A CITY RAT AND A VILLAGE RAT

 Once there were two rats who were good friends. One of them lived in a city and the other lived in a village. Both of them exchanged news of their well being through other 

rats who travelled between the two places.

Once the city rat wished to meet his village friend. He sent the message through some rats of the village. The village friend was very excited about his friends visit. He made preparations to welcome him. To receive his friend, he went to the border of the village wearing a traditional dress like dhoti, kurta and cap, with a garland in his hand. However, his city friend was wearing a suit, boots and a neck tie. They hugged each other and exchanged greeting.

The village rat welcomed him and said, "We have fresh and unpolluted air here. The atmosphere in the city is impure."

They gossiped a lot and exchanged their views on different topics. Then, they sat down to eat. The village rat served him fruits and boiled wheat grains.

After having food, they went for a stroll outside the village. The fields looked green and the natural beauty of the jungle had its own attraction. The village rat said, "Does the city have such beautiful scenes?" The city rat said nothing but invited the village rat to come to the city at least once to see the comfortable life of the city.

The village rat said he would certainly come to the city one day. The city rat said, "Why don’t you accompany me now?" The village rat replied, "All right, I will consider your proposal."

When the night fell, they came back and slept on the soft grass. Next day, for breakfast the village rat served his friend fresh fruits and cereals. The city rat was irritated and said to the village rat, "Let us go to the city right now. Give me a chance to serve you."

The village rat accepted the proposal and got ready for the journey to the city. The city rat lived in a big house. At night the village rat was surprised to see, the dining table full of different types of dishes. The village rat has not seen such a variety of food before. The city rat asked the village rat to enjoy the meal. Then he started eating. The village rat had a liking for the paneer and finished the piece quickly. At this moment, they heard the voice of a cat. The city rat said, "Quickly hide yourself below the almirah, otherwise the cat will eat us." Both rushed to the almirah and hid themselves under it. After some time, when the cat went away, both came out. The village rat was still trembling. The city rat again started eating the dishes and advised his friend too, "Do not be afraid. It is a part of the city life." The village rat gathered courage and went to the dining table again. This time he quickly finished the cake of his choice. At this juncture, a boy came there with a dog. The village rat being afraid of the dog asked his friend, "Who is this fellow?" The city rat said, "He is Jimmi, the son of the master of this house and the dog is his pet. Be quick and hide yourself there." After their departure, both the rats came out. The village rat was very afraid. He said, "Friend, I think I should go back now. I am thankful to you for the tasty dishes, but there are to many dangers. Thanks again." And he started for the village. On reaching, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Oh! Life is precious and above all wisdom."