The Lion and The Mouse

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Retold from Aesop by Rohini Chowdhury

Retold by Chae, Akira and Amanda for LIS 402 Group Project

One day there was your  typical big, scary and powerful lion taking a nice long nap in his cave when, out of nowhere, a pesky little mouse started bugging him and playing with his tail. The lion woke up, enraged "Who do you think you are little mouse?! I am the most powerful animal in all the kingdom and you think you can just mess with my tail while I nap!? I don't think so. I'm gonna eat you!"

The little mouse, in a brief moment of insight said "No, please sir, please don't eat me, you never know... one day I might be able to help you! Let me go and I will promise to save your life one day?"

The lion chuckled. "You?! Save me?! The most powerful animal in the whole world?! You are nothing but a tiny mouse with no power or strength, how could that possibly ever happen? Either way, you have made me laugh by even thinking you could try so I will let you go for now."

"Thank you, your majesty!" squeaked the little mouse as he scurried away as fast as possible.

A couple days later, the lion was wandering through the forest and accidentally got caught in a hunter's snare. Despite trying and trying, the mighty beast could not break free from the rope and only managed to become more tangled and angrier as he struggled more.

The mouse, who wasn't too far away, heard the Lion's growls of anger and went to investigate. Upon finding the great beast entangled, the mouse squeaked "have no fear Lion! I will have you free in no time!" and began to nibble on the ropes which had ensnared the Lion. After a short time, the Lion was free and said humbly to the Mouse " I didn't believe you could be of much use to me Mouse, but today you saved my life. Thank you." The Mouse simply replied that it was his turn to save the lion and left it at that.

Chowdhury R. (N.D). The lion and the mouse. Retrieved from http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_fables_lionmouse.html
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This is our re-telling of the fable of the Lion and the Mouse as we feel that, with very little alteration, this fable applies directly to our topic of disabilities and storytelling. The moral included in the version we found online perhaps best reflects why we chose this story to illustrate our topic. So while we would not include it in a telling out loud, we feel it would be of value in these circumstances. The moral reads: "Even the weak and small may be of help to those much mightier than themselves." From our research and experiences, we have discovered that storytelling to people with disabilities is all about expectation.

From this story it becomes evident that when one is given the chance to excel, they are able to show the people around them that they are capable. This is where we want our readers to challenge their perspectives on disabilities and look in a new light at the idea that everyone is capable in different ways when they are given the opportunity to succeed. For the most part, you just need to tell your story as if your speaking to a regular audience. Unlike the lion does to the mouse, try not to underestimate the abilities of your audience.