In a small house on the river bank there lived a little mouse. One day, while walking through the forest, she found a coin. “What could I buy with it?” – she thought for a long time and finally decided to buy a ribbon. The little mouse went to the rabbit's shop and chose a beautiful pink ribbon. In the evening, having put on the most beautiful dress and tied a ribbon, she invited her rooster neighbor to tea. When he saw how beautiful his little neighbor was in her new outfit, the rooster decided to marry her. But the mouse did not like his loud, shrill voice, and she refused the groom. Having escorted the cockerel home, she sat down by the window. At this time, a duckling and a donkey passed by her house. Seeing the charming hostess, they fell madly in love with her and immediately both offered her their hand and heart. “First I want to hear your voices,” said the picky mouse. The duckling began to quack, and the donkey sharply shouted: “Eeyore!” The mouse covered its ears in horror. “Get away now!” – she shouted and slammed the window in front of the unlucky suitors.
The mouse went to bed, but she couldn’t sleep and for some reason was very sad. Upset, she sat down on the porch and saw a dog passing by.
“How good you are, little mouse. Marry me!”
“But I would like to hear your voice first.”
“Oh, it’s not difficult at all,” said the dog and barked loudly.
“How rude your voice is. “I will never agree to become your wife,” said the mouse.
The next day she went shopping in the city and met a cat on the way. “Oh, how I dream of such a wife! Finally I met you, little beauty. Do you agree to make me happy? Listening to his soft, insinuating voice, the mouse, dumb with happiness, said: “Yes.” It was a wonderful wedding, and there was no happier bride in the world! But in the evening the cat got hungry and rushed at his bride, trying to swallow her.
Fortunately, the mouse managed to escape from the tenacious cat's claws. In a torn wedding dress, sobbing, she sat on a log, cursing her excessive pickiness. Only now did she understand how appearances and voices could be deceiving.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru