The Lion and the Mouse

(An Aesop Fable)

It was a hot summer day, the sun was shining bright up in the sky. A lion was sitting and resting under the shade of a big tree. Nearby that tree, there was a hole, in which there lived a mouse. When the lion was sleeping, the mouse came out of its hole and saw him asleep. Unaware of the lion's strength, it got tickled by an idea. It thought of waking up the lion by running over all his body just for fun.

Unfortunately, this woke the lion up and it seized it in his strong paw. He was going to kill it, when the mouse begged, "Spare me, sir; Please don’t hurt me. Some day I may repay your mercy."

The lion was amused and laughed upon hearing what the mouse had said. The lion let the mouse go with a smirk thinking to himself, “Hahaha… How can such a small mouse be of any help to me.”

Many days had passed and nothing happened till one fine day, the lion got into trouble. He was caught in a hunter's net under that very same tree. As a result, he started roaring loudly.

On hearing his roar, the mouse came out of its hole. This was the time to payback the lion's mercy. So, immediately it nibbled the cords of the net and set the lion free. The lion thanked the mouse. The lion and the mouse became good friends after that.

Remember, mercy never goes unrewarded.