~ 88. The Cat and the Mouse in the Beer ~

Laura Gibbs · 88. The Cat and the Mouse in the Beer

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A mouse had fallen into a pot of beer.
"Help!" he squeaked. "I'm drowning!"
"What will you give me if I pull you out?" asked the cat.
"Anything you want!" shrieked the mouse.
"Promise that you'll come when I call," said the cat.
"I promise!" said the mouse.
So the cat rescued the mouse.
A few days later, the cat was hungry, so he went to the mouse-hole and said, "Come out now, mouse! You promised!"
"That promise doesn't count!" replied the mouse.
"What do you mean?" said the cat.
"I was drunk at the time," replied the mouse, laughing.

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Inspired by: Mille Fabulae et Una, a collection of Latin fables that I've edited, free to read online. I am not translating the Latin here; instead, I am just telling a 100-word version of the fable.
Notes: This is fable 202 in the book, which is Perry 615; the story is from Odo of Cheriton.