FABLE: THE CAT AND THE MICE, THE COUNTRY MICE.
Aesop's fable

“THE CAT AND THE MICE“

A certain country house had been empty for many years. In the end the mice decided on taking its possession. In short there were so many of them as to fill each hole small and big, crack, fissure and corner of that house. A Cat, hearing the news, made her way into it and moved there. From then on she did not need to go out to have her meals: she had mice at breakfast, lunch and dinner and, if she liked, even for a snack.. The Mice started to fear for their lives, their number diminished day after day.
- “We need to do something” - said one of them.
- “Right, but what?” - said another - “The Cat is too big for us to attack.
- “The best way to attack is to defend oneself” - said the eldest mouse. - “We will keep ourselves close in our holes until the Cat, starving, will go away.”
The Cat waited hours and hours for them to move, but he could not see even their whiskers. After three days, the Cat made up her mind and tried with a trick, to make them go out of their holes, in order to put an end to her fast. She jumped upon a peg fixed on the wall, and suspended herself with her head down. There she remained, completely dumb, pretending to be dead.
- “Come on” - said one of the younger mice - “let's go out. There's no more danger now: the cat is dead.”
But the elder mouse shook (tossed)his head, peeped out of the hole and said in a loud voice: ”It's no use, my good madam! You can also pretend to be dead, as long as you want! We do know more than you. We wouldn't believe you even if we were to see you hanging up there inside a bag. We won't go out of our holes as long as you're here!
The Cat did not waste her time longer. She untied her laces, got down from the wall, and with an angry miaowing, she went away.

For children: Didactics and creative games, writing practice.