English · Completing Story
The Lion and the Mouse
Completing story: the lion spares a mouse and is later saved by her — with the moral.
A lion spares the life of a tiny mouse and is repaid when he is caught in a hunter's net.
The story begins: A lion was sleeping in a forest. A little mouse ran over his body and woke him up. The angry lion caught the mouse and was about to kill it.
The Story
One hot afternoon a lion lay sleeping under a tree in the forest. He had eaten well and slept deeply, and the whole wood was quiet around him.
A little mouse, running about in search of food, did not notice the great animal until she was already upon him. She ran across his paw and up over his back, and the lion woke with a start.
In an instant his heavy paw came down and the mouse was trapped beneath it. "How dare you disturb the king of the forest?" the lion roared. "For this you shall die."
The mouse trembled but did not lose her voice. "Forgive me, great king," she pleaded. "I did not mean to wake you. Spare my life, and one day I may be able to help you."
At this the lion laughed aloud. The idea that so small a creature could ever help him seemed the funniest thing he had heard. But because she had amused him, he lifted his paw and let her go.
Some weeks later the lion was caught in a hunter's net. He struggled and roared and tore at the ropes, but the more he fought the tighter the net held him. At last he lay exhausted, and his roars of anger turned to roars of despair.
The little mouse heard him from far away and recognised the voice at once. She ran to the place, found the lion helpless in the net, and set to work with her sharp teeth on the ropes.
She gnawed through one rope and then another, all through the night, until at last a hole was made large enough for the lion to push himself free. He rose, shook the net from his shoulders, and looked down at the mouse in wonder.
"You laughed when I said I might help you," said the mouse. "Now you see that even the smallest friend can be of use." The lion never forgot the lesson, and the two remained friends from that day.
Moral: No one is too small to be of use; a kindness is never wasted.
Frequently Asked Questions
That no one is too small to be of use, and that a kindness done is never wasted. The lion spares the mouse out of amusement rather than mercy, and is repaid when nothing else can save him.
Move through four stages: the mouse pleads and is released, the lion is trapped later, the mouse gnaws the ropes, and the lion acknowledges the lesson. Completing a story means carrying it to its moral, not simply adding one more event.
About 200 to 250 words in six to nine short paragraphs. The marks are for developing the hints into a complete narrative with a clear ending, not for length, and a story that runs to 400 words usually repeats itself.
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