Norman Mychal Frierson was born on one September 17 in Blubberhouses, a tiny village in the North of Yorkshire, in England to Jeremiah Frierson, a wealthy former banker and minister of a Methodist church, and his wife, Phyllis, a professor of literature at Cambridge University, where she graduated with a degree in the same subject.
For the first few years of his life, Norman was the light of his parents’ lives, very handsome and a mouseling with a good heart, doing good at school, and saving kids in trees (that is, if he wasn’t reading or doing crossword puzzles with his father). Norman was a rising star in school popularity and was willing to help anyone with work and he also donated money to help the poor every Christmas, albeit other benevolent duties. He was doted on by his parents and mice and his life was happy and gay. It appeared as though nothing would change it, but sadly, after his brother Kay was born, Norman’s swell life came crashing down...
The thing with his mother turning away from Norman and loving Kay more than him was not for no reason, no, but it was unjustified. Phyllis had to take a leave of absence from the university and lost her job, and worse, she developed a drinking problem, and was publicly humiliated for her drunkenness, and thus, she took her misery out on little Norman when she thought, or maybe hoped, no one was looking, which hurt Norman real bad that first time she lashed out at him, she slapped him so hard on the cheek with a backhand, that it drew blood. It hurt him so bad, that he began to distance himself from her.
Because of her drunk and abusive behavior, Norman vowed that he should stay away from her, and since Norman was afraid to go home from school at the end of the day, he stayed for a few hours, but Phyllis would come get him home, but every time it happened, things got way worse as time passed. It continued until one day, after he was lashed out on by Phyllis for the last time, she was confronted by Jeremiah, who was furious when he witnessed it, and decided he's had enough of her and her drunkenness that caused her to lash out against Norman and did not want to argue with her anymore either, so, he broke up with Phyllis and took his sons with him. Phyllis, shocked and enraged at this, stopped drinking, but took a gun and attempted to shoot the fleeing three, but her aim was intercepted by a mysterious mouse in a brown detective’s suit who confronted her and helped the three leave, leaving her to be marooned. Not nine weeks later, Phyllis moved to Maidenhead and suffered depression, guilt and shame from all this, and killed herself by hanging, but enough about her now.
While the poor boys could not be consoled at first, as their happy lives had been torn apart by the jaws of Fate, they gradually moved on past the incident, wrapping themselves up in getting used to living with their grandparents, Franklin and Esther, who agreed to take them in. They shared each of their prized possessions, told each other stories and definitely enjoyed each other’s company. A few years passed, and in September of 1897, a few months had passed since the incident about Queen Mousetoria’s Diamond Jubilee; of course, there was also a reason to celebrate: Norman was celebrating his birthday with his grandparents, Kay and their cousin Scotty Doneeta. No sooner had he received his present however, a few days in, a frightening figure burst into the room. Norman, Kay and Scotty hid for cover, only to peek out later to find an empty room and their grandfather missing.
Trivia[]
Norman has acrophobia, meaning he has a fear of great heights.
