Miss Mousey sat down as she was told, carefully lifting her sore, broken tail so as not to injure it anymore, and Miz Belinda sat back down in her chair. "Honey chile, this isn't a gonna be easy, but it'll work, and y'all maht even get a prettier tail than the one ya had." Our little mouse friend found that hard to believe, as she vainly thought that she already had the most perfect mouse tail in all the land. How do you improve perfection? She let out a long sigh, and then listened to all that old Mrs. Belinda Badger had to say.

"Who's you're most very best friend?" asked Miz Belinda. "Is it that cute little bunny feller that Ah see hanging around with you?" Miss Mousey nodded her head, wondering what Young Mr. Bunny had to do with this. "Is he a good enough friend that he would do anything for you if it was in his pow'r to do so?" said ol' Miz to Miss Mousey. Again, our little mouse friend nodded her head, saying, "I think so. I think he would help me if he could."
"That's all Ah needed to hear," exclaimed Miz Badger as she slowly pushed herself out of her chair. With all the noise that chair was making, Miss Mousey was sure it was going to collapse any moment now, but somehow it held up. And it held up Mrs. Badger too. The old herbalist again hobbled over to the fireplace, and reaching into a secret hiding place (if I told you, it wouldn't be secret anymore, now, would it) behind the mantle of bottles and and books, she pulled out something long and narrow and wooden. Wondering what it could be, Miss Mousey got up and joined Mrs. Badger at the fireplace for a closer look.

"Here ya go, little lady, this here's a flute. Not just any flute, but a very special magic flute. Have you ever heard the music from the river?"
"Why yes, I have, and so has Mr. Bunny! We've heard it many times sitting at the back door of his warren. We've always wondered what it was and where it came from. Was it the magic flute?" asked Miss Mousey, most naively.
Holding her belly while she laughed, Mrs. Badger replied,"Land sakes alive, chile! That's a cello! Mr. Beaver plays it from deep within his lodge. He loves that thing, but purty soon he's not gonna have it anymore if'n he doesn't stop chewing on it!"
"Then where's the flute from, and what's it for?" asked the young mouse. "Mr. Beaver came to Rocksylvania from a very far away place, and he gave'n me this flute to keep for him as it has magical powrs'. It was given to him from someone he calls Mr. Wolfy, short for Wolfgang, Ah think, who even wrote some music about it. He called it the Magic Flute. Now is the time to finally use it. We'll see just how magical it really is."
"But how do we use it?" asked Miss Mousey.
"This is where y'all's friend Mr. Bunny comes in. You have to go to Mr. Beaver's lodge, and he will tell you the rest. But to get there without being caught by those two rascals, Mr. Owl and Mr. Eagle, you need protection. That's what this here flute does. While Mr. Bunny plays it, the water will part for you so that y'all can get into the lodge, and as long as your friend keeps playing, he will be protected too. Nothing will harm him, or you."

As Miss Mousey took the flute from Miz Belinda, she felt a strange tingling in her paws. Indeed, this was no ordinary flute! She thanked her new friend, Mrs. Badger, and prepared to leave. Just as she went out the door, the old herbalist suddenly remembered something. "Lil' mouse! I almost forgot! Y'all need to take this jar with you. It's the same herbs Ah put on your tail before. Y'all need to put a paw full on every day. Put the jar in your pocket, and blow into the flute, and y'all will be safe going home. Bye now, and come see me again soon."

Miss Mousey put the jar in the safe place in her pocket and blew into the flute. It was amazing! She had never played a flute before and didn't have the faintest idea how, but it seemed to play by itself. Our little mouse friend made it safely back to her own apartment.

Miss Mousey stood, again, in front of her mirror, removed her bonnet and apron, and examined herself closely. Yes, her tail still looked as bad as ever, but at least the pain had stopped. She wondered if it could be the magic herbs that were already helping by taking away the pain, and she looked at the flute. Could this really work? Could she really grow back her tail? There was only one way to find out, so she left her apartment, taking the flute with her, and jumped into Young Mr. Bunny's tunnel.

