A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion’s nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.
“Spare me!” begged the poor Mouse. “Please let me go, and one day I may repay your kindness.”
The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous, and finally lifted his paw and let the little Mouse go.
Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the ropes of a hunter’s net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring.
The little Mouse knew the voice, and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed at it steadily until it was cut through, and soon the Lion was free.
“You laughed at me once,” said the Mouse, “as if I could never be of any use to you. But now you see — even a little Mouse can help a great Lion.”
A kindness is never wasted, and no friend is too small to matter.