Deep within the Serengeti the
mighty King of the beasts was taking shelter from the midday sun beneath an
Umbrella tree. Feeling adventurous a small mouse ventured too close to the King
hoping to gaze upon his glory. Foolishly the mouse woke the mighty King from
his slumber. Angered, the King trapped the mouse within his paws and demanded
an explanation.
“What is the meaning of this?” the
King bellowed. “How dare you wake me from my slumber, I should take your life
for this!”
“Please forgive me Your Majesty! Be
merciful and allow me to return home to my family. I swear to you that one day
I will return the favor,” squeaked the small mouse.
“What could a miniscule mouse as
yourself do for me?” the King scoffed. “I suppose you caught me on a good day.
I will let you leave with your head but if this happens again you will become
my afternoon snack!”
Scurrying away the mouse vowed to
never forget the Kings mercy.
Sometime later the King was
surveying his lands when he stumbled into a trap set by some poachers. Panicking,
the King released mighty roars to alert his subjects. While the other creatures
of the Serengeti loved their King the one thing that frightened them more than
anything else were the poachers. If the King couldn’t protect himself from the poachers
how were they supposed to feel safe in the plains? Of all his loyal subjects’
only one rushed to the Kings side to free him from his entrapment, the small
mouse. He had never seen the mighty lion looking so helpless. Knowing they were
limited on time the mouse got to work trying to free his King. He chewed as
fast as his little jaws would move to cut through the ropes holding him down.
In the nick of time the mouse freed his King and the two ran off before the poachers
came back to survey their capture.
“I underestimated you little mouse.
I owe you my life. For this you can name your price and I will pay it,” the
mighty King declared.
Authors Note: This was a retelling of Aesop's The Lion and the Mouse which can be found in the Aesop for Children book. This story details the interactions between a lion and a mouse in which they both preserve the livelihood of the other. First the lion releases the mouse that woke him from his nap when he promises to return the favor if his life is spared. Secondly, the mouse comes to the aid of the lion after he becomes trapped in a hunters net. This retelling is essentially the same plot wise but the lion was given a regal status because he is after all the King of the Jungle. This made it seem like an even bigger mistake for the mouse to disturb his King. in addition, this version also elaborated on why none of the other animals came to the aid of the lion. Both the original and the retelling have the same underlying message that an act of good deed will never be forgotten.
But what was the mouse going to ask for in return for saving the king's life? Did he even ask for anything? What does the lion do to the animals who didn't come to help him? I enjoyed the extra details you added to this fable. The way you fleshed everything out from the bare bones of the original story was well done and easy to read.
ReplyDeleteOh I loved this story! I like how it shows that kind actions can be rewarded. I am also curious how the king responded to the animals that did not help him! You did a very good job adding details into this story to make it enjoyable to read! I can relate to the lion being angry when the mouse wakes him from his nap. That is definitely how I act when I get woken up! ha!
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