The Conference of the Mice

Once upon a time . . . there was a large tabby cat which, from the minute she arrived at the farm, spread terror among the mice that lived in the cellar. Nobody dared go outside for fear of falling into the clutches of the awful cat.

The fast-shrinking mouse colony decided to hold a conference to seek a way of stopping themselves from becoming extinct. Taking advantage of the cat's absence one day, mice of all ages streamed into the conference room. And certain that they could solve the matter, each one put forward a suggestion, but none of the ideas were really practical.

"Let's build an outsize trap," one mouse suggested. When this idea was turned down, another said: "What about poisoning her?" But nobody knew of a poison that would kill cats. One young widow, whose husband had fallen prey to the ferocious cat, angrily proposed: "Let's cut her claws and teeth, so she can do no more harm." But the conference did not approve of the widow's idea.

At last, one of the mice, wiser than the rest, scrambled to the top of the lantern that shone over the meeting. Waving a bell, he called for silence: "We'll tie this bell to the cat's tail, so we'll always know where she is! We'll have time to escape, and the slow and weaker mice will hear her coming and be able to hide!"

A round of hearty applause met the wise mouse's words, and everyone congratulated him on his original idea.

"...We'll tie it so tightly that it will never come off!"

". . . She'll never be able to sneak quietly up on us again! Why, the other day, she suddenly loomed up right in front of me! Just imagine..."

However, the wise mouse rang the bell again for silence "We must decide who is going to tie the bell on the cat's tail," he said. There was not a sound in the room except for a faint murmur: "I can't, because. . " "Not me!" "I'd do it willingly,but . . ." "Neither can I . . ." "Not me!" "Not me!"

Nobody was brave enough to come forward to put the plan into action, and the conference of the mice ended without any decision being made. It's often very easy to have bright ideas, but putting them into practice is a more difficult matter…….

A Trick

It was late in the night, everybody was asleep except for my brother and me. We decided to play a trick on our parents.

We crept into our parents' bedroom. I took a large sheet of construction paper and drew a morning scene and hanged it on the window. Meanwhile, my brother advanced the time on the alarm clock to just ten minutes before seven. We went back to our bedroom and waited.

Soon the alarm clock rang. My parents jumped out of bed. My father went to the bathroom to brush his teeth while my mother came over to our room to wake us. She was surprised when she found us awake and laughing.

My parents were angry and scolded us for playing a trick on them at such a late hour and for waking them up. Nowadays they locked their bedroom door when they go to bed.

The Little Red Hen

Once upon a time, there was a little red hen. who lived on a farm. She was friends with a lazy dog, a sleepy cat , and a noisy yellow duck. One day the little red hen found some seeds on the ground.

The little red hen had an idea. She would plant the seeds. The little red hen asked her friends,

"Who will help me plant the seeds ?" "Not I," barked the lazy dog ."Not I," purred the sleepy cat ."Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck.

"Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen planted the seeds all by herself. When the seeds had grown, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me cut the wheat ?" "Not I," barked the lazy dog ?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog "Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck. "Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen cut the wheat all by herself. When all the wheat was cut, the little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me take the wheat to the mill to be ground into flour ?"

"Not I," barked the lazy dog ."Not I," purred the sleepy cat ."Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck. "Then I will," said the little red hen . So the little red hen brought the wheat to the mill all by herself, ground the wheat into flour and carried the heavy sack of flour back to the farm . The tired little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me bake the bread ?" "Not I," barked the lazy dog.

"Not I," purred the sleepy cat "Not I," quacked the noisy yellow duck.

"Then I will," said the little red hen. So the little red hen baked the bread all by herself. When the bread was finished, the tired little red hen asked her friends, "Who will help me eat the bread ?" "I will," barked the lazy dog. "I will," purred the sleepy cat ."I will," quacked the noisy yellow duck.

"No!" said the little red hen. "I will." And the little red hen ate the bread all by herself.

The Donkey And The Field Mouse

One day a donkey was eating from inside his stall, when a little field mouse caught his eye, and the donkey said, "Why not rest and visit for awhile?"

Then the mouse stopped, and looked at the donkey and said, "You're an old one aren't you, donkey? What have you done with yourself? Staying in this old stall, that seems forever, not getting out in these fields, out yonder. Be like me, and see the finer things in life."

The wise old donkey smiled, and said, "You are a curious little one, but I do have a tale to tell, that you'll never forget, so sit on the floor, and I will tell you more."

"For I was a young colt at the time, as my owner had me tied to a tree, when these chaps come along, and started unloosening me. I remember my owner was upset, and asked, "why are you setting my colt free?" Then I heard them say, "For our Lord has need of it," as they took me along their way."

