Quimby is a loner. And a mouse. His only friend is the (cartoonishly) decapitated head of an unnamed lady mouse, who accompanies him on various adventures. In this video by Chris Ware for This American Life Live, we follow Quimby and the head on a madcap romp through a sort of nightmare world. But it’s cute! Also, kind of creepy.

Depicted (cartoonishly): domestic abuse, misadventures, sailing a sea of tears (!), gruesome fishing, a “Wilson” style loss, and a joyful (?) reunion. Check it out:

UPDATE AFTER SEEING THIS AMERICAN LIFE LIVE: the head belongs to a cat of unspecified sex, not a ladymouse as I had presumed. I guess the cat/mouse thing explains the dynamic of their relationship.

Quimby The Mouse from This American Life on Vimeo.

For more on This American Life Live, check out the episode page and this promotional page (complete with poster!). The original event happened several weeks ago, but it’s being rebroadcast tonight in an “encore” at various theaters around the US. Which reminds me — I gotta go get my seat!