The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

 Author: Aesop

A Town Mouse once paid a visit to a rural cousin. The Country Mouse offered wheat stalks, roots, and acorns for lunch, along with a dash of cold water. The Town Mouse ate sparingly, nibbling a bit of this and a little of that and making it clear by her demeanor that she ate the basic food simply to be nice.

The pals had a long conversation after the lunch, or rather the Town Mouse chatted about her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. They then went to bed in a warm hedgerow nest and slept in peace and pleasure till dawn.

The Country Mouse dreamed in her sleep that she was a Town Mouse, complete with all the comforts and delights of city life as described by her buddy. So, when the Town Mouse requested the Country Mouse to accompany her to the city the next day, she cheerfully agreed.

When they arrived at the Town Mouse's mansion, they discovered the remains of a very beautiful meal on the table in the dining room. There were sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delectable cheeses, and everything else a Mouse could want. But just as the Country Mouse was ready to munch on a meal, she heard a loud mew and scrape at the door. The Mice fled to a hiding hole, where they remained still for a long time, barely daring to breathe. When they finally returned to the feast, the gate unpredictably unlocked, and in came the servants to tidy up the table, then immediately came the House Dog.

The Country Mouse just paused at the Town Mouse's lair to get her carpet bag and umbrella.

"You may have riches that I don't possess," she rushed away, "but I love my simple meal and plain way of life in a rural area with its quiet and safety."

Moral

Poverty with security is preferable to abundance in the face of dread and uncertainty.