Word of Mouse

The mice race to Gwindell, whose tail and right leg are caught in the mousetrap. Gabriel, Mikayla, and the others try to calm her. Isaiah proposes prying up the bar. The group attempts to lift it together, but their efforts are in vain. Mr. Brophy reenters the kitchen, forcing the mice to hide Gwindell and the trap behind the refrigerator. While Mr. Brophy complains about the people at work berating him for letting Isaiah get away, Isaiah remains focused on rescuing Gwindell. Gabriel whispers about preparing for a funeral, but Isaiah reassures Gwindell that they will save her.

Despite the doubts expressed by the other mice, Isaiah comes up with a plan to free Gwindell by using a lever to pry the trap open. With Mikayla and Gabriel’s support, he climbs up to the counter to find a suitable utensil. After some effort, they open a drawer to find an assortment of silverware. Isaiah selects a soup spoon as his tool, but it is too heavy to lift alone. Mikayla and Gabriel join him in the drawer, and together, they lift the spoon and send it clattering to the floor.

Isaiah, Mikayla, Gabriel, Gilligan, and Gordon position the spoon’s bowl under the trap’s bar and stand beneath the handle. On Isaiah’s count, they jump, grab the spoon handle, and pull. It takes two attempts, but the bar finally lifts enough for Gwindell to roll free. Gabriel cradles his sister, who whispers her gratitude. The mice prioritize Gwindell’s safety over their food run and rush the injured mouse home.

Isaiah visits Hailey early in the morning while the rest of the mischief sleeps. He sneaks into her house and learns she isn’t going to school, partly because she’s frequently sick and partly because she’s being bullied by a girl named Melissa. Isaiah and Hailey chat and bond over their shared feelings of being misunderstood. He tells her that, as a mouse, he is constantly in danger and disliked by most humans. Hailey sympathizes and says that school is her Horrible Place. They discuss possible retorts to Melissa’s bullying but decide against stooping to her level.

During one of the nightly food runs into the Brophys’ house, Isaiah instructs everyone to bring acorns, which they haul up to the countertops and use to trip all the visible mousetraps below. The chaos causes the Brophys to rush into the kitchen to investigate, providing the mice with the perfect diversion to raid the dining table for food. The mice have a successful night, grabbing a bag of nacho cheese Doritos from Dwayne’s bedroom, which they transport piece by piece down the sink pipe, singing as they go. James the Wise praises Isaiah’s leadership qualities, including his inventiveness and resourcefulness, while Gabriel adds “blueness” to the mouse’s list of merits. Isaiah appreciates the good-natured ribbing but remains reluctant to share his past.

James the Wise and the Council of Elders summon Isaiah to the high chamber. Nervous and expecting bad news, Isaiah is surprised to learn that the elders have unanimously voted to officially adopt him into the Brophy Mischief. Isaiah believes this acceptance might prove to Mikayla that differences can be embraced within a family. However, the elders’ curiosity about Isaiah’s past and the reasons for his blue fur makes him uneasy. Griswold and Grundle, two elders, press him for details, and he wonders if they truly accept him for who he is or merely for the novelty of his differences. James the Wise intervenes, saying Isaiah will share when he is ready.

While outside the burrow, Isaiah reflects on how much he misses his brothers and sisters, particularly Abe and Winnie. He hears a noise in the bushes and fears it’s Lucifer. Instead, it’s Mikayla. She compliments Isaiah on his kindness and compassion. Isaiah is suspicious and wonders if the elders sent her to interrogate him about his past again. She reassures him she’s just out for a moonlight stroll and invites him to join her. Isaiah agrees, and they walk together. After gathering his courage, Isaiah asks Mikayla if she will sing for him again. Mikayla smiles and is about to sing when they are suddenly interrupted by the sight of Lucifer.

