A Very Brave Mouse
Against Cat sat a Council of Mice.
Every Mouse came out prompt with advice,
And a bell on Cat's throat
Would have met a round vote,
Had the bell-hanger not been so nice.
~~~~
As the council concluded, suddenly a very small voice rose up from the back.
"I'll get the cat to wear the bell, for the cat and I are friends" said this small mouse "See, the cat doesn't eat me because I am so small, my meat is not even worth it."
The whole council stared in shock. The small mouse began to explain how he and the cat were actually friends, and regularly conversed. The council debated about how they could let such a small mouse take such a big responsibility. The debate went on for some time, but then the council decided that he was their best, and really only, option to getting the cat to wear the bell. So, after deciding this, they entrusted the bell to him. The mouse was excited to have an opportunity to prove himself.
Picture from the fable "Belling the Cat"
Source: Wikipedia
After receiving the bell, the mouse had to think of a way to convince the cat to wear the bell. He knew that the cat would not wear it if it knew the mouse's original intentions, to make sure that all of the mice could hear the cat coming. So he had to think of a different way to reason with the cat, to convince the cat that there was another motive.
The mouse decided the best way to get the cat to wear the bell is if he could convince the cat that it was the cat was special, and such a good friend, that he had found this bell and thought the cat would love it. He would give it as a present to the cat, which he was sure the cat would love.
Having the bell in his hand, he began to approach the cat like he always did. Cautiously, but not too worried because he would talk to the cat on a regular basis. The cat immediately noticed him approaching, and greeted him with excitement. As they conversed, the mouse explained how he had found the bell, and thought it was perfect for the cat.
At first, the cat was skeptical, but the longer the conversation went on, the more he imagined how pretty he would look with the bell. Eventually, the cat decided that he wanted the bell, and the mouse fixed it around his neck. Now, the cat could be heard walking around at all times day or night, and through this the little mouse had saved the lives of many mice.
Bibliography: This story is based on a "Belling the Cat" from The Aesop for Children, written by Aesop, published in 2006. Link
Don't forget to include an authors, note. I chose a different section for my reading, so I know nothing about the original story. Was the limerick something you came up with yourself, or was that from the original story?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I really like this story. You kept it short, sweet, and simple. The start nicely leads into the story. We don't need to know a whole lot of details about the setting other than it's a court room, so this really works for a simple tale.
One thing I might like to know is how did the cat and the mouse become friends? You mention that the cat doesn't want to eat a mouse so small, but how did they meet?
I also like how you make the cat suspicious at first, but you never tell us what the mouse said to deter suspicions, only that the cat starts to believe the mouse as the conversation goes on.
Really nice story on the whole, just fill in a few more details. The reader often gets more invested when they know more about the characters or story.
Hi Mac! Your story is so good. The great thing is that you made the mouse and the cat become friends which we never heard before and as everybody knows how the cat always wants to eat the mouse and they never become friends. I liked your idea of making the mouse smart enough to convince the cat to wear the bell, so the little mouse had saved the lives of many mice.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I like the story you chose! It was short and sweet and had a lot of potential for storytelling. I actually laughed in the first paragraph when you mentioned the reason as to why the cat and the mouse were friends.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite stories are when two unlikely characters become friends. These stories tend to have a good moral to it. Your story took a slightly different course and I liked that I didn't know what exactly would happen.
I also thought the idea of the smallest mouse being the most valuable to the entire council was a good idea! You can never discount a character because of their size.
One of the things I would like to know is the backstory of how the cat and the council came to be in the same area? If the mice knew there was a cat in the area, it might have been safer for everyone involved if they moved or figured out a way to get rid of the cat.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading your story!
I really love that you continued on this story! I also read Aesop's tale and wondered what would happen if they actually did try to bell the cat and you gave me a great answer!
ReplyDeleteYour story made me wonder how the mouse and the cat became friends. It might be cool to hear more of their odd backstory. I also wondered how the little mouse felt about his friend terrorizing the other mice before the solution of the bell came about. Maybe it was even this little mouse that suggested the council to reconcile his friend and the mice!
I would love to hear your author's note for this story to know why you chose the story and why you decided to write it the way you did. I always enjoy hearing about people's creative processes.
