The Lion and the Mouse

One hot afternoon, a lion lay asleep beneath a tree, his golden mane spread round him like a warm cloud. His deep breathing stirred the dust near his paws. A little mouse, running through the grass in search of play and crumbs, sprang without looking and landed upon the lion’s nose.

The lion woke in anger and caught the mouse beneath one great paw. The tiny creature trembled from whisker to tail. “Spare me, great king,” he begged. “If you let me go, I may one day repay your kindness.” The lion laughed so loudly that the leaves shook. How could such a little thing ever help him? Yet he was not hungry, and the mouse looked very pitiful, so he lifted his paw and let him run away.

A few days later the lion was caught in a hunter’s net. The ropes drew tight about him, and the more he struggled, the faster they held. His roar rolled through the forest, heavy with fear and anger.

The mouse heard the sound and knew the voice. He hurried through the leaves until he found the lion bound fast. Without boasting, he set his sharp teeth to the rope. Strand after strand he gnawed through, though the work was hard and bitter. At last the net broke, and the lion stepped free.

The lion looked down at the mouse with new respect. He had learned that help does not always come from strength that can be seen. Sometimes it comes from a small friend who remembers mercy.