"When I heard Lord, I thought this must be important, not really knowing what to expect. So they brought me to "their Lord", but I didn't expect such a simple gent, as people started gathering, shouting "Blessed is the King." I thought how can a simple man like this be a King; for He was poorly dressed, not wearing a robe, not even a crown, made of gold. I remember the chaps that brought me, laid their clothes upon my back, then they placed "their King" firmly on me, while singing praises to this man."

"I heard them say that we were riding into Jerusalem that day,so I was prepared to make the journey, thinking I was special in some sort of way. As we were walking, all these people started laying palm branches on the ground before us, an amazing site, I must say. And just before we reached Jerusalem; I heard this man weeping bitterly, saying words, that sounded as if He really cared for this city that He sees."

"But our journey had ended, and a tiring one, I must admit, but this is what the King wanted, and I didn't mind doing this for Him. And to this day, I remember when He stepped down, He came around and looked at me, as if to say a final fairwell, with eyes so kind and with great humility."

"After that I never saw Him again, although I heard rumors that He had died, and His name was Jesus; something about a cross, and how this King was crucified."

"So mouse, let me ask you this? Have you ever met a King, like I did? Probably not, so just be on your way." Then the mouse shrugged, and looked confused; as he scurried to the open fields, feeling sorry for the old donkey, and wondering if he was telling the whole truth.

THE RIFCOG

It was a cold dark night my mum and dad were out at a dinner party. My grandpa was asleep that's nothing unusual for him to do at his age . There was knocking at are door, I wasn't shore if I should wake up my grandpa or answer the door I remembered that my aunty was supposed to visit so it was probably her.

I walked over to the front door and twisted the handle then the door opened and there stood the outline of a huge monster with what seemed like six red eyes .

I thought it was going to reach out and grab me but instead. it stepped forwards, out of the shadows and patted me on the head. It was then that I realised it was aunt RIFCOG.

She walked straight past me without even saying hello. My aunt walked up to my grandpa and slapped him on the head he snorted and wriggled. My aunt huffed and said "just the same as last time,snoring his head off". My aunt Stuck out her hands and her nails grew longer and sharper her eyes glowed with anger, her teeth became bright white and longer than usual, her skin sprouted with green hair. My aunt's body changed into a blobby shape and lastly her eyes duplicated until she had six eyes.

My aunt was no longer an aunt; she was a "RIFCOG", a beast that lives in a tree trunk in the forest near where my aunty lives. I always wondered why my aunt is always down by the Forest .

There is only one thing to get this evil spirit out of my aunt I have to get some light into its face. I grabbed a torch and shone it in to my aunt's face. The slime melted of my aunt's body her eyes became normal again her teeth became normal again the hair fell of and then my aunt fell to the floor. Just then my parents rang the door bell and my grandpa woke up.

THE PARTRIDGE AND THE CROW

A CROW flying across a road saw a Partridge strutting along the ground.

"What a beautiful gait that Partridge has!" said the Crow. "I must try to see if I can walk like him."

She alighted behind the Partridge and tried for a long time to learn to strut. At last the Partridge turned around and asked the Crow what she was about.

"Do not be angry with me," replied the Crow. "I have never before seen a bird who walks as beautifully as you can, and I am trying to learn to walk like you."

"Foolish bird!" responded the Partridge. "You are a Crow, and should walk like a Crow. You would look silly indeed if you were to strut like a partridge."

But the Crow went on trying to learn to strut, until finally she had forgotten her own gait, and she never learned that of the Partridge.

THE TORTOISE AND THE GEESE

A TORTOISE and two Geese lived together in a pond for many years. At last there came a drought and dried up the pond. Then the Geese said to one another,—

"We must seek a new home quickly, for we cannot live without water. Let us say farewell to the Tortoise and start at once."

When the Tortoise heard that they were going, he trembled with fear, and besought them by their friendship not to desert him.

"Alas," the Geese replied, there is no help for it. If we stay here, we shall all three die, and we cannot take you with us, for you cannot fly."

Still the Tortoise begged so hard not to be left behind that the Geese finally said,—

"Dear Friend, if you will promise not to speak a word on the journey, we will take you with us. But know beforehand, that if you open your mouth to say one single word, you will be in instant danger of losing your life."

"Have no fear," replied the Tortoise, "but that I will be silent until you give me leave to speak again. I would rather never open my mouth again than be left to die alone here in the dried-up pond."

So the Geese brought a stout stick and bade the Tortoise grasp it firmly in the middle by his mouth. Then they took hold of either end and flew off with him. They had gone several miles in safety, when their course lay over a village. As the country people saw this curious sight of a Tortoise being carried by two Geese, they began to laugh and cry out,—

"Oh, did you ever see such a funny sight in all your life!" And they laughed loud and long.

The Tortoise grew more and more indignant. At last he could stand their jeering no longer. "You stupid . . . " he snapped, but before he could say more he had fallen to the ground and was dashed to pieces.