A small mouse crept up to a sleeping lion. The mouse admired the lion's ears, his long whiskers and his great mane .
"Since he's sleeping," thought the mouse, "he'll never suspect I'm here!"
With that, the little mouse climbed up onto the lion's tail, ran across its back, slid down its leg and jumped off of its paw.
The lion awoke and quickly caught the mouse between its claws.
"Please," said the mouse, "let me go and I'll come back and help you someday."
The lion laughed, "You are so small! How could ever help me?"
But lion opens his paw.
He sets mouse free.
The mouse eyed the trap and noticed the one thick rope that held it together. She began nibbling and nibbling until the rope broke.
The lion was able to shake off the other ropes that held him tight. He stood up free again!
The lion turned to the mouse and said, "Dear friend, I was foolish to ridicule you for being small. You helped me by saving my life after all!"