Taking a Stand at Rund Låve (the Round Barn)

A Bedtime Story—The History of the Mouse family:

Mette Mouse still did not want to go to sleep, even though her Mor (Mother), Margit, had tucked her into the hay 20 minutes ago. Mette pleaded from her bed: "Tell me a story, Bestemor (Grandmother)! Please?"

Margit Mouse, her Mor, paused from straightening their living room:"I've already told you a story. Now, go to sleep, Mette."

Mette protested in a quieter voice, "I know... But, can't I please have a story from Bestemor, too?"

Margit started to reply that Mette's Bestemor (Mari Mouse) was too tired tonight, but before she could, Mari smiled, put down her knitting, and insisted: "I don't mind, Margit. How many days do I have left to tell stories? It's time Mette learned how the Mouse family came to live at Rund Låve (the Round Barn). It's her history, too." Margit nodded to her Mor with a smile, and went back to folding an afghan and straightening the throw pillows on the sofa. Old Mari used the arms of her chair to slowly raise herself to a standing position, then shuffled toward Mette's bedroom.

Mette's eyes shone when Mari entered and started rocking in the chair by Mette's bed. "Now, I think it's high time you heard your history," Mari said, as she rocked.

Mette sat up in bed, "My history? What's a history, Bestemor?"

"Child," Mari explained, "A history is who you are, who you came from, what happened to your family, and where they started from. It's what makes us rise above hardships and challenges—depending upon what we're willing to learn from it... Our history starts in the Old Country, so that's where our story begins."

The Old Country:

"The Old Country?" Mette asked, "What's the Old Country?"

"The Old Country is a place on the other side of the world, called Norway. That's where your Oldefar (Great Grandfather) and Oldemor (Great Grandmother) lived," said Mari. "They described it to me as a beautiful place where all have 'allemannsrett', which means the freedom to roam any land that is 'utmark' (uncultivated). Your Oldefar and Oldemor enjoyed that very much; until they decided it was time to start a family. They didn't think it was fitting to raise their future pinky (baby mouse) outdoors, so they moved into a beautiful carriage."

"Wow, they lived in a carriage pulled by a horse, like our Hest?" Mette asked. "What were Oldefar and Oldemor's names?"

Mari stopped rocking long enough to complain, "So many questions! I'll tell you their names in a bit... Ja (Yes), it was a beautiful horse-drawn carriage—only our Hest is grey, but their horse was white. One day, a man carrying a toddler boy, took a ride in the carriage. When they loaded up his trunk, your Oldefar and Oldemor heard him say he wanted to board a ship to take his son to a new life far, far away, in America."

"But what about the little boy's Mor? They can't leave his Mor behind! Where was she?" Mette wondered, not being able to imagine ever wanting to go anywhere without HER Mor.

"I'm afraid that is a sad part of your history." Mari continued. "The little boy's Mor had died of the Yellow Fever, which was a dangerous disease spreading around Norway—and other countries in Europe, at that time. The man was a widower. You might recognize his name, it was Einar, which means: 'one who fights alone'. His name was fulfilled as he had been raising his little toddler on his own."

"OUR Einar, who built our home, Rund Låve (the round barn)?" Mette excitedly asked.

"Ja. Your Oldefar and Olemor liked and respected our Einar from the start. But, you're getting ahead of yourself... You probably know the little toddler boy's name, don't you?" quizzed Mari, as she rocked.

"Oh, ja! It was our Jorgen, wasn't it?" Mette bounced a bit on the bed.

"You are correct. Jorgen means: 'farming man'; so his Far, our Einar', wanted to take him somewhere far away from the Yellow Fever, where he could be a farmer someday. But first, they had to board a ship," Mari answered.

"Now, all this talk caught the interest of your Oldefar and Oldemor, who were listening in the carriage. Hearing Einar kindly tell little Jorgen what to hope for in the New Country, your Oldefar became very excited. You see, Oldefar's name was Amos, which means: 'strong, brave, carried'; so he felt he should be brave enough to get carried across the ocean, too. Your Oldemor was not sure, but then she remembered that her name, Maya, means: 'water and illusion'. Maya then felt they SHOULD go on the great water, for her fears must be an illusion. So, when Einar and Jorgen boarded the ship; in the commotion, Amos and Maya were able to follow along—eager for their new, far away life."

