There was a cat who said to a mouse, “You are so adorable, I really like you. Why don’t you move in with me?”
The mouse was initially skeptical because it knew that cats eat mice.
But the cat kept saying this every day, showering the mouse with praise, until finally the mouse believed and moved in with the cat.
As winter approached, the mouse said, “We need to prepare food for the winter, or else we’ll have nothing to eat.”
After discussing it, they decided to pool their resources and buy a jar of lard as their winter food.
Worried that the lard might be stolen, they placed it beneath the altar in the church, knowing that no one dared to steal from the church.
They agreed that they would only eat the jar of lard when they couldn’t find any other food during winter.
However, the cat couldn’t resist for long and soon wanted to eat the lard.
It sneaked into the church, opened the jar of lard, and licked off the top layer of lard.
When the cat returned home, the mouse asked where it had been.
The cat replied, “I went to visit my cousin, she just had a baby.”
The mouse exclaimed, “That’s wonderful news! What did they name the baby?”
The cat said, “They named him ‘No Top Layer’!”
The mouse thought to itself that it was a strange name, but didn’t say anything.
A few days later, the cat desired the lard again, so it sneaked back into the church and ate half of the remaining lard.
Satisfied, the cat returned home. When the mouse asked where it had been this time, the cat said, “I went to visit my friend, she had a baby too.”
Curious, the mouse asked, “And what did they name the baby this time?”
The cat replied, “They named him ‘No Half’!”
The mouse couldn’t help but wonder why the cat’s friends chose such odd names, but it didn’t say anything.
Soon enough, the cat desired the lard again.
This time, it consumed the remaining half of the lard, licking the bottom of the jar clean until not a drop was left.
Satisfied, the cat returned home.
Once again, the mouse asked, “Where did you go this time?”
The cat replied, “Another acquaintance had a baby, so I went to pay a visit.”
Curious, the mouse asked, “What did they name the baby this time?”
The cat said, “They named him ‘All Gone’.”
The mouse couldn’t help but think that each name was stranger than the last.
As winter arrived, unsurprisingly, the cat and the mouse couldn’t find any food.
The mouse exclaimed, “Finally, our jar of lard will come in handy. Let’s go and eat!”
They arrived at the church, opened the jar of lard, only to find it completely empty, not a drop of lard remaining.
Suddenly, the mouse had an epiphany.
It said, “I understand now. Your stories about people having babies were all lies. You first ate the top layer, then half, and then…”
Before the mouse could finish its sentence, the cat roared, “Shut up! Keep talking and you’ll be eaten too!”
But the mouse couldn’t stop itself and blurted out, “Then all gone…”
Before it could finish its words, the cat pounced on the mouse and devoured it!
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