The Three Blind Mice go to Court
The farmer's wife won't be so happy for long!
Introduction
In was a nice, sunny day in the rural areas around London, England. The three blind mice were enjoying their breakfast, when suddenly, the sky darkened and it began to rain. As nice as their hedge was in the garden, it did not stop the rain from getting in. So, they ventured inside the house like they always did when it rained and attempted to find their way to a small, dark, and cozy corner. However, on this particular day the farmer's wife was up early and was making her own breakfast. When she saw the mice inching their way across the floor, the shrieked and hurried to cut down on them with whatever was in her hands. Unfortunately, it happened to a the carving knife with which she was using to make some ham. She sliced off the tails of all three mice. They writhed in agony before scurrying outside to escape the wrath of the terrible woman. They hurried to their phone and called the police, who showed up a few minuets later. After hearing the story, the policeman entered the farmhouse, and came out with the farmer's wife in handcuffs. He placed her in his car, told the mice that someone would be in contact with them, and drove away.
The Story
The farmers wife had been arrested! After addressing their minor wounds (they figured they could live without their tails) the mice began to think. What would they do to get their revenge on the farmer's wife? She had hurt them and they wanted to get back at her. So, they decided to go to court. They called up the local law firm and said that they would like to file a lawsuit against the farmer's wife. The people at the law firm said that this was perfectly understandable, and that the would send a lawyer to meet with them right away. After stopping at the police department and gathering some information, the lawyer arrived at the farm. He introduced himself as Mr. Jameson, and said that he would represent the prosecution in their case. After telling the mice that the persecution was the side that would represent them and that would try do convict the farmer's wife, Mr. Jameson moved on to the topic of bail. It was decided beforehand that the farmer's wife would be placed on bail, since the court was dealing with another case at the time. Mr. Jameson said that the farmer's wife had committed a felony (attempted murder) and that he would fight to make sure she was punished. He had arranged for a hotel room for the mice so that they did not have to live in close proximity to the farmer's wife while she was on bail. He picked up the mice, drove to the hotel, saw to it that they were settled, and left, saying that he would be back the following morning to discuss the matter more in depth. The mice quickly fell asleep and did not awake until the next day, just as Mr. Jameson was arriving. "Good morning," he said as he entered the room. "We have many important things to discuss today." He informed the mice that the grand jury would meet to decide is the farmer's wife was able to be accused of attempted murder. He then loaded his car with all of his lawyer's supplies and left for the courthouse, along with his clients. Mr. Jameson then exited the car and entered the building. The inside was furnished with oak panels and marble floors. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The mice and Mr. Jameson entered the courtroom. The Grand Jury was already seated and ready to begin. Mr. Jameson then proceeded to present the evidence. The mice watched in awe as he described the scene in great details, using words to reconstruct the event as if it were occurring in the present. When he finished, the grand jury unanimously voted to file an indictment against the farmer's wife, meaning that there was enough evidence to hold a trial. The mice quietly whispered to each other, elated that the jury had voted in their favor. They thought that they had won the lawsuit! Afterwards, Mr. Jameson informed them that they had just finished the first stage of the lawsuit, and still had a long way to go. They still had to convince the petit jury, the jury that gives the verdict, or judgement, that the farmer's wife was in the wrong. Mr. Jameson then met with the judge, the administrator that would be facilitating the trail, and the farmer's wife to deliver the arraignment. The arraignment is a reading of the crime that the defendant is accused of committing. This was done in order for the farmer's wife's public defender (she couldn't afford her own defense attorney) to hear the charges placed on his client. During this time, Mr, Jameson and the public defender discussed plea bargaining, in which the defendant would plea guilty to some or all of the charges. However, since the farmer's wife believed she was innocent, they decided to proceed with the jury trial. The trial was scheduled for the next day, since both the prosecution and the defendant were ready to present their arguments. The judge said that the farmer's wife would receive a subpoena, ordering her to appear in court. Mr. Jameson brought the mice back to their hotel room, where they immediately fell asleep, wanting to be as rested as possible for the next day. When morning came, Mr. Jameson once again picked up the mice and brought them to the courthouse. The trial began at 9:00. After some debate, the prosecution called a witness. the cat, who had seen the entire even unfold, testified for the mice, supporting the claim that the farmer's wife attempted to murder them. Upon hearing this, the farmer's wife stood and declared "That's not true! I don't even own a cat!" the judge, an acquaintance of the farmer's wife knew for a fact that she owned the very cat who had just testified. He accused the farmer's wife of perjury, lying under oath. The farmer's wife realized that she could not win the argument, and sat back down. After hearing more a few more pieces of evidence, the jury members went off to decide the verdict. When they came back, they announced that they would convict the farmer's wife, and sent her to jail for many years for attempted murder. Realizing that everything was done correctly, the farmer's wife decided that attempting to appeal was futile. A higher court would rule that everything was done perfectly. Mr. Jameson congratulated the mice, and exited the court. The mice went back to their hedge and resumed normal life. Having won the case, they felt relieved and much better than before. They could finally live without the threat of the farmer's wife, and would have a much better life without her.