Fable: Cat and Tricky Mouse
by: Christine Brewington
One day, cat and mouse were sunning themselves on the lawn. Mrs. Person had just placed a warm mincemeat pie on the window sill. Soon, Mouse woke up to the pie’s transfixing aroma.
Smiling to himself, Mouse shook Cat and said, “Mrs. Person just told me that the mincemeat pie on the sill is yours! It is a present for being such a wonderful pet, and doing such a great job of keeping me out of the house!”
Mouse had not been the most honest friend
Cat sat up and stretched as he thought about how wonderful that mincemeat pie would taste. “That sounds great,” Cat said through a yawn, “it should taste delicious!”
As Cat sauntered over to the windowsill to receive his prize Mrs. Person has generously placed for him, he thought back to the night before. Cat and Mouse had hosted a cheese tasting party in the basement of the house, with many of Mouse’s friends. They had a wonderful time sampling the plethora of cheeses that Mouse and his friends had brought, although they had to stay quiet enough not to wake the Person family. Cat, as you may have guessed, was no mouser, and rather had many mice for acquaintances and friends. Suddenly it occurred to Cat that Mrs. Person would not have spoken to Mouse to tell him of the prize pie because she was terrified of mice. And if the Person family had awoken to find their precious Cat in the companion of so many mice, he would surely be sent away. As Mouse’s saliva slipped ever slowly from the corners of his mouth, Cat quietly turned around and hissed angrily at Mouse.
Exasperated, Mouse said, “What of our…er…I mean, your prize?”
Cat simply responded, “I’d rather do my duty as a house cat than be friends with the likes of you!” and chased Mouse away.
Soon, Cat became known as the fiercest mouser in all of Persontown and he never again tasted cheese.
Moral: It is difficult to see friends for who they sometimes are, your worst enemy.