The Lion and the Mouse

In the Great Forest, there was a very sad mouse called Gentle. He lived alone in a tree. All the other animals in the
forest hated him. They said that he was weak and silly. All he wanted was a friend.

One day, Gentle was talking to himself.

‘Who will be friends with a mouse like me? I am not smart like the other mice. I am not funny like the foxes. I am not
quick like the birds. And I am not strong like the lion.’

There was one lion who lived in the Great Forest. The lion was called Crush. Everyone was scared of Crush the lion.

Suddenly, Gentle saw Crush was lying a few metres ahead. But the lion was sleeping. SSsssttttt…..

Crush the lion was very strong, and very dangerous. But Gentle wanted to stop being so weak. He climbed onto Crush
carefully and looked at him. He had big ears. He had lots of hair, and a big tail. Gentle thought that the lion looked
amazing.

But then Crush woke up! He took Gentle in his hand and Gentle could not leave. Crush looked very hungry.

‘Please don’t eat me!’ said Gentle. ‘I am only a small, silly mouse.’

‘You are very silly indeed! You walked onto me, the great lion of the forest. Usually I have to catch my own lunch!
But today, my lunch comes walking up to me. Yum yum!’

‘If you let me live, I will help you in the future,’ said Gentle.

Crush laughed. ‘You are so small!’ he said. ‘How could you help me?’

Crush He laughed so much that he had to hold his stomach. Gentle jumped out of his hand and ran away.

A few days later, two men came into the forest to catch a lion. They put up a trap that was made of some ropes.

Crush walked into the ropes and he couldn’t move. The lion shouted and cried. ‘Help! Help!’ he shouted. But nobody
came to help him.

Gentle heard the lion shouting. He went and saw Crush caught in the ropes.

‘Oh no, it is you!’ said Crush. ‘I need help. You won’t be able to help me. You are just a weak mouse!’

But Gentle continued biting the rope. Finally, the rope broke. Crush was free!

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Crush. ‘You did help me. You are small, and you are not strong. But you are smart.’

‘I am not!’ said Gentle. ‘I’m just a silly mouse.’

‘You are smart. But you are smart in a different way to them. You saved my life. What can I give you?’

‘Well, maybe there is one thing…’

‘What is it?’ said Crush. ‘I can tell the other mice that you are smart, strong and funny. If they laugh at you, I will eat
them.’

‘No, no. I don’t want any of that.’

‘What do you want?’

‘Will you be my friend?’