Tuesday (Young Mouse)

Read the story below: You will re-read this again Thursday and answer questions. 

The Young Mouse

Once upon a time there was a young mouse who had never left his mother’s side. One day the young mouse went outside for a walk to explore. But it was not long until he came running back to his mother.

“Mother! Mother!” said the young mouse. “What a scare I have had! I was walking along when I saw two strange animals. One of them looked a lot like me. She had paws and a tail. She looked soft, and kind, and graceful.

“But the other one was a scary monster! You should have seen him! He had just two legs and scratched at the ground with his claws. He kept beating his arms. He was ugly, too. He had no fur, just feathers, and he had big red flaps hanging from his head and neck. But what
scared me the most was the awful sound he made. It sounded like cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The young mouse went on. “I wanted to say hello to the nice animal that looked like me. She was so lovely, and she looked so good and gentle. She had thick, glossy hair and a modest face. As she looked at me, she waved her fine, long tail and smiled. I think she was about to speak to me when the other animal let out his awful scream. I was so scared that I ran for my life. I didn’t even have time to smile back at the nice animal. It is such a shame. I would have liked to meet
that lovely animal.”

“My son,” said the mother, “the animal that scared you was a rooster. He may look and sound scary, but he would never harm you. The other animal that you saw was a cat. She may look good and gentle, but she is no pal of ours. She would gladly eat you and your mice pals. In fact, she would have eaten you if you had not run away. So be thankful, my son, that you escaped with your life. Stay close to me and remember that things are not always what they seem to be.”