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City Mouse And Village Mouse - Shamoli Sarkar Shamoli Sarkar practises Sahaja Yoga. She claims that God has filled her life with beautiful people, melodious sounds and happy colours. She spends her day with the best people, i.e. students - She teaches English Language and Literature to the undergraduates in a college in Lucknow. She enjoys writing short stories and poems. She has done her Masters in Indian Classical Vocal Music but prefers singing light Indian Music. She loves to paint with oil on canvas.

A city mouse had friendship with a village mouse. One day the village mouse thought, "I have not seen my friend for a long time. It would be nice if I once go to see him. But then he thought, "I do not know the way to the city. How can I go there? It will be better if I write a letter to my friend in the city and ask him to come to village." Thinking this the village mouse wrote, "Friend, I have not seen you for a long time. As soon as you receive my letter come over to the village. Please come. You must come."

After writing the letter he got worried, "Oh! God. How am I going to post it?" The village mouse lived in the cowshed of a villager. There was a tree in the courtyard of the villager. A Bulbul lived in that tree. The mouse was very friendly to the Bulbul.

The mouse went under the tree and called, "Bulbul, Brother Bulbul."

The Bulbul said, "How are you brother mouse?"

The mouse said, "Would you do me a favour? I am in great trouble. Would you give this letter to my friend in the city?"

Bulbul said, "Sure, I will fly just now. Where is the letter?"

The mouse gave his letter to him. The Bulbul held the letter in his beak and flew he off to the city.

The village mouse got busy in arranging for the food for his city friend who would come soon. In village good food is not available, as it is available in the city. The village mouse started collecting and storing whatever good food he came across. He collected many types of pulses, corn, two - three pieces of stale sweets, a few nuts and many such things for the whole night.

The next day in the afternoon Bulbul returned. The village mouse said, "Bulbul brother, what is the news?"

The Bulbul said, "I delivered your letter. Your friend will come tonight."

The village mouse became very happy and started giving the finishing touch to the arrangement, for welcoming his friend. At eight or nine in the evening the city mouse reached the village mouse’s house. "Welcome, Welcome. Meeting you after such a long time." said the village mouse and offered his friend a low wooden stool to sit. Both friends talked for a long time. Then the village mouse said, "Let me serve you food. It is getting late." The village mouse served all the food that he had collected for his friend. Seeing the food the city mouse became perturbed. He nibbled a little of this thing and a little of that thing. The village mouse felt sorry and said, "In village no good food is available. I know you will not like this food. In city you eat such good food. Please bear with me for one day. Why aren’t you eating anything? Please eat this sweet."

Unwillingly, just to please his friend, the city mouse took a piece of sweet and while eating it said, "I can not imagine how you spend your days in this village. Neither do you get good food here, nor do you have theater, good road and vehicles. There is no ice cream, no radio, not even a gramophone. Can you tell me how you live here? I would not have lived here for a single day."

The village mouse said, "You are not wrong. But you know I am accustomed to this place. I have no trouble living here."

The city mouse said, "Why don’t you come with me to the city? You will see what great fun we have there. You would not like to return to village."

For many days the village mouse was looking for an opportunity to go to city, he quickly agreed to his friend’s invitation. The next day in the evening both friends left the village for city. It was about 1 A.M. when they reached the city. The city mouse lived in a big palatial house. It had marble flooring; the house was spick and span, colourful pictures and huge mirrors hung on the walls. The city mouse took his friend from this room to that room and said, "How do you feel friend?" "Wonderful!" said the village mouse.

Then the city mouse took his friend to the dining room and made him sit on a cushioned dining chair. The village mouse saw many types of eatables lying on the table - that evening, a party was held in the house so the left over was lying on the table. The village mouse had never seen so many types of eatables. Right from chops, cutlets to ice cream and sweets, nothing was missing.

One by one the city mouse offered everything lying on the table to his friend. He sat beside his village friend and said, "Now start eating." The village mouse did not know what to eat. He was stunned to see the entire foodstuff. He controlled himself soon and pretended as if he had eaten all this many times before. The city mouse kept on serving him more and more food.

They had almost finished their eating when the front door opened with a clicking sound. Three or four men with a dog entered the room. They had returned after watching a film. Seeing them both mice ran, out of fear. But where could they go? There was no burrow or hole near by, where they could hide. Seeing the mice the dog started barking. There was a couch in front of them. To save themselves they hid under the couch. They were now shivering out of fear. Their hearts were still beating fast. The dog at interval would bark and both friends kept trembling. They remained in that condition hidden under couch for a long time and then the people left the room and with them went the dog. When there was no sound audible in the room, the village mouse peeped out to see if there was any danger in the room. When he was sure that there was no one in the room, he whispered into the ear of the city mouse, "Friend, it is more comfortable to live in the cowshed, feeding on pulses and stale food than to live in a palace, eat lavishly and remain frightened all the time here. Farewell friend, you stay here with the goodness of your city. I am a village mouse; I am returning to my village."

Acknowledgement:
* Grolier Encyclopedia
* Office 2000 Clip Art

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