The Little Mouse, the Cock and the Cat
Once upon a time, there was a peaceful land of burrows hidden in the shade of lush oak trees. In this land of fables lived an inexperienced little mouse who had never left his mother's side. One spring morning the curious tiny mouse slipped out of his nest for the first time to explore the wide world. While wandering merrily along the flowery paths, he met strange and enchanting creatures he had never seen before. With the sun overhead and his heart pounding with excitement, he returned breathless to his nest to tell what he had seen. The mother mouse noticed the alarm in her child's eyes and took him into her lap with curiosity. The little mouse began to describe the first creature he had seen in an excited tone of voice.
"Over by the yard there was a monster with a red crest on his head, flapping his wings and letting out terrible screams!" "He looked so savage that I froze with fear and hurried away from there at once." While the mother mouse listened with a smile, the little mouse set about telling of the second creature. "But a little further on, I saw another being full of grace, with velvet fur as soft as silk." "She looked at me so tenderly and murmured so sweetly that I nearly went over to embrace her." "Her green eyes gleamed like a delicate emerald, and she was sunning herself quietly, sweeping her long tail." "If that screaming monster had not frightened me, I would have made friends with this beautiful creature and played games."
When the mother mouse heard these sentences her child had put together so naively, she let out a deep and sorrowful sigh. "Thank goodness that noisy creature frightened you away, my dear child," she said. "That creature you called terrible was only a harmless rooster, but the one you thought delicate was the cat, our greatest enemy!" "If you had come a little closer to that velvet-furred creature, it would have swallowed you in a single bite." The little mouse, understanding how deceptive an outward appearance can be, hugged his mother with gratitude. Not to be taken in at once by sweet words and bright appearances is the most ancient rule of survival. Do not be fooled by appearances, or you may lose your life.