Belling the cat

 Once upon a time, there was a big grocery store in a small town. The only problem that the shopkeeper faced was there were plenty of mice that bit into every item in the shop and spoiled the stock of bags kept there. They also wasted the bread, biscuits and fruits kept in the shop. Worried about the huge losses caused by the mice, the shopkeeper decided to bring a cat and leave it in the shop to check on the troublemaker mice.

The following day the storekeeper brought a big fat cat to his shop and let her stay there to chase away the mice. The cat had a pleasant time hunting down the mice and feasted on them regularly. The shopkeeper noticed that bringing the cat to the shop saved him from all the damages caused by the mice and was happy with his decision.

Seeing a rapid decline in their total population, the mice council called for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue. Every mouse was worried that their numbers were dwindling and every day the cat preyed on their fellow mice. They complained to the head mouse that the cat stealthily attacked them and it had become difficult for them to track if their predator was around.

As the mice were describing their woes, the head mouse recommended that they should bell the cat to fix the problem. By doing so, they would know whenever the cat moved around as the bell would make the noise. Everyone loved the idea but the important question was who will bell the cat.

There was pin-drop silence and the mice wondered who would risk his life to execute the plan. Nobody spoke. Suddenly a tiny mouse stepped forward stating that he would execute the act and asked for a necklace of three bells tied in a pink ribbon.

That afternoon, the little mouse went to the cat with the necklace. On seeing the tiny mouse, the cat was about to pounce on the little creature when the mouse asked her to listen to him before she killed him. The cat decided to listen to the tiny mouse before killing him for lunch.

Soon the tiny mouse started appreciating the cat for her beauty. He quickly took out the bells necklace and gifted it to the cat. He complimented her stating that by wearing this necklace she would look the most beautiful cat in the world. The mouse tied the bells necklace around the cat’s neck.

The cat jumped on a low stool kept before the mirror to check how she looked. The mouse further complimented the cat for her beauty and admired her looks. Really impressed with the mouse’s words, the cat spared the tiny mouse’s life this time.

In no time, the cat’s stomach was rumbling in hunger and she started to look around for mice in every corner of the shop. All the mice seemed to have disappeared from her sight. At last, the mice no longer feared the cat. Whenever the cat was around, they could hear the bells ringing and would disappear from that place immediately.

Moral of the Story:

“Have the courage to confront a tough situation rather than running away from it. Also, do not trust anyone blindly, without analysing the consequences of a situation.”