Imaginative Belling the Cat – An Aesop’s Fable ‘Order! Order!’ cried the stern little brown mouse, banging his gavel ruthlessly on the bench and glaring at the crowd be<strong>for</strong>e him. ‘This meeting will now come to order.’ He waited <strong>for</strong> silence. ‘Thank you all <strong>for</strong> attending. We gather tonight to discuss a very important matter: what we can do to outwit our common enemy … the c-a-t.’ The little mouse’s voice dropped to a hushed whisper as he spelled out the name of their foe. Young mice in the crowd whimpered at the letters and mothers clutched them to their sides. ‘For many months now,’ his voice again dropped to a whisper, ‘the c-a-t has persistently terrorised our community.’ Here, his voice rose again. ‘Only last week, old Bobby Jenkins disappeared on his daily walk and yesterday, Minnie DeSouta was lucky to escape with only a hurt tail as she travelled home from the market.’ The assembled mice nodded their heads, their mouths wrinkled in horror and disgust. ‘We must do something to stop this ghastly beast, or we’ll all vanish!’ A large, grey rodent with a rather enormous, lumpy head lumbered to his feet. ‘It’s not so much that we can’t outrun the beast when we hear it a-coming,’ he cried in a thick northern accent, ‘It’s just that we can never hear it a-coming.’ Vibrations from the stamping of feet could be felt as the assembled mice made known their agreement. ‘So,’ the grey mouse continued, ‘I think the question is: How do we make it so we know that the c-a-t is near?’ All movement abruptly ceased and the room went deathly silent as the mice considered how such a deed could be conducted. A young lavender mouse tentatively raised her hand, unsure of her idea. ‘Mrs Lavender,’ the adjudicator acknowledged. ‘Well,’ Mrs Lavender began in a hesitant, squeaky voice, ‘what if we post lookouts on every street corner and as soon as someone sees the ca-,’ she caught and corrected herself, ‘as soon as someone sees the animal, they can run and ring the fire alarm and everyone will know to hide.’ This idea was met with a few ‘mmms’ of agreement; however, the arbitrator raised his paw <strong>for</strong> silence. ‘Well Mrs Lavender, wouldn’t the animal know we have seen it and use the opportunity to pounce?’ A murmur of agreement met this query, and Mrs Lavender looked down, a little shamefaced. ‘Oh, I know,’ cried a young, handsome mouse with dark, silky fur, ‘We could just tie a bell around the creature’s neck and that way we will hear it coming. And,’ he continued, ‘it won’t know we can hear it because it will become accustomed to the bell. It’s a brilliant suggestion,’ he finished rather smugly. Chatter filled with excitement rose through the room, and soon the assembled mice were giving the idea a standing ovation. Once silence was regained, a grizzled old mouse with shrivelled whiskers and a missing eye slowly and painfully climbed to his feet. A hush immediately descended, <strong>for</strong> this was Lieutenant Stilton, an experienced military mouse who was well respected within the community. He cleared his throat and began to speak. ‘Friends,’ he croaked in a high, thin voice, ‘we have heard a number of suggestions here tonight as to how to end our plight and one idea, in particular, seems popular,’ he nodded at the silky dark mouse be<strong>for</strong>e continuing. ‘However, let me pose this small quandry be<strong>for</strong>e we adopt this seemingly brilliant idea. Who,’ and here he stopped to eyeball each of the mice in turn, ‘who,’ he repeated, ‘volunteers to put the bell on the cat?’ When no one came <strong>for</strong>ward, he continued in his thin voice. ‘It’s very easy to say what should be done, but it’s another thing entirely to do it.’ 34 <strong>Reading</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Me</strong> <strong>Level</strong> 6 (<strong>Part</strong> A) 978-1-922843-65-4 R.I.C. Publications ® Prim-Ed Publishing
Questions 1 What is the problem that the mice are meeting to discuss? 2 How many solutions are proposed throughout the meeting? 3 How would Lieutenant Stilton’s military experience have helped him when listening to the young mouse’s proposal? 4 Why do you think the young, silky mouse was smug about his idea? 5 What message is Aesop giving here about people who propose ideas? 6 Which two words both mean ‘someone appointed to settle a dispute’? R.I.C. Publications ® Prim-Ed Publishing <strong>Reading</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Me</strong> <strong>Level</strong> 6 (<strong>Part</strong> A) 978-1-922843-65-4 35
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