The Cat and the Mice

A cat lay down and played dead, mouth wide open, flies going in and out.
When a mouse saw the dead cat, he ran to tell his fellow mice, "The cat is dead!"
The mice then organized a party, dancing around the cat. "Happy day, joyful day, today the cat is dead!" As they danced, they whipped the cat with their tails. 
When the mouse-king approached the dead cat to whip her, the cat pounced, grabbed him, carried him off, and ate him.
The other mice scurried away.
Now mice do not trust a cat, not even a dead one.


Inspired by: "The Cat and The Mouse" in Hausa Tales and Traditions, volume 1, by Neil Skinner, 1969.
Notes: You can read the original story online.


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