Summary
Highlights
A lion is asleep in Africa when a mouse, mistaking the lion's mane for grass, runs onto his head. The lion wakes up annoyed and seizes the mouse.
The mouse, a mother of seven, pleads with the lion, explaining that she is too small for a meal and promises to repay his kindness if he lets her go. The lion, finding the idea amusing, sympathetically releases her.
Days later, a hungry lion is lured by the smell of meat and falls into a net trap. Despite his struggles, he can't escape and regrets his predicament.
The mouse, passing by with her children, recognizes the trapped lion. Remembering his earlier mercy, she and her children chew through the net with their strong teeth, freeing the lion.
The story concludes with the moral: showing mercy and kindness to those less powerful can lead to unexpected repayment in the future.