Once upon a time.. In a beautiful forest, lived a little mouse, he was a very sweet little mouse, and a funny little mouse, but...he was a curious little mouse, and he was fascinated by the world. He especially loved when the crisp autumn air filled his bedroom through the open windows...He stretched His little mouse arms high over his head and jumped out of his cozy bed. He walked down the stairs were his mom was already waiting for him with a big plate of avocado & bacon pancakes..Mmm his favourite! He ate them up and drank a big glass of milk.."Mom I wanna go camping today!" he said with a big smile..His mother shook her head slowly.."Haxley, I’m afraid camping season is over, it’s too cold, and damp, and dark outside, I’m sorry but I just can’t let you go. Why don’t you invite your friends here for a sleepover instead, I will make some popcorn and hot chocolate" Haxley crossed his arms and pouted.."Uhhh Mom. It’s not the same!!" He put on his rubber boots and walked out the house. He really, really wanted to go camping, the forest was so beautiful..Orange & yellow & purple & red..The colors looked like a symphony...it’s no fair he thought. I guess a sleepover will have to do, he thought...Haxley shuffled his feet across the forest floor,  the leaves made a crunchy sound  as he did, and he loved the sound they made. He scooped up a big bunch and put them in his blue backpack. As he kept walking he saw the bright red vines that sprawled over the trees like Christmas garland...he gathered the red vines and put them in his backpack too. Then he walked over to the frog pond where the frogs were singing as usual...He lay down under the big weeping willow tree as the warm sun shined on his face...he closed his eyes and tried to capture this moment forever in his heart, like a photo. He knew soon the pond would be silent as the frogs hibernated for the winter, he knew the days would be colder & shorter, and rainier. And he wanted to remember how beautiful autumn was. He heard a familiar voice. He looked up and smiled as he saw his friend Chrissy the Chipmunk. She was collecting chestnuts in a tree nearby. Haxley stood up and gathered some too.."Chrissy, come over to my house for a sleepover party" he said..She happily agreed, ok see you at 7!..He thanked the frogs for their beautiful songs and continued to walk through the forest. As he walked along the path he was amazed by the beautiful colors. He picked many many colorful leaves and put them in his backpack too. He came to the big oak tree were Sammy the Squirrel lived, "Hi Sammy, come over to my house for a sleepover party" He invited..Sammy smiled, "Sure, see you then!" he said...Then he went and invited Gloria the Chicken too. On his way home he picked a handful of yellow wildflowers...When he got home, he went to his bedroom and pushed his bed to the side of the room. He hung a big green tarp over the bed to make it feel like a big tent. He scattered the crunchy leaves on the floor. Then he draped the red vines over the curtain rods. He got a string and tied the colorful leaved together, he pinned them from the ceiling and they danced above like branches in the forest. He put the yellow wildflowers in colorful vases, and brought some fire logs from the shed. He arranged them in a circle so he and his friends could sit on them... and in the middle he put a large silver bowl filled with sand..He placed 30 little candles in the bowl which shined like a campfire..He turned off his bedroom lights..Finally he opened the window to let the fresh autumn air cool the room. The breeze swirled, and rustled the leaves in his room. A few fireflies flew in and the room was transformed into a  magical forest. Just then his friends arrived. They were captivated by Haxley’s imagination and creativity. They felt like they had just stepped into a beautiful storybook painting...They sat together around the silver bowl of candles and told stories..Haxley’s mom, as promised made them hot buttery popcorn , hot chocolate, and she even roasted the chestnuts in the fireplace for them. Haxley looked at his friends and smiled, this was even better then camping, he thought to himself. Afterwards they put on their pjs..And covered up in warm fleece blankets. They all had sweet dreams that night, as magical evenings tend to give...