Miss Mousey reached her rabbit friend's front door, and instead of knocking, she played the flute. To her surprise, the door opened by itself, as if by magic! Young Mr. Bunny had heard the music also, and went running to the front door, just in time to see it open by itself, and his best friend Miss Mousey waltzing through the door, playing a flute. "How can she do that?" thought the bunny, quizzically. "She doesn't play the flute. She doesn't play anything!"

Knowing exactly what he was thinking, as best friends somehow do, Miss Mousey giggled. She sat down next to Young Mr. Bunny and told him all about her visit with "Ol' Miz Belinda" known only to him as Mrs. Badger. When she got to the part about the flute he didn't believe that he could play it, and didn't even want to try it.
"Please Bunny," she said. "It's the only way I can grow my tail back! There's no other way. I really need your help! Will you do it? Please?" she begged.
Young Mr. Bunny looked at her and saw that she was sincere. So he agreed to help her, IF he could really play the flute, which he doubted.

The two young friends decided that they might as well give it a try, so Young Mr. Bunny blew into the flute. It was magic! He really could play it! They went to his back door, which opened onto the river bank, and he began to play. Miss Mousey looked around, especially in the sky above her head, and saw Mr. Eagle escaping from the river holding his favorite food in his talons, a fish (a little sunfish, to be exact). But as soon as Young Mr. Bunny started to play, the lord of the day dropped it, much to the fish's and his family's delight, and flew away as fast as he could, back to his perch.
"This really works!" shouted Miss Mousey,"Keep playing!" They ran outside and all was safe. As they approached the river bank, the two friends heard the distinctive sound of music coming from below the water, music that seemed to fit so well with the music Mr. Bunny was playing on the flute. "That must be Mr. Beaver's cello that Miz Badger was talking about!" Just then a small opening appeared in the water and Miss Mousey leapt into entrance of the beaver lodge. The last thing the little bunny heard her say was, "Don't stop playing, no matter what happens! I'll be back!"

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" asked Old Mr. Beaver, holding his cello in one paw and his bow in the other as he greeted Miss Mousey at the door. But he already knew this was important, or he wouldn't be hearing his magic flute playing from the river bank.

He was the oldest beaver that Miss Mousey had ever seen. Rumor had it that he was over 100 years old, but she was sure he had to be at least double that. He had a white beard that was still visible peeking from behind his cello. Then she saw what Mrs. Badger had meant about his chewing on it. There were little bite marks all over the edges. Well, wood was scarce here; everyone knew that, and he had used up all the available wood building his lodge. She guessed that was why his cello was so chewed up. Beavers do need their wood, you know.
"Don't just stand there," he said with his deep but kindly voice. "Come in and tell me what is happening up above. I don't get around the way I used to." So Miss Mousey stepped into the music room, sat down on an old red brocade wingback chair, and told the story. She told him all about the championship, and how she had nearly drowned getting to Waterton, and what happened when she and Young Mr. Bunny arrived home, and how mortifying it was to be without a tail. But most of all she told him how all the residents of Rocksylvania had to stay inside, as it was no longer safe to go out, day or night. She told him about old Mrs. Badger, her magic herbs, and her instructions to come see him, which she obeyed as she was standing in front of him at this very moment.
"Have you used the magic herbs yet today?" he asked.
"Yes sir, I did," she replied, not quite sure what he was thinking of.
"Gut!" he said. "Go to the cupboard over there in the corner, and you will see a little blue tutu, which I think will fit you perfectly. Put it on, and then come back and stand in front of me."
So Miss Mousey did what she was told. She walked over to the cupboard, which was very large, and very tall, but she managed to open the door. Sure enough, there was the little blue tutu hanging inside, so she took it down and attached it around her waist, and went back to stand in front of Old Mr. Beaver. "Very nice," he said smiling. "Turn, turn," he said, gesturing with his bow for her to turn around.
"Das is gut. Now we begin." Poor little Miss Mousey looked very confused. As Mr. Beaver placed his bow in the upbow postion on the D string, she wondered outloud, "Begin what? What am I supposed to do?"
"Ach du lieber!" he chuckled. "They say the mind is the first thing to go. It never ceases to amaze me that I even have a mind left at all! No indeed, not at all!"
"Dance!" he shouted! "You must dance so the magic herbs can do their work."
And that is how Miss Mousey came to dance for Mr. Beaver.