Overall, I really enjoyed your story and I cannot wait to read more of your works in the future!
I absolutely love that you chose this story! In my elementary school, we had a painting of Aesop telling his fables. In the corner, there was a gang of tiny mice next to a cheerful looking cat. How fun to have a little element of my childhood fleshed out!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that you included the original limerick in order to set the scene! It set a great tone for the rest of the story. I would love to read an expanded version of this story that touches on a few of the plot elements that weren't as fleshed out. For example: Why was the small mouse hesitantly trusted? How did the small mouse and cat go from being just non-violent to being friends? How did the small mouse change the cat's mind when it was skeptical? However, it is a sign of a good writer that your readers are intrigued and interested in learning even more about your thoughts! On that note, don't forget to include an author's note! It's so cool to get an inside look into the writing process and the thoughts and details that go into each individual's work.
I had never read “Belling the Cat” before so it was very interesting to read your story. I really liked the part where it said the cat and a mouse were friends. They are such an unlikely pair and I love seeing them get along. Everyone always puts the out to be enemies but that doesn’t always have to be the case. I wonder why the council was meeting in the first place. It is easy to infer that the cat was dangerous and that’s why they want him to wear the bell. However, I wonder if there was an exact incident that brought them to this conclusion. I wish I knew a little background information on the cat council. Overall really cute story, and I liked that you kept it short and sweet. You were able to get your point across really quickly and I think you did a great job of that!
ReplyDeleteMac,
ReplyDelete"Belling the Cat" is story I have never ever heard anything about, so it was great getting to read your story! You did a really good job of piecing this story together for this storytelling assignment. It was very well written and an very easy read. You kept it extremely interesting throughout the whole duration of the story. There were many enjoyable moments in this story, but one that stuck out to me the most is the reasoning behind why the cat and the mouse were friends to begin with. The questions I have to ask are how did the mouse and the cat become such good friends, in which most time the cat and the mouse are suppose to be enemies? Also, what was it that allowed the mouse to convince the cat from not being so skeptical? The fact that you are making me ask questions for the story is a product of being a good writer. Also, do not forget to include an Author's Note for the Storytelling Assignment, it would help for those, such as me, who have not read the original source. Anyways, good job with the story!
Great job on expanding your story! It was a very interesting twist that the cat and mouse where friends. In a way I was almost upset with the mouse though. He double crossed his cat friends to help out the other mice. It would be interesting if to find out what would happen if the mouse told the truth. Maybe they could of made a deal that the cat wouldn't eat his mice friends? Just a thought, if you wanted to try something different in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe picture you choose really goes well with the story. It did a great job of adding images to my head as the story was being told. Choosing a good picture can really help the reader, specially if they are not familiar with the story. Putting the picture towards the beginning and the middle I also believe helps. Oppose to at the end when the story has already been read.
You blog is also well organized and an easy read. The font and colors go well together. Nice job! I look forward to keeping up with your blog.
-Ashlie
I really like your story and the way you spun it off of a nursery rhyme. It is cool to see how you thought about the nursery rhyme because I feel like those can be interpreted so differently. I really like how you started the story because it grabbed my attention right away. At the end I was honestly a little conflicted with how I felt about the mouse. He betrayed his friend the cat but it was because he wanted to help out his own kind. That is a tough place to be in and I think it can be a common scenario for people today. Sometimes it can feel impossible to please everyone. I think we are supposed to include an author's note. Great story though!
ReplyDeleteHey Mac,
ReplyDeleteI think this story is really cute! (Sorry if you don't like that description, but mice are cute! :) haha)
You did well with the flow of the story, introducing the main character at the very beginning, establishing the setting, and keeping the action going. The paragraphs were also nicely spaced, so it was easy to read and flowed well.
I also thought the picture fell in just the right spot. I like that you established the setting with your writing before showing the picture; that way, the reader can imagine it before seeing an image. But the image was still relevant where you placed it, which made it the perfect spot.
Was the nursery rhyme the only original story for this rhyme/fable? I'm just wondering if your ending of the story was different, or if it was similar to a different version of the story. It looks like in the rhyme, that the mouse was too nice and didn't give the cat the bell to wear, in which case, I always think it's fun to twist the endings!