One hot afternoon, a mighty lion lay sleeping in the shade of a great banyan tree. His chest rose and fell with each slow, rumbling breath. The forest around him was perfectly still — until a tiny mouse came scurrying along and accidentally ran right across the lion's nose.
The lion woke up with a roar! He slammed his massive paw down, trapping the little mouse beneath it. The mouse trembled and squeaked, "Please, great king, spare me! I was only passing through. Let me go, and one day I will repay your kindness!"
The lion looked down and laughed. "You? Repay me? What could a tiny creature like you possibly do for the king of the jungle?" But the lion was in a fine mood, and the mouse's bravery amused him. So he lifted his paw and let the mouse scurry away.
Days passed. Then one afternoon, the lion's thunderous roars of pain echoed through the forest. He had walked into a hunter's rope net and was hopelessly tangled. The harder he pulled, the tighter the ropes held him.
The little mouse heard those roars and came running. He saw the lion thrashing and struggling, and without a moment's hesitation, he set to work — gnawing through the thick ropes with his sharp little teeth, strand by strand, until the last rope snapped free.
The lion shook himself and stood tall. He looked down at the tiny mouse with wonder in his golden eyes. "I laughed when you said you would repay me," said the lion softly. "Today you have saved my life. I was wrong to think small things have nothing to offer."
"Even the smallest friend," said the mouse, sitting up tall, "can do what the mightiest cannot."
— The end. —