Once upon a time, there was a huge lion who lived in a dark den in the middle of the jungle. If Lion didn’t get enough sleep, he became extremely grumpy.
One day, while Lion lay sleeping as usual, a little mouse thought he’d take a shortcut home straight through the lion’s den.
“He’s snoring so loudly,” thought Mouse. “He’ll never hear me.” But as he hurried past, he accidentally ran over Lion’s paw.
“How dare you wake me up!” Lion roared angrily, grabbing the mouse. “I will eat you for my supper.”
“Please,” cried Mouse. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I’m too small to make a good meal for someone as mighty as you. Let me go and I promise to help you one day.”
Lion laughed loudly. “You’re too small to help someone as big as me,” he said scornfully, but he opened his paw. “Go home, little mouse.”
Mouse looked at Lion in surprise. “You have made me laugh, so I will let you go.” Lion explained. “But hurry, before I change my mind!”
“Thank you!” squeaked Mouse gratefully, and he ran home.
A few days later, Lion was hunting in the jungle when he got tangled in a hunter’s snare net. He was so angry that he let out the loudest of roars.
“Lion must be in trouble!” squeaked Mouse, and he scurried through the jungle. “I’ll get you out,” cried Mouse, when he found the lion, and he started gnawing through the net.
Before long, there was a big hole in the net, and Lion climbed through. “Thank you,” he said humbly. “I was wrong to laugh at you. You saved my life today.”
Mouse smiled. “You were kind enough to let me go before,” he squeaked. “It was my turn to help you.”
And from that day on the huge, mighty lion and the tiny, mighty mouse became the best of friends.
