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Once
upon a time . . .
A
little mouse, scampering over a lion he had chanced
upon, happened to wake him up. The angry lion grabbed
the mouse and held it to his jaws. "Don't eat me,
Your Majesty!" the mouse pleaded: "Forgive me! If
you let me go, I'll never bother you again. I'll
always be grateful, and will do you a good turn
one day."
The
lion, who had no intention of eating such a little
scrap, and only wanted to frighten the mouse, chuckled:
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"Well,
well. A mouse that hopes to do a lion a good turn!
By helping me to hunt, maybe? Or would you rather
roar in my place?" The
mouse was at a loss for words. "Sire, I really . .
." "All right. You can go," said the lion, shortly,
opening his paw. The
mouse scurried thankfully away. Some days later, the
lion fell into a trap and found he was caught fast
in a stout net. Try as he might, he could not a escape.
And the more he struggled, the more he became entangled
in the mesh, till even his paws were held fast. He
could not move an inch: it was the end. His strength,
claws and fearsome fangs gave him no help in freeing
himself from the tangle. He was about to resign himself
to a cruel fate when he heard a small voice: "Do you
need help, Sire?"
Exhausted by his struggles, his eyes wet with rage,
the lion looked round. "Oh, it's you! I'm afraid there's
little you can do for me . . ."
But the mouse broke in: "I can gnaw the ropes. I have
strong teeth and, though it will take me some time,
I'll manage." So the little mouse quickly gnawed at
the meshes and soon the lion tugged a paw free, then
another, till he finally succeeded in working himself
free of the net.
"You see, Sire, said the mouse, "I've done you a good
turn in exchange for the favour you did me in letting
me go unharmed."
"How right you are. Never before has a big animal
like myself had to be so grateful to a little scrap
like you!"
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Thanks
to Tom Burke for the story
The
stories section on this site is dedicated to Ryan
A. Francis, Tyler S. Billado, Troy P. J. Perreault
and Amelia G. Perreault June
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