How the Mountain Mouse and the City Mouse Visited Each Other

Once upon a time, a mountain mouse went out for a stroll and met a city mouse on the road. The mice struck up a conversation and took an instant liking to each other. From that day on, they became the closest of friends.

One day, the mountain mouse said to the city mouse:

"Dear sister, you must be tired of all the city delicacies. Come with me, and I'll treat you to something wonderful! You'll taste fresh, juicy fruits!"

The city mouse was delighted and, without hesitation, agreed. The mountain mouse led her friend to her burrow, fetched some peanuts, sweet potatoes, and various berries from her pantry, and began to treat her guest. She pleased the city mouse so much that the latter immediately invited the mountain mouse to come and try some bacon, sugar, and cookies. The mountain mouse was overjoyed at the chance to taste such expensive treats.

The next day, the mountain mouse set off on her journey. Her friend lived in the basement of a shop, where there was always plenty of delicious food. The mice chatted about this and that, climbed out of the basement, nibbled on some bacon, and chewed on some sugar. The mountain mouse ate to her heart's content. Suddenly, she noticed a large clay vat in the corner.

"Sister, oh sister," she called out to her friend, "what's in that vat?"

"In the vat? Butter. Delicious, fatty butter, but you can't drink too much of it. Try it if you like!"

The mountain mouse was already full to the brim, but how could she resist tasting the butter? She asked her friend to hold her firmly by the tail with her teeth, and she climbed into the vat. The butter was yellow and transparent, and the bottom of the vat was clearly visible.

The mouse hung by her own tail, as if on a rope, and drank the butter. After drinking her fill, she asked her friend again:

"Pull me up! I can't drink any more butter!" The city mouse pulled her out and said:

"Let's get out of here, sister, while we still can. There's a black cat roaming nearby!"

"Don't worry," replied the mountain mouse, "I really want to drink more butter! I've taken a liking to it!"

After catching her breath, she climbed back into the vat. The city mouse sat on the edge of the vat, holding her friend's tail.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a huge black cat appeared on the threshold. The city mouse screamed:

"Oh, sister, come out quickly!" and let go of her friend's tail.

"Plop!" The mountain mouse fell into the butter. She couldn't swim out—she had become too heavy. And so, she drowned.

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How the Mountain Mouse and the City Mouse Visited Each Other

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