The Lion and the Mouse

In a golden savanna, under the cool shade of a great acacia tree, a lion with a thick mane slept peacefully after a long day of hunting. The sun was high and warm, and all around a deep, peaceful silence reigned.

Not far away, a little grey mouse ran through the blades of grass, distracted and cheerful, hopping here and there in search of seeds to nibble on. Without even noticing, he ended up right at the feet of the sleeping lion and, out of curiosity, decided to climb up his enormous paw, then his back, all the way up to his nose.

Feeling that sudden tickle, the lion woke with a start and let out a roar that shook the leaves of the tree. In an instant he caught the mouse between his huge paws, ready to swallow him whole.

Squeaked the mouse, trembling with fear:

“Please, great lion, don’t eat me! I didn’t mean to bother you, it was an accident! If you let me go, one day I might return the favor and help you too, I promise with all my heart!”

The lion burst into a great laugh that echoed across the whole savanna: how could such a tiny mouse, small as a leaf, ever be of any use to a strong and mighty lion like him? The idea seemed so funny that, amused, he opened his paw and let the little creature go.

He said, still laughing:

“Fine, little one, off you go. But I doubt I’ll ever need your help.”

A few weeks passed, and one day the lion, while crossing the savanna, got caught in a large rope net that some hunters had hidden among the bushes. The more he struggled and roared to free himself, the tighter the net wrapped around him, trapping him with no way out.

His desperate roars echoed all the way to the mouse village, and the little mouse, recognizing that voice, ran as fast as the wind toward the danger. He found the lion tangled in the net, exhausted and out of strength.

Said the mouse:

“Don’t worry, my friend, I’ve come to keep my promise!”

With his tiny but very sharp teeth, the mouse began gnawing through the ropes one after another, patiently and without stopping for a single moment, until the last strand snapped and the lion could finally stand up, free.

The lion looked at his small rescuer with eyes full of gratitude and wonder. He said, deeply moved:

“You were right, little friend. I was wrong to think that size mattered more than heart. Today I learned that even the smallest of friends can make the biggest difference.”

From that day on, the lion and the mouse became inseparable, and no one in the savanna dared say again that the size of a friendship is measured in inches.