Once, as a lion lay sleeping in his den after a large meal, a hungry little mouse crept in and started nibbling on left-over crumbs. One of the crumbs was stuck in the lion's tail. Suddenly, the Mighty lion woke with an angry roar and grabbed the mouse up in his claws. "How dare you steal my food and wake me up! Don't you know that I am King of the jungle? You are a lazy thief and do not deserve to live! I shall eat you!"
The terrified and trembling mouse, begged the lion to let him go. "Please don't eat me Your Majesty! I did not mean to wake you, it was a mistake. I was starving and I was only eating small crumbs that you did not want. Please let me go! I am not lazy. Like all small creatures in the jungle, I work hard all day just to get by. If you let me live, I promise I will be your friend forever. Some day you may need a friend - even a small creature can be useful when you need a friend." The lion laughed at the tiny mouse. "You - be useful to me? What an absurd idea! Ha-ha-ha! Well well", thought the lion, "at least you have amused me, and put me into a good mood again, so I shall let you go." And the lion opened his claws and let the mouse go free. "Oh, thank you, your majesty," squeaked the mouse, and scurried away as fast as he could.
A few days later the mighty lion was caught in a hunter's snare. He struggled and twisted with all his might, but he couldn't break free of the tangle of ropes and soon wore himself out and became hopelessly trapped in the snare. He let out a roar of anger and despair that shook the forest. Every animal, large and small heard it, including the tiny mouse.
"My friend the lion is in trouble,' cried the mouse. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of the lion's roar, and soon found the lion trapped in the hunter's snare. "Hold still, Your Majesty," squeaked the mouse. 'I'll have you out of there in a jiffy!" And without further delay, the mouse set to work. It was a hard job that took some time, but the mouse was used to hard work and he knew what he was doing. He climbed up on top of the tangled trap and slowly began nibbling with his sharp little teeth at the ropes that held the snare in place. When the final rope snapped, the lion fell free to the ground.
"I did not believe that you could ever be of any use to me, little mouse, but today you saved my life," said the lion humbly. 'It was my turn to help you, Sire," answered the mouse. "The last time we met, you gave me food and spared my life!" "Hmmm..," Thought the lion. "Today I have learn a great lesson - there are many different creatures in the jungle, but even the smallest can be a great friend and a useful part of my kingdom."
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