THE WORKING MOUSE

A long, long time ago, when mankind began to walk the Earth, animals took the form of humans. In a small village, there lived a very handsome man, always dressed in a smart brown suit, a white shirt, matching pants and a tall top hat. Everyone in the village knew him because he always asked for the most beautiful jewelry, watches and other valuables.

Although everyone looked at him with admiration and the girls’ hearts beat for him, the young man paid no attention to anyone. He was only interested in finding beautiful things and observing people with the most curious eyes. However, no girl attracted him enough to approach.

One day, when he was returning to the forest, he heard among the trees a soft but sad cry. It was the cry of a young girl who, in great pain, was crying because her father was ill. She had no money to buy the medicines he needed and had gone to the forest in search of plants that could help him. She had been searching all day, but the sun was already setting, and she had not found what she needed.

The young man, seeing her sadness, approached her and said in a kind voice, “Come to my house tomorrow, I will help you.” He gave her directions to find her home. The young woman, with a little hope, decided to go the next day, but she arrived very early, before the sun rose. To her surprise, all she found was a little mouse running around, and no sign of the young man’s house. Disappointed, she thought that perhaps he was not a trustworthy man.

Time passed, and although the young man tried to find the girl, he never saw her again. One day, as he was returning to the forest, he saw her gathering herbs near a stream. He approached her and asked her why she had not gone to the place where they had met. The young woman, frightened, did not answer him, but he insisted, telling her to come back the next day. He promised to help her with what she needed, and she, though distrustful, agreed.

The next day, when the young woman arrived at the place, she found something that left her very sad: everything was destroyed. Among some dry bushes, she saw a very small mouse, and realized that something was not right. She decided, with much regret, to bury the little mouse. While digging, something surprising happened: she found gold objects, silver, jewelry, watches, and all kinds of treasures.

The young girl understood that the little mouse she had seen was actually the beautiful young man she had met. He had worked with effort and dedication to collect those treasures and help her. She decided to take what she had found, as the young man had promised to help her.