Lion And The Rat

A sleeping lion suddenly woke up. A rat had disturbed his sleep. The lion quickly caught the rat by its tail. The rat began to plead with the lion to let him go.

"If I let you go now, you'll just come back and disturb my sleep again tomorrow," the lion grumbled.

You are no match to me, the lion roared.

"Oh, I promise I won't! I'll be forever grateful for your kindness, and who knows, maybe someday I can even help you when you're in need," the rat squeaked.

The lion threw back his head and laughed. "You silly little rat! I am the mighty king of the jungle. What help could I possibly need from you? Now, be gone!" he roared, and the rat scurried away.

A few months passed. The lion was strolling through the jungle, enjoying the sunshine. Suddenly, he saw something falling from the top of a tall tree. Before he could figure out what it was, the lion found himself hanging upside down! He was trapped inside a strong net. The lion roared in frustration. Other animals saw the mighty lion caught in the net, dangling from the tree, and some even chuckled at his predicament.

Night fell. The lion was still stuck in the net, and he eventually fell asleep, exhausted. He woke up to a strange scratching sound. It was the same little rat, busily gnawing at the ropes of the net! "Hey, rat! What are you doing here?" the lion asked, surprised.

"Sorry to disturb your sleep, Your Majesty," the rat replied, his tiny teeth working furiously. "I'm trying to free you. I have very sharp teeth, and I'm sure I can break through this net and set you free."

The little rat worked diligently throughout the night, his sharp teeth steadily cutting through the thick ropes. Just before dawn, the lion was finally free from the net! By the time the hunters who had set the trap arrived, all they found was a broken net lying on the ground.

The lion looked at the tiny rat with newfound respect and thanked him sincerely for his kind help. "Now I understand," the lion said thoughtfully, "everyone, no matter how big or small, can help someone else." The rat smiled proudly.