Long
time ago in far far away land there was a big male mouse. He was very
strong and fierce. He could beat his enemies with his teeth and
claw. He was so big for a mouse that cats did not want to eat him.
Although there were many cats in his neighborhood, he was safe. They
even got along well.
As
days passed by the big mouse grew stronger and stronger. When he was
as big as a grown up male cat he was the strongest mouse in his area.
So he wanted to become a king. His intention was inspired by human
being. As he lived in a ditch in front of a luxurious house, he often
saw a rich man who lived there. He never saw the man working. Many
people worked for him instead. Then he told the cats about his
intention. First they laughed at him.
‘You want to be a king? Come on!’
“Yes, please allow me to become the king of mouse here’
The most influential cat said :
‘I am the number one cat here but still I am not a king’
But suddenly he got a brilliant idea.
‘Oh,
OK then. If you really want to become the mouse king I and the whole
cat community will fully support you. Anybody stands in your way will
become our enemy. If you need help, just call us. We will come
immediately and ready to help twenty for hours a day. But there is a
condition’
‘What’s that?’
‘You must give us ten mice per day for the rest of your life’
‘Oh, that’s not fair. You do nothing and you ask for ten mice per day?’
‘You
said we do nothing? We support you. I know there is a strong mouse
over there ready to eliminate you. In one year he will be stronger than
you. He will be more than ready to be a king. I believe he will be
ready to give us fifteen mice per day. So the choice is yours’
OK, I agree. But please help me to eliminate him’
‘You
are very wise. Of course we will eliminate him. There is no problem
for us. From now on you are the king of all mouse in this area. Your
words will become law’
‘Thank you very much for your support. I invite you to my inauguration tomorrow’.
‘I have a better idea’ Said number one cat.
‘You’d
better cancel your inauguration. Tell your humble citizen that your
king is human being. Tell them that you will represent the king. You
rule on behalf of the king. That way you will be more powerful’
‘Thanks for your brilliant idea’
The next day the big mouse called all mouse in the neighborhood. In front of them he made a declaration.
‘From
now on our area become a kingdom of mice. The ruler is His Majesty
King Prabu. But since he is very busy, he cannot take care of the day
to day operation of our community. Therefore he appointed me as your
chief. I will work for you. I will serve you. So please obey all my
command. Dissidents will punished. And here is my first order. All
of you must work hard to provide offerings for our king. The offering
must be put in front of his palace, here in front of my house. And
everyday the king needs ten mice to work for him’
Since
then on they gave offerings of food, fruits, and vegetables to their
king. They brought them to big mouse’s house in the ditch. And the big
mouse gave ten mice daily to king’s palace. The big mouse was very
happy because he did not have to work anymore. The cats were very happy
because they did not have to hunt.
But
then something went wrong. The big mouse was taking ten mice to the
palace when it happened. One of them was a strong male mouse. As they
arrived in the palace, he was shocked when he saw cats had been waiting
for them. He was told that they would work for the king. He realized
that he would be a victim. Then he ran as fast as he could. The cats
chased him. Luckily he could hide in a ditch. After that he told the
mouse community.
‘Hey,
the big mouse is a liar! He betrayed us. He sacrificed us to the
cats. I saw our friends were eaten by cats. I am sure he eats our
offerings too’
His
words traveled fast. All members of the mouse community knew this
secret. soon they were very angry. The crowd of mice then came to the
big mouse’s house.
‘Hey big mouse, why do you sacrificed our friends to the cats?
‘It was a mistake. The cats attacked us when we were there’.
‘Liar ! You must be punished ! We will tell the king about this’.
‘I am your king ! I am the real king. Obey my command!’
‘Liar! Bring him to the king!’
The
angry crowd got out of control. Then they attacked the big mouse. The
big mouse was a strong and brave mouse so he fought back. He could
kill two or three of them. But he was outnumbered. When he was
exhausted he could not fight anymore. Finally the crowd of mice killed
him. The big mouse died a tragic death. His body was bitten to
pieces. Mice remembered him as a liar and an oppressor who betrayed his
own community.
written by : Bbudoyono