One of Greenville Mice on Main sculptures disappeared overnight. What happened to Millie?

Teeny Tiny Millie, one of the popular Mice of Main sculptures in downtown Greenville, was wrested from her perch outside a Main Street bank this week, carried off and then returned the next day.

Greenville History Tours reported the theft Thursday. Adam Jennings of VisitGreenvilleSC reported that Millie was returned. He said on Facebook repairs are underway. The bronze sculpture will be reinstalled outside TD Bank.

He did not say who took it or how it was turned in. He couldn’t be reached for further comment.

John Nolan of Greenville History Tours said on Facebook he saw the mouse on Wednesday, and it was gone Thursday.

“Our guests love the story of the Mice on Main, and they like looking for (and finding) them,” he said.

The story is 26 years ago a high school student needed a senior project and devised the idea of nine little bronze sculptures hidden along Greenville’s Main Street.

Jim Ryan, now a doctor, convinced sculptor Zan Wells to accompany him on the art journey. Wells, who despite creating statues of Greenville luminaries such as Dick Riley, Joel Poinsett, Charles Townes and Virginia Uldrick, said people regularly say to her “oh you did the mice.”

Each mouse has a name: Marvin, Marvin, Jr., Marcley, Melissa, Mitch, teeny tiny Millie, Aunt Mifflin, Uncle Miles, and Maggie. People are often seen with the scavenger hunt clues searching for the tiny sculptures.

Commenters responding to Nolan’s post were aghast that someone would take the sculpture and offered to fund a replacement.

One comment summed up most of the others, “What’s wrong with people?”