FABLE XLVIII
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Many tiny mice lived in an old house. The house was full of mice. They ran and played. They ate little bits of food. They were happy.
Then, a big Cat came to the house. The Cat lived there now. The Cat liked to catch mice. She caught many, many mice. She scared them away. The mice were very scared.
The Mice saw fewer friends. "Oh no!" they said. Many mice were gone. They felt very sad. They held a meeting. They talked about the Cat. They wanted to be safe.
The Mice made a plan. "We must stay high," they said. They went to the top shelf. The shelf was very high. The Cat could not reach them there.
The Cat looked for mice. She saw no mice. The mice stayed high up. She was very hungry. She was very sad. She was a little angry. "Where are the mice?" she thought.
The Cat made a new plan. It was a trick. She hung from a peg. She used her back legs. She hung very, very still. She pretended to be asleep. She hoped mice would come down.
The Mice saw the Cat. A Wise Old Mouse looked down. He looked from the shelf. He was very careful. He peeked over the edge.
The Wise Old Mouse saw the trick. "Look!" he said. "The Cat is not asleep." "She is very, very still." "She wants to catch us." "Do not trust her." "She tricked us before. She is tricky." "We must stay safe up here. She is not our friend."
The Mice listened to him. They stayed on the shelf. The Cat waited and waited. She did not catch any mice. The Wise Old Mouse kept them safe.
The mice were safe. The Wise Mouse taught them to be careful. It is wise to remember this.
Original Story
FABLE XLVIII.
THE CAT AND THE MICE.
A certain house was much infested with Mice; but at last they got a Cat, who caught and ate every day some of them. The Mice, finding their numbers grow thin, consulted what was best to be done for the preservation of the public from the jaws of the devouring Cat. They debated and came to this resolution, that no one should go down below the upper shelf.
The Cat, observing the Mice no longer came down as usual, hungry and disappointed of her prey, had recourse to this stratagem:—She hung by her hind legs on a peg which stuck in the wall, and made as if she had been dead, hoping by this lure to entice the Mice to come down. She had not been in this posture long before a cunning old Mouse peeped over the edge of the shelf, and spoke thus:—"Ha! ha! my good friend, are you there? There you may be! I would not trust myself with you, though your skin were stuffed with straw."
MORAL.
They that are wise will never trust those a second time who have deceived them once.
Story DNA
Moral
They that are wise will never trust those a second time who have deceived them once.
Plot Summary
A house infested with mice gets a cat that significantly reduces their numbers. The remaining mice hold a meeting and decide to stay on an upper shelf to avoid the predator. The cunning cat, observing their absence, devises a trick by hanging from a peg, pretending to be dead to lure them down. However, an old, wise mouse sees through the deception and warns the others, refusing to trust the cat, thus saving them from further harm.
Themes
Emotional Arc
fear to cautious relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often served as didactic tools, teaching practical wisdom and social norms through simple, relatable scenarios.
Plot Beats (9)
- A house is infested with mice.
- A cat is brought in and begins to catch and eat many mice.
- The mice notice their declining numbers and hold a meeting.
- They decide to stay on the upper shelf to avoid the cat.
- The cat, hungry and frustrated, notices the mice no longer come down.
- The cat devises a trick: she hangs by her hind legs from a peg, pretending to be dead.
- An old, cunning mouse peeks over the shelf.
- The old mouse recognizes the cat's trick and refuses to trust her, stating she wouldn't even trust her if she were stuffed.
- The mice remain safe due to the old mouse's wisdom.
Characters
The Cat
A sleek, agile domestic cat of average size, with a lean, muscular build indicative of a skilled hunter. Her movements are fluid and silent.
Attire: None, as she is an animal. Her natural fur is her covering.
Wants: To hunt and eat the mice for sustenance, driven by her natural instincts as a predator.
Flaw: Her hunger and overconfidence in her stratagems can lead her to be outsmarted.
She begins as a successful hunter, then faces a challenge when the mice adapt. She attempts a new deception but is ultimately outsmarted by the old mouse, failing to achieve her goal.
Cunning, persistent, predatory, deceptive, patient.
The Cunning Old Mouse
A small, agile house mouse, perhaps a bit thinner and more wiry than younger mice, with a slightly grizzled appearance to his fur, indicating age. His movements are cautious and deliberate.
Attire: None, as he is an animal. His natural fur is his covering.
Wants: To ensure the survival of his community and protect himself from the Cat.
Flaw: His small size and vulnerability to predators.
He serves as the voice of wisdom, preventing his community from falling for the Cat's trick, reinforcing the lesson of not trusting those who have deceived before.
Wise, cautious, observant, skeptical, experienced.
The Mice
A group of typical house mice, varying slightly in size and shade of grey-brown fur, but generally small and quick.
Attire: None, as they are animals.
Wants: Survival and avoiding the Cat.
Flaw: Their fear and susceptibility to deception if not guided by wisdom.
Initially, they are being decimated by the Cat. They adapt by restricting their movements. They are almost fooled by the Cat's new trick but are saved by the wisdom of the old mouse, learning to be perpetually cautious.
Fearful, communal, adaptable (initially), easily deceived (collectively, before the old mouse speaks).
Locations
The House Interior
A domestic interior, likely a kitchen or pantry area, characterized by shelves and walls where pegs are affixed. The atmosphere is initially one of danger and fear for the mice, then shifts to cautious observation.
Mood: Tense, dangerous, then cautious and observant.
The primary setting for the mice's infestation, their subsequent consultation, and the cat's hunting attempts.
Upper Shelf
A high-up wooden shelf within the house, serving as a sanctuary and vantage point for the mice. It's a place of relative safety, elevated above the cat's immediate reach.
Mood: Safe, strategic, observant.
The mice's agreed-upon safe zone and the location from which the cunning old mouse observes the cat's stratagem.