The Mouse and the Frog

A mouse and a frog met at the edge of a pond. The frog said he wanted to show the mouse his home. "But I can't swim," said the mouse. "No problem," said the frog, "we'll tie your foot to mine with a string, and I'll carry you."

The mouse trusted him and agreed. They tied the string and went into the water. At first the frog swam on the surface, and the mouse was happy. Then the frog decided to carry out the wicked plan in his head: he would pull the mouse under, drown him and eat him. Suddenly he dived.

The mouse thrashed about, struggling with all his might to stay above water. His struggle made such big ripples that a hawk gliding over the pond noticed. It swooped down fast, seized the mouse in its talons and flew up. The mouse was tied to the frog by the string; when the hawk lifted the mouse, the frog came out of the water too, dangling from the end of the string.

The hawk carried them both to a rocky ledge. But the mouse was so small and the frog so plump that the hawk chose the frog; it snipped the string with its beak and let the mouse go. The mouse fell to the ground, dazed, then ran and hid in the bushes.

That night, trembling in his hole, the mouse thought: "The one who plotted against me was caught by his own plot. But I should never have gone into water I cannot swim in, tied to someone else."

From that day on the mouse never tied himself to anyone. He walked on his own feet and decided with his own mind.