Inspirational story: Small but Mighty: How a Tiny Mouse Saved a Fearsome Lion

Once upon a time on the vast plains of Africa lived a little mouse. She had eight children, who were always squeaking about how hungry they were. So, with her tiny feet, she was constantly running around, searching for food. As soon as the sun set, the mouse would crawl out of her hole and, if the air was clear, she would set off in search of snacks. Sometimes, she found delicious treats like corn and rice grains, sunflower seeds carried by the wind, or even grapes from a wild vine that grew in the dry soil, while other times she came back empty-handed. One night, the mouse came across a traveler walking along a dusty road. As he walked, he ate, occasionally tossing bits of bread and cheese to his dog. Some crumbs fell from his hands as he broke his food. “What a feast for my children!” the mouse thought. She followed the traveler, picking up the crumbs, and by the time dawn approached, she had wandered far from home. Suddenly, she realized the sun was about to rise. Frightened, she quickly turned back. Soon, she found herself in front of a towering hill covered in golden-yellow grass that swayed in the wind. “Is this wheat? Corn? Perhaps not-quite-ripe millet?” she wondered. She nibbled at it and found it too tough to eat. Curious, she climbed a little higher, wondering where she had ended up.

Just then, the ground trembled violently. It was an earthquake! The hill shook wildly. The mouse tried to hold onto the golden-yellow grass, but she was swept away and found herself caught in a powerful grip, like an iron vice threatening to crush her bones. Sharp claws, as sharp as razors, dug into her fur, and a deafening roar rang in her ears. Above her, two enormous eyes glowed like full moons. The poor mouse had been caught by a lion. The “hill” she had climbed was not part of the landscape at all, it was the lion’s mane! “Who dares to wake me from my sleep?” the lion roared, his eyes blazing with anger. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I thought your mane was a hill,” the mouse explained nervously. “A hill? Are you saying I’m as old as the mountains?” the lion growled, his roar so powerful that the little mouse nearly went deaf. The lion, you see, was not the youngest anymore, and he was quite sensitive about it. Just the previous night, he had failed to catch a gazelle he was chasing, it was an embarrassing failure he was glad none of his friends had witnessed. “I meant nothing by it. I am just a small and humble rodent,” said the mouse. “Small, indeed, but good enough for breakfast,” the lion replied. “Please, don’t eat me!” the mouse pleaded. “I have eight children. They will starve if I don’t return home.” “And why should I care about your children?” the lion asked, lifting the mouse toward his mouth. To the tiny creature, his jaws looked like the gates of doom. “If you let me go, I will repay your kindness someday,” the mouse squeaked, as the lion’s teeth brushed against her tail. The lion burst into laughter. “You are the boldest little creature I have ever met! You actually think a tiny, worthless rodent like you could help the king of beasts?”

The absurdity of the mouse’s words amused him so much that he opened his paw and let her go. In an instant, the little mouse disappeared into the grass. The lion yawned and went back to sleep. When he woke again, the sun was setting behind the distant mountains. His stomach rumbled with hunger. How he regretted not eating that little mouse! When you’re starving, even a crumb is better than nothing. As the lion sat there, lamenting his foolish decision, he suddenly heard bleating. A goat was tied to a tree. It must have been left there by a farmer. The wind carried the lion’s scent to the frightened animal. Without hesitation, the lion sprang forward, his sharp claws ready. But just as he reached the tree, the ground beneath him vanished! He felt himself falling, crashing hard onto a rocky bottom. The lion had fallen into a trap! The goat was nothing but bait set by hunters. Peering over the edge of the pit, the hunters laughed and waved their spears. Then, they pulled on the ropes hidden beneath a layer of fallen leaves. A thick net closed around the lion, binding him so tightly that he could barely open his mouth. Slowly, the hunters hoisted him out of the pit, still trapped in the net, tied him to a sturdy pole, and lifted him onto their shoulders. Singing as they walked, they carried him away. “What a fool I was! Why didn’t I look before I leaped?” the lion thought bitterly.

By morning, the hunters stopped to rest. The lion was heavy, and they were exhausted. One of them started a fire, and they ate some bread and meat before falling asleep. The lion tried to sleep too, but something kept tickling him. His mane itched terribly. Something was crawling through his fur. He longed to scratch himself, but he couldn’t move a single paw. “Fleas,” he thought. “What a miserable end for the king of beasts.” But the tiny creatures moving through his mane were not fleas. They were slightly bigger and darted around with astonishing speed. “Do you remember me?” came a tiny voice. “I heard the hunters singing as they passed my burrow. When I realized they were singing about you, I brought my children to meet you.” It was the very same mouse he had spared the day before! She scurried from his mane onto his nose. “My children are always hungry. They chew everything they find,” she continued. Suddenly, the net slipped from the lion’s head, freeing his mouth. Moments later, his paws were free. He shook himself, and the remaining bindings fell away. Tiny mice, each with strands of rope in their teeth, tumbled out of his mane. The lion stood up, looked at the mice, and said, “Thank you. I will never forget your kindness.” Then, without wasting another moment, he sprang into the tall grass and escaped before the hunters could see that he was free. And so, the great lion learned that even the smallest creatures can be powerful, and kindness is always repaid in unexpected ways.