THE MOUSE.

#Indian Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, there was a little mouse who was super hungry! He decided to go to a garden to find something yummy to eat.

A tiny, brown mouse with a long tail is caught in a thorny fence surrounding a lush garden filled with colorful fruits (ripe red tomatoes, plump purple eggplants), vegetables (crisp green lettuce, earthy brown potatoes), and grains (golden wheat stalks bending in the breeze). Thorns are visibly stuck in his tail, drawing a tiny bead of blood. Watercolor style, soft morning lighting casting long shadows across the garden. Use a warm, vibrant color palette emphasizing reds, greens, and yellows. Focus on the distressed expression of the mouse and the sharp, spiky texture of the thorns. The fence is weathered wood, partially covered in ivy. A few stray butterflies flutter nearby.

In the garden, there were lots of grains, fruits, cabbages, and other yummy vegetables growing. But the people who owned the garden had put up a prickly fence all around it, made of thorny bushes, to keep animals out. The little mouse squeezed through the thorny fence, but ouch! Big thorns poked his tail, and he started to cry.

He wiggled back out of the garden through the fence and, on his way home, he bumped into a barber.

A weary barber with a striped apron (faded red and white) stands in his shop, holding a straight razor (gleaming steel under the dim light) near a distraught, tailless mouse who trembles on a stack of old newspapers. Various barber tools are visible in the background: rusty scissors, a cracked shaving mug, a leather strop hanging from a hook. Watercolor style, muted colors dominated by browns, greys, and a touch of faded yellow. Dust motes dance in the single ray of sunlight filtering through a grimy window. The floor is wooden, worn smooth by years of footsteps. Focus on the tension in the mouse’s posture and the barber’s tired eyes. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old cologne and sawdust.

“Please, Mr. Barber, can you take these thorns out of my tail?” the mouse asked.

“Hmm, I can’t take them out without cutting off your tail with my razor,” said the barber.

“Okay, okay! Just cut off my tail!” said the mouse.

So, the barber cut off the mouse’s tail. The mouse was so mad! He grabbed the razor and zoomed away with it! The poor barber was very sad and started to cry because he didn’t have any money to buy a new one.

The mouse ran and ran until he came to a new place. In this place, they didn’t have any knives or special tools to cut the grass. The mouse saw a man pulling the grass out of the ground with his bare hands.

A field worker, wearing simple clothes (a patched burlap shirt and linen trousers), is gifted a straight razor (wrapped in a clean cloth) by a brown mouse standing on its hind legs. They stand in a grassy field under a bright midday sun, casting strong shadows. Watercolor style, pastoral scenery with rolling hills in the distance and a clear blue sky with fluffy white clouds. Use a bright, cheerful color palette featuring greens, blues, and yellows. Focus on the worker’s surprised and grateful expression and the mouse’s earnest demeanor. Wind gently rustles the grass. A few wildflowers dot the field.

“You’ll hurt your hands!” the mouse said.

“But there are no knives here,” said the man. “So, I have to pull the grass up this way.”

“Here, you can use my razor!” said the mouse.

“But what if it breaks? I couldn’t buy you a new one,” said the man.

“Don’t worry if it breaks! I’m giving it to you as a present!” said the mouse.

So, the man took the razor and started cutting the grass. But as he was cutting, SNAP! The razor broke!

The brown mouse angrily snatches a woven blanket (rough wool, patched with different colored fabrics) from the same field worker, who is now looking sadly at a broken razor (fragments of steel and handle scattered on the ground). Watercolor style, with an emphasis on the emotions of the characters. Use a desaturated color palette with muted greens and browns to convey sadness and despair. The setting is the same grassy field, but the sky is overcast and grey. Focus on the field worker’s slumped posture and the mouse’s furious scowl. The broken razor lies amidst trampled grass and wilting wildflowers. The air feels heavy and still.

“Oh no! Why did you break my razor?!” cried the mouse.

“Didn’t I tell you it might break?” answered the man.

The mouse was so angry! He snatched up the man’s blanket and ran off with it. The grass-cutter started to cry. “Oh no! What will I do? The mouse took my blanket, and I don’t have money to buy a new one!” He went home feeling very sad.

Meanwhile, the mouse ran and ran until he came to another place. He saw a person selling grains, and he was chopping up sugar canes. But he didn’t have a blanket or cloth to put the canes on, so he chopped them on the ground, and they got all dirty.

The brown mouse offers a blanket (slightly worn, but clean) to a merchant chopping sugar cane on the ground. The sugar cane is slightly muddy, stained with the brown earth. Watercolor style, market stall setting bustling with activity in the background (people haggling, chickens squawking, colorful cloths displayed). Use a warm color palette with browns, ochres, and muted reds to capture the earthy atmosphere of the market. Focus on the merchant’s wary expression and the mouse’s tentative offering. The stall is made of rough-hewn wood and draped with colorful fabrics. The air is thick with the smells of spices, fruits, and freshly cut sugar cane.

