One day, the king of the forest, the mighty lion was sleeping in his den, his head resting on his massive paws. A little mouse was playing nearby. The cave was huge and dark, and one could only hear the lion snore. Seeing the lion asleep, the mouse wondered how the king’s den looked like. So, he quietly crawled inside the cave while the lion was sleeping. But suddenly the mouse tripped into the lion’s nose, waking him up from his sleep. Seeing the mouse, the jungle king got very angry and pinned the mouse down with his paws. He roared, “You little mouse, how dare you wake me up from my sleep? I will kill you today!” The mouse, afraid, begged before the lion, “Please don’t kill me, Lord. If you let me go, someday, I will repay you for your kindness. I will do my best to help you!” The lion got amused at the thought of a little mouse helping the king of all beasts. He said, “A tiny mouse like you can help a lion? I suppose you know I’m the king of the jungle! How can you help me? Ha ha ha!” The mouse pleaded, “Please my Lord, save my life. I’m sure life will find a way out when I can be of some help to you!” The lion pitied the mouse and let him go. One beautiful day, the lion went out for a walk in the jungle. He kept strolling down looking for some animal to hunt. But suddenly he got trapped in a hunter’s net, and could not escape. The lion roared and roared all day, asking for help. “Help me! Someone help me”, cried the king of the jungle! But there was no one around to save him. At last, he became helpless and sad thinking that he was about to die. Suddenly, the mouse, whose life he had once saved, found him in this pitiful condition. “My Lord, don’t worry anymore, I will rescue you from this nest. You have once saved my life, today I will save yours”, the mouse said, and began gnawing at the net with its sharp teeth. Thus, the little mouse freed the lion from the hunter’s net. Ever since then, the lion and the mouse became the best of friends.
So, what is the moral of the story?
The lion, a big mighty creature thought that a tiny mouse couldn’t be of any help to him. But life surprises us every day. The mouse, though small, did indeed come to help. So, the moral of the lion and the mouse story is – whoever it be, whatever size, we should help each other, and these kind deeds always get rewarded. Being helpful to others is the most significant virtue, and everyone is unique in their own way. In a few years from now, your tot will grow up and maybe neither of you would be reading bedtime stories. But, carpe diem! Take out some time from your busy schedule and bring your kid nearer to you through storytelling. As a parent, you will be able to communicate ideas with your kids. They will learn new words, and their curiosity will make them ask questions. This way, they’re learning both how to listen and learn. Does your kid like reading Aesop’s Fables? Which one is his favorite? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