Mikayla and Isaiah spot Lucifer swatting at the baby hawks. Isaiah decides to intervene despite the risk. He walks out into the moonlight and calls the cat names to draw his attention away from the chicks. Mikayla joins him; together, they taunt Lucifer, prompting him to chase after them instead. Isaiah suggests they split up as they run, but Mikayla insists on staying together because they are family. Just when Lucifer is about to catch them, the mother hawk returns.

The mother hawk swoops down and grabs Lucifer, lifting him into the air before dropping him onto the driveway. While both predators are distracted, Isaiah leads Mikayla across the street to Hailey’s house, where he believes they will be safe. They enter through the pet door and go to Hailey’s bedroom, where Hailey is asleep. Isaiah waits on Hailey’s alarm clock for her to wake up while Mikayla hides behind it. When Hailey wakes up and sees them, she happily greets the two mice. Hailey’s offer to take them to the kitchen for a treat and mention of the cream horns her mother brought home catches Mikayla’s interest.

Isaiah, Mikayla, and Hailey share a midnight snack. While Mikayla devours a cream horn, Isaiah chats with Hailey. Hailey says school is improving, especially since she likes her English teacher, Mr. Randall. Isaiah responds with a playful poem. When Mikayla finishes her treat, Hailey packs the leftovers and gives them string cheese. She also offers them a ride home in the hood of her sweatshirt so they can safely get past Lucifer. As the two mice snuggle together in the hood, Isaiah asks Mikayla if he can sing to her. Although his singing isn’t good, Mikayla laughs and sings for him in return a song about moonlight and love.

The next night, with the Brophy family out for dinner, the mice see an opportunity for a large-scale food raid on the house, unaware that Lucifer will be present. He chases them through the house and into the bathroom. The mice hide behind the toilet while the cat blocks their only exit.

Isaiah recalls military strategies from Napoléon Bonaparte, specifically the importance of rapid movement and overwhelming numbers. He plans to summon the rest of the mischief by having Mikayla sing the Battle Call of the Mice. Despite skepticism from Gabriel and Gulliver, who still believe girls can’t sing, Mikayla does. Her voice resonates through the house and calls the mice to action. The overwhelming sound and sheer number of mice arriving terrify Lucifer, who flees.

Isaiah and Mikayla visit Hailey’s house again, where Isaiah uses the computer to update Hailey on their recent victory over Lucifer. Hailey promises to bring Isaiah a celebratory treat called a Napoleon, but he clarifies that Mikayla deserves the reward for her bravery and singing. Their conversation shifts to the topic of famous mice throughout human history, including Mickey Mouse and the Greek god Apollo’s association with mice. At the mention of research laboratories, Isaiah panics and flees by jumping out the window.

Isaiah escapes from Hailey’s house, sliding down a drainpipe and running into the woods, where he finally allows himself to cry and mourn for his lost family, who are still trapped in the Horrible Place. While curled up in sorrow, Isaiah hears rustling, and fears Lucifer or Mr. Brophy might be coming for him. However, they turn out to be his friends instead: Gabriel, Gwindell, Gilligan, and Godfrey, along with Hailey and Mikayla. The other mice hide at first, but Mikayla assures them that Hailey can be trusted. Concerned for Isaiah, Hailey kneels and shows him her laptop, where she has information about the laboratory where Mr. Brophy works. She tells Isaiah it’s nearby. Touched by the support and care from his friends, Isaiah decides it’s finally time to share his story.

Isaiah tells them the story of his life in the Lamina Research Lab, where he and his family endured countless experiments. He describes how the lab made him and his siblings different, giving them distinctive colors and superior intelligence without their consent. His brother Benji devised a plan based on Mr. Brophy’s lazy habit of propping open the back door while mopping. The mice chewed through their plastic cages and ran while the door was open. Isaiah explains that while he escaped, his siblings were recaptured and taken back to the lab.

Hailey and the mice listen, with Gabriel and Gwindell offering silent prayers for Isaiah’s family and Mikayla singing a haunting lament for them. Isaiah realizes that if his siblings are to find freedom and peace, it can only come with his help.