In the jungles of India there lived a carefree little mouse. His house was a hollow in the trunk of a mighty coconut tree. Everything about the mouse was wonderful, all his days passed in joy and fun. Some days were better, some were worse, but there were very few big troubles. Each time, having eaten a hearty meal of grains, roots, and sometimes even fed on flies and worms, the mouse sang happily in his house. Sometimes, however, he sang sad songs, but more often he sang happy ones. And that mouse’s name was very simple – Pik-Pik.
So this Pik-Pik lived carefree until one day the following thought came to his mind: “I live on a coconut tree, but I have never tried coconuts in my life.” Are they tasty or not? Are they sweet or not? I eat flies, roots and grain, so why shouldn’t I also try coconut? As soon as the mouse thought so, a huge coconut fell from the palm tree and fell to the ground and rolled noisily towards the mouse. Yes, coconut is not a hazelnut. Coconut is a huge, sweet and delicious treat! But its shell is very hard.
The mouse rushed to the gift that had fallen from the sky and began gnawing on it with his sharp teeth. He gnawed and gnawed, but to no avail - he didn’t even bite off a piece. Pik-Pik began to cry in despair. He walked back and forth around the coconut and said plaintively: “The shell is so hard, I can’t handle it.” Will I never in my life have the opportunity to taste the juicy pulp of a coconut and taste the taste of coconut milk?! But I don’t need much – just a little to try, that’s all!
What happened was that when the coconut was falling from the palm tree, it hit a stone and a crack formed in its shell. And then our Pik-Pik found this gap. But it was so narrow that he could not fit into it, no matter how hard he tried. Yes, unfortunately, it was exactly like that: the crack was small and narrow, and the mouse was big and plump. Now how can the poor mouse squeeze through the crack? But he is already thirsty and hungry.
And the mouse cried again. Well, how can he not cry: he no longer wants any other food - no flies, no worms, no grains, no roots. He only wants coconut! So he cried and cried, grieved and grieved, and became so thin that he became small, simply tiny. And since he became so tiny, he could easily squeeze through the crack that was in the coconut shell.
Come on little mouse, sing, dance and have fun! Your dream has come true, now you will enjoy the juicy pulp of a coconut and drink delicious milk. Come on baby, luck is on your side, it is smiling at you, let this holiday be yours.
Pik-Pik ate all the coconut pulp, drank all the coconut milk, curled up inside the nut and fell asleep. And when he woke up, he again turned into a large and well-fed mouse. “So,” thought Pik-Pik. “I’ve had a good meal, but how will I get out? The gap is so small, and I am so big.” He tried to gnaw the walls, break them, but all in vain - Pik-Pik seemed to be in prison. The mouse became sad, he realized that he had acted very badly:
- Woe is me! I deserve it. I got what I deserved! - he began to lament. “Woe, woe, woe is me!” He realized that he had to put aside all hopes for a quick deliverance from the misfortune that had befallen him. Pik-Pik cried and cried, grieved and grieved, and became so thin that he again turned into a small, thin mouse, slender as a stalk.
And since he became like this, he was able to get out of the nut shell. - Hurray! Hooray! Hooray! - Pik-Pik was happy. So come on, little mouse, have fun and dance, come on, little mouse, sing, don’t worry! After all, anything can be achieved if you really want it. Just remember forever: you shouldn’t take too much. Enjoy life, little mouse Pik-Pik, today is your holiday! His dreams came true, so let yours come true too. Three apples fell from the sky: one for the one who listened, another for the one who told the story, and a third for the one who reeled it all in.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru