The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Once upon a time there was a country mouse. He lived in a little nest at the edge of a field and ate grains of wheat, walnuts and raisins. One day his cousin who lived in town came to visit. The town mouse looked at the country mouse's table and turned up his nose.

"Cousin, is this how you live? Grains of wheat, raisins... Come with me to town, I'll show you what real food is."

The country mouse was curious and went to town with his cousin. They slipped into the kitchen of a huge house. What a table! Cheeses, cakes, fruit, biscuits... The country mouse could not believe his eyes. "This is heaven!" he said.

They had just taken their first bite when the door creaked. The two mice dashed under the table. A servant came in, cleared the plates and left. They climbed back onto the table. They had just bitten into the cake when a terrible sound rang out: "Meeeow!" A huge cat walked into the kitchen. The mice barely squeezed into a hole in the wall.

They waited in the hole for hours, trembling, until the cat left. At last the town mouse said: "Come on, we can carry on now. It's always like this here, you get used to it."

The country mouse shook his head. "No, cousin, I could never get used to it. Your table is rich, but you eat every bite in fear. My table is plain, but I eat in peace, and afterwards I sleep soundly under the stars. I am going home."

The country mouse went home that night. He crept into his nest, nibbled a grain of wheat, and it tasted so sweet... Then he curled up among the warm leaves and fell asleep, listening to the crickets.

Because being content with little and sleeping in peace is better than having a lot and trembling with fear.