The Voyage:

Mette was intrigued, "What was it like living on the ship?"

"Well," Mari continued, "They had happy times and sad times. First, I'll tell you about the happy times. I was born on that ship—it was my very first home! My Mor, Maya, wanted to name me something fitting for the fine lady (that I am), but my Far wouldn't have it... Amos looked forward to having a little girl who was a bit mischevious; so they named me Mari, which means: 'rebellious woman'."

Mette giggled—until her Bestemor gave her the evil-eye. After Mette stifled her laughter, Mari contiued, "We were on that ship for months and months. Another thing that happened is when Einar met a young widow who had lost her spouse, too—also to the Yellow Fever. Well, actually it was Jorgen whom she fell in love with first; she was always asking to play with the toddler and offering to help with his care. Can you guess who this young woman was?"

"Our Karina!" Mette shouted.

Mari nodded her head, "That is correct. Karina's name means: 'chaste and pure'; so it's no wonder that Einar soon fell deeply in love with her. The captain of the ship married them. It was the first wedding I ever attended—and the only wedding I've been to on a ship."

"But, what was the sad time?" Mette inquired apprehensively.

"It's difficult for me to talk about... One day there was a terrible storm out at sea. When the ship rocked especially hard in the waves and wind, Amos noticed a piece of baggage was about to fall right over my head! He rushed over and pushed me out of the way just in time—but the baggage fell right on top of him, crushing my dear Far..." Mari's voice trailed off as she pulled out her handkerchief to dab a tear from her eye.

Mette reached out her hand to clasp it over Mari's hand, "I'm so sorry, Bestemor. You can stop the story if you want."

"No, I'm o.k." said Mari, "I want you to learn your history. Now, my poor Mor realized that they must have misunderstood the meaning of their names... The 'illusion' of Maya's name in reality was the illusion of living out her life with Amos—she would have to carry on without him. Speaking of 'carry', the 'carried' in Amos' name didn't mean being carried across the water at all; it must have meant being carried on his burial bier... But I did my best to keep my Mor's mind off her sadness, and finally our ship reached our destination in the New Country."

Settling in a Blank Space:

Mari continued her tale, "After a long over-land journey, Einar saw the potential in the land around a small settlement named: Lacuna, which means: 'a blank space'. My Mor, Maya, and I cheered him on—and he won the property in a Land Rush! It was during the Land Rush when I met your Bestefar (grandfather). But that's a story for another day... Anyway, it was then that Einar decided to build Rund Låve."

"My home!" Mette exclaimed.

"Ja," said Mari, "But, it was a struggle. The self-proclaimed leader of Lacuna was a difficult man named Cecil, whose name means: 'blind'. He relentlessly teased Einar in front of all the townsfolk, when he found out he was building a ROUND barn. He'd taunt things like: 'Are you afraid the Devil will catch you in a corner if you build it square?' Cecil caused everybody to laugh at Einar relentlessly; just as they must have ridiculed Noah when he was building the Ark!"

"What a mean man!" said an angry Mette (for she loved their Einar).

"You don't know the half of it! Cecil had a horrible cat that followed him around, which he named Luktenrotte, which means: 'I smell a rat'. The saddest thing of all that happened, was when Luktenrotte captured my dear old Mor, Maya," Mari sadly revealed.

"Oh, no! My poor Oldemor!" Mette was horrified.

"It was the worst day in my life," Mari sighed. "But, at least your Oldemor Maya had lived to see your Mor born. That was the BEST day in my life. I named her Margit, which means: 'pearl'."

"Hey, my name means: 'pearl', too!" said Mette.

"Ja," agreed Mari, "You are a pearl of great price, my dear one... Now eventually, Karina came up with a plan to help the townspeople of Lacuna appreciate the wisdom of a round barn."