“Why are you chopping your canes on the ground?” said the mouse. “They’re getting dirty!”

“What can I do?” answered the man. “I don’t have any money to buy a blanket to chop them on.”

“Well, why don’t you use mine?” said the mouse.

“If I used yours, it would get cut, and I don’t have money to buy you a new one,” said the grain seller.

“That’s okay! I don’t need another one!” said the mouse.

So, the man took the blanket and chopped the sugar canes. Of course, he cut holes in the blanket! When he was finished, he gave it back to the mouse.

The brown mouse, overflowing with anger, runs away with several sugar cane stalks (leaving a trail of mud and debris), leaving the distressed merchant behind, holding a blanket riddled with holes (evidence of gnawing). Watercolor style, dynamic action capturing the mouse’s furious escape. Use a contrasting color palette with dark browns and reds for the mouse and bright yellows and oranges for the distressed merchant to highlight the conflict. The market stall is now partially overturned, scattering fruits and vegetables. Focus on the mouse’s speed and the merchant’s bewildered expression. Dust billows in the air.

When the mouse saw all the holes in his blanket, he was super angry! He grabbed all the sugar canes and ran away as fast as he could. The grain seller started to cry. “Oh no! What will I do? I don’t have any more sugar canes!” He went home feeling very sad.

Then the mouse ran and ran until he came to another place. He stopped at a candy shop. Now, in this place, they didn’t have any salt or sugar! The candy maker made his candies with flour and butter, but without sugar or salt, so they tasted yucky!

A tiny, brown mouse presenting stalks of sugar cane to a candy maker in a simple shop. Jars of colorful, but bland-looking, candies (hard candies, lollipops) are displayed on wooden shelves. Watercolor style, warm lighting from a crackling fireplace casting flickering shadows on the walls. Use a soft, inviting color palette with warm yellows, oranges, and browns. The shop is small and cozy, with a wooden counter and a few stools. The candy maker is an elderly woman with a kind face and flour-dusted apron. The air is sweet with the scent of sugar and spice.

“Will you give me some candy for a tiny bit of money?” the mouse asked the candy maker. “Yes,” answered the man, and he gave him one. The mouse tasted it and thought it was really yucky!

“Ew! There’s no sugar in it!” exclaimed the mouse.

“No,” said the man. “We don’t have any sugar in this place. The few sugar canes we have are so expensive that poor people like me can’t buy them.”

“Then take my sugar canes!” cried the mouse.

“No,” said the man. “I don’t have any money to pay you for them! And I would use them all to make candies!”

“Just take them!” said the mouse. “I’m giving them to you!”

The candy maker took them and started making all kinds of candies. He used all the sugar canes!

“Why did you use all my sugar canes?!” cried the mouse.

“Didn’t I tell you I would?” said the man.

“You’re a thief!” cried the mouse, and he knocked the candy maker down, grabbed all the candies, and ran off with them!

“Oh no! What will I do now?” cried the candy maker. “I don’t have any money to buy flour and butter to make more candies! And if I argue with the mouse, he might hurt me!”

Meanwhile, the mouse ran and ran until he came to a place where the king had lots and lots of cows - hundreds of them! The mouse stopped where the cows were eating grass. Now, the cow herders were very poor. They couldn’t buy fresh bread every day, and sometimes they had to eat bread that was days and days old! When the mouse arrived, the cowherds were eating their old, hard, and moldy bread.

“Why are you eating that old bread?” said the mouse.

“Because we don’t have money to buy any other bread,” answered the cowherds.

“Look at all these candies!” said the mouse. “Take them and eat them instead of that old bread!”

“But if we eat them, we have to pay you for them, and we don’t have any money!” said the cowherds.

“Oh, don’t worry about the money!” said the mouse.

So, the cowherds took the candies and ate them all up! The mouse was furious! He grabbed a stick and stuck it in the ground. Then, he ran and got some ropes and tied the cowherds to the stick, hand and foot. Then he took all the cows and ran away with them!

The brown mouse, now covered in candies (sticky residue clinging to his fur), leading a string of cows (each with a unique marking) through a vibrant green pasture, while behind him, several men (dressed in regal attire) are tied to a post (roughly hewn wood). Watercolor style, rolling hills backdrop dotted with wildflowers under a clear blue sky. Use a vibrant color palette with greens, blues, and touches of red and gold. Focus on the contrast between the carefree cows, the candy-covered mouse, and the helpless men. A gentle breeze rustles the grass. A sense of surreal absurdity permeates the scene.

He ran and ran until he got to a place where there were no chickens, no cows, no buffaloes, no meat of any kind! The people there didn’t even know what milk and meat were! The day the mouse arrived was the day the king’s daughter was getting married, and lots of people were getting together. The king’s cooks were cooking, but they didn’t have any meat or butter.

