The Lion and the Mouse
Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a lion who ruled over the entire jungle. One day, after finishing his meal, the lion fell asleep under a tree.
A little mouse saw him and thought it would be fun to play with him. He started running up and down over the sleeping lion — climbing up his tail and sliding down.
The lion woke up furious. With a mighty roar, he snatched the little mouse with his enormous paw. The mouse tried to escape, but couldn't.
— Ah! The lion opened his big jaws to swallow him.
The mouse was very scared.
— Oh, King, I'm very scared! Please don't eat me! Forgive me this time, please! Let me go, I'll never forget! And perhaps one day I could be of help to you!
The lion was so amused by the idea that the mouse could help him, that he opened his paw and let him go.
— Thank you, King! I'll never forget your kindness to me!
— You're lucky, my friend, that I've just eaten. Now go, but don't bother me again, unless you want to be eaten!
The Jungle Trap
A few days later, the lion was roaming through the jungle. Hunters had set a trap to catch the lion. They hid behind trees and waited for the lion to approach the trap.
As he approached, the hunters pulled the ropes and caught him in a net. The lion began to roar loudly and tried to escape. The hunters tied up the net, then went back to the village to fetch a cage to transport the lion.
The lion was still roaring loudly. All the animals, including the little mouse, heard the roars.
— The King is in danger! I must return the favor!
The Rescue
Soon, the little mouse reached the lion. He climbed onto the net and used his sharp little teeth to cut the ropes. Eventually, he freed the lion from the trap.
The lion realized that even a little mouse could be of great help.
— Thank you, little Mouse! I'll never bother you again. You can live happily in my forest. You saved the king's life! Now you are the prince of this forest!
— Where are you going? Don't you want to play with me and slide down my tail?
The little mouse began to jump on his back and slide down his tail.
After a while, all the hunters returned with an enormous cage to carry the lion. The lion and the mouse saw them and started running towards them. The lion let out a terrible roar, and the hunters got scared and fled back to the village.
The lion and the mouse became friends forever.