Building Rund Låve (The Round Barn):

"After our home (the barn) was built, Einar, Karina, and little Jorgen named it Rund Låve, which, as you know, means: 'the Round Barn'. Karina's plan was to invite everybody to a dance, up in the loft. Now, the settlers had been working so hard on their homesteads, they were ready for a good time. So, they set aside their chuckling at Einar's expense, and accepted Karina's kind invitation to a dance, under the rafters," said Mari.

"Where did they get the music?" asked Mette.

Mari answered, "Many of the settlers were musically-inclined. So, they brought their instruments and Einar built the bandstand that's in the middle of the loft, for them to play from. Oh, my little Mette, you should have seen what a grand time everybody had, dancing and clapping to the music! And during a break, Karina made an announcement."

"What was it?" wondered Mette.

"Karina said: 'Thank you for coming. Many of you have wondered why my husband built this barn round, instead of square. Please listen as Einar explains the advantages of making it round.'"

"Now, this caught Einar completely by surprise, but he didn't want to disappoint his beloved Karina, so he braved the crowd to explain, 'Well, one reason is that here in America we get thunderstorms and twisters, like we never experienced back in the Old Country. When the winds hit this round barn, they will blow around it; whereas a square barn takes the full-force—and gets more damage.' Einar was going to leave it at that, but when he saw some of the townsfolk nodding their heads in agreement, it emboldened him to continue: 'Another reason is—if you look down here at the bottom level—I've got Ku (the cow) and Hest (the horse) in stalls that go all around the center; with room for more livestock someday, in those empty stalls. Now, when I get this loft filled with hay, see how easy it will be to drop hay down from the loft into this center section, for them to eat?' The crowd oohed and ahhed over his new technology. So, Einar continued, 'The roof is extended to cover the outer edge past the stalls, where I built that wide walkway, all around. That's so my livestock can get some exercise, when it's too cold and snowy for them to be outside in the pasture.' At this, the crowd burst into applause, realizing that Rund Låve was BRILLIANTLY designed! Jorgen, your Mor and I clapped the most of all. But," Mari paused, "there was ONE person who didn't like it that Einar would no longer be a laughing-stock."

"Was it Cecil?" asked Mette.

Taking a Stand:

"Of course," replied Mari. "Cecil marched to the center of the bandstand. Everybody just knew he was getting ready to make fun of Einar in some new and awful way. But, there was somebody who wasn't about to let that happen... your Mor!"

"My MOR?" Mette repeated, incredulously.

"Ja," Mari proudly stated. "My little Margit ran straight toward that awful man; and before Cecil could say a word, Margit scurried right up his pant's leg, causing him to start leaping and jumping and hooting and hollering! This was much to the delight of all the townspeople, who burst out in laughter. But that's not all... Cecil got too close to the chute opening for the hay, and down he tumbled, landing smack dab in the middle of the hay that was in the feeding area. You've never seen Hest the horse and Ku the cow so tickled—after they got over their initial surprise! Even Låvesvale (the barn swallow) was laughing from up in the rafters; and Hund (the dog) was joyfully barking at Cecil, who was bottoms-up!"

Mette squealed and clapped with such delight that the noise brought her Mor into the room, to see what all the commotion was about. Margit chided as she tucked Mette in, under the hay: "I think that's enough history for tonight. It's time both you and your Bestemor get some rest."

"Oh, my Mor! I love you for taking a stand against Cecil to help our humans... I can't believe you did that!" exclaimed Mette, giving her Mor a tight squeeze goodnight.

Margit blushed, and she winked at Mari as she said, "Well, your Bestemor forgot to tell you one important part of our history... She gave me a middle name, too. You see, my full name is Margit Mari Mouse. So, I guess I'm a bit of a 'rebellious woman', too."

Modern-day:

There were many more adventures to be had in Rund Låve by the Mouse Family, new and old animal friends, and their humans. Einar and Karina had a little sister for Jorgen, whom they named Anja, which means: 'gracious and merciful'. Anja and Margit became the best of friends, in their beloved old round barn. It fell into disrepair for many years at one point in time... But today, Rund Låve has been restored, even better than before! It has a new name and new owners. Despite all these changes, there have always been descendants of the Mouse Family in the round barn who tell their history... New tales of Mette—and those who came before and after her.