Traditional | Middle East
The Mouse and the Weasel
A Weasel tricks a Mouse into stealing sesame seeds, but the Mouse gets caught and faces the consequences.
Once upon a time, in a small village, a Mouse and a Weasel lived in the home of a farmer. One day, the farmer’s friend fell ill, and the doctor recommended sesame seeds to help him recover. The farmer got some sesame seeds from another friend and asked his wife to prepare them.
The farmer’s wife soaked and peeled the sesame seeds, laying them out to dry. The Weasel, unable to resist the sight of the seeds, began taking them to his den little by little throughout the day. Soon, most of the sesame seeds were gone.
Noticing the missing seeds, the farmer’s wife decided to keep an eye on the drying spot. As she watched quietly, she saw the Weasel coming out to take more seeds. When he noticed her watching, he realized he might be in trouble and thought, “I need to show that I am not a thief.” So, he began bringing the sesame seeds back from his den to the drying spot.
The farmer’s wife, seeing this, thought, “This Weasel must not be the thief; he is returning the seeds. He seems to be helping.” However, she continued watching to find out who the real thief was.
The Weasel, determined to clear his name, approached the Mouse. “Dear neighbor,” he said, “we should always help each other, right?”
The Mouse agreed happily, twitching her whiskers. The Weasel then told her about the sesame seeds. “Everyone has had their share. You should have some too; you deserve it more than anyone else!”
Excited and trusting the Weasel, the Mouse quickly came out of her hole after he left. She saw the spread of white sesame seeds and the farmer’s wife sitting nearby with a stick in hand. Overcome with excitement and not thinking of the consequences, the Mouse ran forward to eat the seeds.
At that moment, the farmer’s wife caught the Mouse in the act and quickly stopped her with a swing of her stick. The careless Mouse was caught, while the cunning Weasel escaped suspicion. The Mouse then realized that she should have been wary of the Weasel, who had manipulated the situation for his own benefit, and that her carelessness had led to trouble.
