There lived many animals, large and small, in a forest. So there was a lion living there as well as a tiny she-mouse. Both were happily living there.

One day the lion was sleeping under a tree that a tiny mice happened to come out that side. She climbed on lion's body and started playing there. The mice was too tiny to see the big lion as a whole, so she did not know that she was playing on a lion's body. As she played on his body from his tail's side, she came to his mouth side and started playing with his whiskers.

Her playing tickled the lion and the lion woke up and caught the little mice in his big paw, he said - "O tiny mice, Perhaps you don't know who I am, that is why you are playing on my body. I am the King of the forest. How did you dare to play on my body and wake me up? I will eat you."

The mice got frightened, she meekly said - "O King of the forest, You are great. I greet you. I am so tiny that by eating me you will not be satisfied because you are so big. I did not recognize you, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I will never do this again."

The lion said - "No, You must be punished for your mistake. I will surely eat you." The mice prayed the lion - "O King of the forest, You are the King of the forest. Your duty is to protect all animals of the forest. I am so tiny that you will not be able to satisfy your hunger by eating me. But if you set me free then, maybe, one day I will help you."

The lion laughed loudly - "Ha ha ha ha, You little mice, how can you help me? But you are so tiny that I pity you and that is why I set you free. Go from here and never trouble me again." And the lion set her free. The mice ran away quickly jumping and dancing. While going she did not forget to say the lion - "I will surely help you some day, O King of the forest, thank you very much for sparing my life."

Now it so happened, that one day a hunter came in that forest and set his net trap to catch some animals. And it so happened that the same lion fell into the trap of that hunter and could not come out. He was not able to free himself. In a few hours the hunter would come and kill him. The lion got frightened with the idea itself of being taken by the hunter, so he roared loudly.

Although the mice lived nearby the lion but she did not dare to come nearby him after that day. On that day also she was playing with her playmates a bit far from the lion. She heard the roar of the lion. She recognized his voice. She had not forgotten the kindness of lion till now. She felt that the lion was in danger, so she left her playmates and ran in the direction of the lion's roar. She remembered that he pardoned her and had spared her life once.

She ran and ran and came to the lion. She found the lion trapped in a hunter's net. She said loudly - "O King of the forest, Don't worry. Now I have come. I will free you soon from this net. Just be patient." Lion got very happy to see that tiny mice, although he was not sure how would she help him. Now the mice have very sharp teeth. She started cutting the net from her sharp teeth quickly. It took some time to cut that net but she cut it so much that lion could free himself. He came out of the net and ran away from there.

Later the lion thanked the tiny mice to save his life. Now both became friends. The lion gave her permission to come near him and play on his body as and when she wanted to. She especially loved to play with his whiskers, the lion also let her play with them.

[Nobody is big and nobody is tiny. Everybody has his own special characteristics. Even being so tiny the mice could help such a big mighty King of forest, so one should respect the younger and lower people too. You never know when they can help you and in what situation.]