Autumn has come, and the mouse has not a grain or grain in its bins! What to do? There are ten hungry mice at home, small or small, squeaking. How to survive the winter if there are no supplies? What to feed the mice? The mouse thought and thought and decided to go to the cricket for help, to ask him for grain on credit. She came to the cricket’s house and knocked on the door with her paw: knock-knock-knock!
-Who's there? - responded the cricket.
- It's me, mouse!
- Why did you come, neighbor?
- For help. Ask for grain. Soon the cold and blizzards will begin, but my bins are empty, there is absolutely nothing to feed on. The mice are hungry, squeaking and asking for food.
- Oh-oh-oh! - the cricket sighed. “I have a big family, you know.” I'm afraid we won't have enough food until spring.
- Help, cricket, you have a kind soul! Don't leave me in trouble! - the mouse begged. “Can you really sleep peacefully if you know that I and the little mice are dying of hunger?”
The mouse asked, the cricket asked, and finally she persuaded him.
“Okay, so be it, I’ll share my reserves,” said the cricket. “How much grain do you need before spring?”
- When will you repay the debt?
- In the autumn. As soon as I reap a new harvest, I will return it.
- Who will guarantee that you will repay the debt? Who will be your guarantor?
- What did you come up with! Which guarantor? I'm an honest mouse. She said I’ll give it, so I’ll give it.
“No, it won’t work that way,” the cricket resolutely objected. “If you don’t find a guarantor, I won’t give you grain.”
The mouse left with nothing. The next day she runs to the cricket again and again asks for grain on credit.
“That’s what I decided,” said the cricket. “Take the cat as your guarantor.” The cat will vouch for you, then I’ll give you grain. The mouse got upset, left, and after sitting at home for a day and thinking, she decided to cheat. Of course, she did not negotiate with the cat. She appeared again to the cricket and said:
- Hello, dear cricket! Here I am! Yesterday I went to see the cat. He agrees to be my guarantor.
“If that’s the case, that’s another matter,” answered the cricket, went into the house and poured out two bags of grain for her. The mouse put them on his back and dragged them home. She walks, bends under the weight of the bags, and shakes with laughter: she cleverly deceived the gullible cricket!
Winter has passed. The mouse and its cubs fed themselves on cricket grain until spring. Summer has already arrived, then autumn. The harvest was long over, and the cold, winter wind blew again.
“Probably, the mouse has already collected the grain of the new harvest and will soon repay the debt,” thinks the cricket.
But a week passes, then another, a month, and there is no word or breath from the mouse. The cricket realized that it would not wait for the mouse, and went to it itself. He approaches the mouse's house and knocks on the door with his paw: knock-knock-knock!
-Who's there? - the mouse responded.
- It's me, cricket.
- Why did you come, neighbor?
- Why? What about debt? Are you going to repay me? Who took two bags of grain from me?
“I took it, but I have nothing to give!” “I don’t have grain, I didn’t collect anything this summer,” the mouse lied. “You came to me in vain, you bothered yourself.”
- How in vain? What about your word? You promised to give it back!
- Word is word, what do you need my word if there is no grain?
- If you don’t repay the debt, I’ll go to your guarantor.
- And in vain! I have no grain and never will. Bring at least a hundred guarantors, where will the grain come from if there is none?
“It won’t work that way,” the cricket said decisively. “I’ll have to call the cat, apparently.” The cricket came to the cat and said:
“Last autumn a mouse came to me to borrow two bags of grain. Ten hungry little mice, he says, are crying in the house. I refused her, then she took you as a guarantor. Now is the time to repay the debt, but she refuses: no, she says, grain! Do me a favor, cat, help me return the grain! The cat stretched, thought, purred, and then asked:
- You say you took me as a guarantor? Very interesting! Ten little mice, you say? Meow! Very interesting! Do you know where her house is?
- How can you not know! Of course I do! Come on, I'll take you.
The cricket and the cat went to the house where the mouse lived. Meanwhile, the mouse and her little mice were sitting at the table and eating delicious flatbreads made from the flour of the new harvest. Her pantry was bursting with grain.
The cricket knocked on the window and asked:
- Well, mouse, are you going to repay the debt?
“I won’t think so,” answered the mouse. “You’d better go home, cricket, you won’t get anything here anyway.”
“If you don’t give it back, I’ll bring your cat as your guarantor here.”
- Just think! — the mouse grinned. “I’m not afraid of your cat!” We are all not afraid of the cat!
The cat was unable to bear such insolence. He arched his back, stretched and meowed: “Meow!” Out of fear, the mouse and the little mice rolled head over heels from their chairs and hid under the bed. The mouse squeaked:
- Have mercy, dear cricket, I’ll look now, I’ll look now, maybe I’ll find something. And then run to the pantry! She pulled out two bags of grain, opened the window and threw them outside.
“Meow,” said the cat, “that’s no good.” Where you got the grain from, return it there. Take the bags and drag them to the cricket’s house.
The mouse had to put the bags on his back and drag them along the street to the cricket’s house.
So the three of them went: in front was a cricket, behind him was a mouse with grain, and behind him was a cat. The mouse got tired, threw the bags to the ground and sat down to rest.
- Meow! — the cat muttered dissatisfiedly.
“What are you, what are you, dear cat,” the mouse muttered. “I’m now, now... I’m running, I’m in a hurry...” The mouse again put the bags on her back and walked towards the cricket’s house.
And when she returned home, she lay down to rest and said to the mice:
“I did wrong, I offended the cricket, but he helped me that hard year, saved us from starvation.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru