The Owl, the Cat and the Mouse
Long ago, in a hidden corner of an old mill covered with ivy, there lived a tiny mouse. That mill was home both to a cat that prowled slyly by day and to an owl that glided through it by night. The little mouse breathed in constant fear of being caught between these two dangerous hunters. The cat watched the mouth of the hole while the sun was up, and the owl slipped in through the windows once darkness fell. The helpless mouse decided to use its wits and its courage to escape this relentless pressure. One evening, as twilight settled, the mouse whispered outward from the safe corner of its nest.
First it approached the cat at the corner and said that the owl kept grumbling about him. "The owl claims that he is the only master of the mill and that you are a cowardly house cat," it said. Enraged by these words, the cat leapt at once onto the high roof beam of the mill with its fur bristling. Then the mouse climbed up to the branch where the owl, just waking from its sleep, was perched. "The cat below is spreading word that you are blind at night and can do nothing in the light of day," it whispered. Its pride wounded, the owl opened its sharp eyes with fury and swooped down in a great rage.
The two proud hunters came face to face in the very middle of the mill and threw themselves into a fierce fight. The cat swung its claws with a roar, while the owl beat its wings and struck with its hard beak. The clever mouse, who had stirred up the quarrel, watched calmly from the side as the hunters struggled mercilessly. While the two strong rivals battered and wore each other out, the threat inside the mill was disappearing on its own. In the end the cat gave up and fled into a hole, while the owl, its wings bruised, flew far away. Having defeated two great enemies through its intelligence, the mouse enjoyed the delicious grains of wheat in peace. Those who know how to turn a quarrel between their enemies to their own advantage guard themselves from every danger with their wits. Two rivals cannot share the same roof.