One day a city mouse went to visit his friend in the country.
The country mouse was very glad to see his good friend. He gave his guest the best dinner that he could find.
The country mouse was afraid that there was not enough food for two, so he just ate a little piece of corn.
His friend had some green peas, a piece of new cheese, a ripe and a red apple.
After the city mouse ate all the dinner, he said, “How can you live in the country, my friend? You can see nothing but forest, rivers, fields and mountains.
You must be very tired of hearing nothing but bird songs. Come with me to the city.
There you can live in a beautiful house and have good things for dinner every day. When you have lived in the city for a week,, you will forget all about living in the country.”
So the two mice went to the city. They reached the home of the city mouse at night. “You must be hungry. We walked for a long time,” said the city mouse to his friend. “We will have some dinner immediately.”
So they went to the dinning room and the city mouse found some cake and fruit. “Help yourself,” he said. “There is enough for both of us.”
“This is a very good dinner,” said the country mouse. “You are very rich my friend!”
Just then the door opened and a dog came in. The mice jumped off the table and ran into a hole in the floor. The poor little country mouse was so frightened! “Do not be afraid,” said his friend. “The dog cannot come in here.”
Then the mice went to the kitchen. They found an apple pie on the shelf and were enjoying a piece of it. At that moment, they saw two bright eyes watching them. “The cat! The cat!” cried the city mouse and the mice quickly ran through a hole in the wall.
When the country mouse could speak, he said, “Good-bye, my friend. You can live in the city with the dogs and cats. I like my home in the country.
In the country the birds sing to me while i eat my simple corn and apples. In the city the cats watch you eating your fancy cake and pie. I like my corn in safety better than your cake in fear.”
Moral of the Story: It is better to have a simple meal in peace than a fancy meal in fear.
Aesop