“Why are all these people here?” said the mouse.

“Today is our king’s daughter’s wedding day, and we’re cooking the dinner!” answered the cooks.

“But you don’t have any meat!” said the mouse.

“No,” said the cooks. “There’s no meat of any kind in our place.”

“Take my cows!” said the mouse.

“No,” said the cooks. “Our king couldn’t pay for them. He’s too poor!” (He was just a little king).

“It doesn’t matter!” said the mouse. “I don’t want any money!”

So, the cooks took the cows and the sheep and killed them. They cooked their meat in different ways. They made yummy rice dishes and sauces. They roasted some and boiled some and gave it to the people to eat. In this way, they used up all the cows.

“Why did you use up all my cows?!” cried the mouse.

“Didn’t we tell you we would use them all?” said the cooks.

“Give me my cows back!” said the mouse.

“We can’t. The people have eaten them all up!” said the cooks.

The mouse was super angry. He ran off to the groom, who was walking near the kitchen, thinking to himself, “Now I’ll go get my bride!”

“Give me the money for my cows!” cried the mouse to him. “Your people have eaten them all up, and your cooks won’t pay me, so you have to!”

“What do I have to do with your cows?” said the groom. “I won’t pay you for them!”

“Then if you won’t pay me, your wife’s father has to!” said the mouse.

“Oh, he’s too poor to pay for your cows,” said the groom, “and I won’t!”

“Then if I don’t get paid, I’ll take away your bride!” said the mouse. He ran off and carried away the bride!

The king was very angry about this, but the mouse ran and ran with his wife (that’s what he called the king’s daughter) until he came to another place.

Now, the day he arrived, there were going to be fun shows to make the king happy! Some jugglers and rope-walkers were going to perform.

“Take my wife and let her walk on the rope. She’s young, and your wives are old,” said the mouse to the rope-walkers.

“No,” they answered. “She doesn’t know how to walk on a rope and carry a wooden plate on her head at the same time. She would fall and hurt herself!”

“But you have to take my wife!” said the mouse. “She won’t fall! She’s young, and your wives are old. You really have to take her!”

So, the rope-walkers took her, even though they didn’t want to. When she started walking on the rope with the wooden plate on her head, she fell and was badly hurt!

A despondent king’s daughter lies injured on the ground (bruised and pale), while in the background, a triumphant brown mouse scampers away, holding the jugglers’ and rope-walkers’ possessions (brightly colored balls, a tattered rope, a small drum). Watercolor style, use a palette of sad blues and greys to emphasize the somber atmosphere. The setting is a ruined courtyard with crumbling walls and overgrown weeds. Focus on the king’s daughter’s pain and the mouse’s gleeful expression. The air is heavy with a sense of loss and despair. Shadows stretch long and ominous.

“Oh no! Why did you hurt my wife?!” cried the mouse.

“Didn’t we tell you she would fall and hurt herself?” answered the rope-walkers.

The mouse grabbed all the jugglers’ and rope-walkers’ wives and the things they used in their shows and ran off with them. Then, the rope-walkers and jugglers started to cry and said, “Oh no! What will we do? Our wives and our things are all gone!”

Meanwhile, the mouse ran and ran until he came to another place. He found a house to live in. He ate a lot and grew so fat that he couldn’t get through the door of his house!

A very fat, brown mouse struggles to fit through the doorway of a small house (a simple cottage with a thatched roof). A carpenter stands nearby with a concerned expression (holding a hammer and nails). Watercolor style, focus on the mouse’s predicament with exaggerated proportions and comical expression. Use a warm color palette with earthy browns, greens, and yellows. The cottage is surrounded by a small garden with a few flowers. The doorway is narrow and the wood is slightly warped. The carpenter’s clothes are dusty and worn. The sun is setting, casting a golden glow on the scene.

“Send for someone who builds things from wood,” he said to the rope-walkers’ and jugglers’ wives. “Tell him to cut off some of my fat. Then I’ll be able to get into my house!”

The women sent for a carpenter, and when he came, the mouse said to him, “Cut off some of my fat, then I’ll be able to go into my house.”

“If I do that,” said the carpenter, “you might die.”

“No, I won’t!” said the mouse. “Just do what I tell you.”

So, the carpenter took his knife and cut off some of the mouse’s fat.

“Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” cried the mouse. “That really hurts! What can I do to make it stop hurting?”

“You should go to a place where a special kind of grain grows, and rub the grain on your hurt spots. Then they’ll feel better,” said the carpenter.

So, the mouse ran off to the place the carpenter had told him about, and rubbed his hurt spots with the grain. But this hurt him so much that he fell down and was no more.

The rope-dancers’ and jugglers’ wives went home to their husbands with all the things the mouse had carried away, and they all lived happily ever after!

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The Night the Roof Blew Off

The Monkey and the Crocodile

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