like her.