"I've been in this place as long as I can remember. The humans have a name, but I can't remember it. For me it's just "Swamp Edge" or "Here".

"It's a good place to be. Warm in winter, not too many predators. And peaceful, always. Lonesome, but I'm a solitary mouse. There's a road quite near, but not much traffic and some useful litter like this can. I dragged it here for a dry seat.

"I don't know why I've never explored the swamp. It's wide and beautiful and I don't mind wet feet. Really, I'm ashamed; I never seem to go beyond sitting on my can, wondering what the humans put on that sign out there.

"Today I go out there. If the leaches devour me, so be it."

***
A second exercise in Illustrator. I discovered the Gaussian Blur effect.