Once upon a time, there were two mice who were cousins.
One mouse lived in a small, simple house in the country.
The other mouse lived in a large, stylish house in the city.
One day, the City Mouse went to visit his cousin in the country.
The Country Mouse was very happy to see the City Mouse.
He invited his cousin to stay for dinner.
The Country Mouse pulled two silver thimbles up to a spool of thread.
The thimbles and spool of thread became two chairs and a table.
He set the table with two acorn caps and a little birthday cake candle.
He served a simple meal.
They ate ripe peas and corn.
As they were eating, the City Mouse became less cheerful.
Suddenly he said, “Dear Cousin, however do you put up with such plain food?”
The Country Mouse was thoughtful for a moment.
Then he replied, “My apologies, Cousin, but this is what we eat most of the time in
the country.”
The City Mouse promptly invited the Country Mouse to come with him to the city.
“Just wait until you taste the wonderful foods we have in the city,” he said.
“I can assure you, you will not want to return to the country.”
So the City Mouse and Country Mouse set off.
They scampered through the fields and the neighborhoods and into the city.
They arrived late that evening.
The Country Mouse saw immediately that his cousin lived in a very grand house.
“Shhhh!” said the City Mouse as they entered the house through a little hole in the wall.
“We don’t want anyone to hear us!”
The City Mouse led the way as he dashed from room to room making sure no one was there.
Finally, feeling safe, he waved his arm and invited his country cousin into a large dining
room.
Once there, they ran up the leg of a huge dining table.
The remains of somebody’s magnificent feast still lay spread out on the table.
They had left behind their silverware, their crystal glasses, their napkins—and a lot
of their delicious food.
“This is how we eat every day in the city,” said the City Mouse.
The Country Mouse could hardly believe it.
There was so much fancy food!
There were bunches of fresh green grapes left behind.
There were even slices of a delicious chocolate cake with luscious icing!
There was more food than the Country Mouse had ever seen before.
The two mice got busy, nibbling away.
“Delicious,” munched the Country Mouse.
“I have never eaten such fine food.”
Then both mice stopped in the middle of a bite.
They heard loud growls, snarls, and hisses nearby.
“Quick!
Follow me!”
yelled the City Mouse.
He scampered to the floor, with his cousin right behind him.
At that very moment, an angry-looking cat raced into the dining room.
The two mice ran for their lives!
They escaped just in time, dashing through a small hole in the wall.
“Whew!
That was close,” said the City Mouse.
“We’ll wait here until they leave, and then we can finish our meal.”
But the Country Mouse was so frightened, he couldn’t reply.
He had never been in such danger before.
He thought about his simple house in the country.
He realized how much better he liked it there.
He decided that it was time to go home.
The Country Mouse did not even say goodbye to his cousin.
He picked up his belongings and scampered out of the city house.
He ran all the way home to the country, where he felt safe and happy.
So, the moral of the story is: There’s no place like home.