THE LION AND THE MOUSE
Cast List
Narrator 1 ........................................... Narrator 2 ........................................... Lion ...................................................... Mouse ................................................. Setting: This story takes place long ago in a jungle.
1
Narrator 1
Lion
Narrator 2
Mouse
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The Lion and the Mouse
Scene 1: The Mouse Begs for a
Favor Setting: Long ago, in a jungle
2
Narrator 1:
Once upon a time, there was a mouse.
Narrator 2:
The mouse was climbing over a huge mountain…
Narrator 1:
when it discovered that it was not a mountain at all…
Narrator 2:
but a LION!
Lion:
ROAR! You woke me up!
Mouse:
A thousand apologies!
Lion:
Do you know what happens to animals that wake me out of my sleep?
Mouse:
Something good?
Lion:
No! Something bad. I eat them!
Mouse:
Yikes!
Lion:
Just like I’m going to eat you right now!
Mouse:
Now don’t be hasty. Let’s take a moment and talk this thing out!
Lion:
There’s nothing to talk about. Do you have some ketchup?
The Lion and the Mouse
Mouse:
Not on me. Why?
Lion:
Because I am going to eat you with it!
Mouse:
Okay, let’s calm down, sir! Let’s just calm down. I am going to make you an offer if you do me the favor of sparing my life.
Lion:
I’m listening.
Mouse:
If you show me mercy, and let me go, I promise that if you are ever in trouble, I will help you.
Lion (laughing):
That’s hilarious!
Mouse:
What’s so funny?
Lion:
Well, look at you! I am the king of the animal kingdom! And you are, well, a mouse! And you are going to save me? That isn’t likely.
Mouse:
You never know.
Lion:
I do know. You are of no use to me at all. You are simply too small to be valuable...except as a tasty snack. Speaking of which…
Mouse:
Wait! Wait!
Lion:
Prepare to be eaten!
Mouse:
Wait! Wait! WAIT! 3
The Lion and the Mouse
4
Lion:
What is it now?
Mouse:
Sire, you are not looking at this from all the angles.
Lion:
What do you mean?
Mouse:
Well, think about it. You are the king of the jungle. No one disputes that.
Lion:
Correct.
Mouse:
Now, how would it look if a big old lion, the king of the jungle, attacked a tiny, puny, mouse. Frankly, it would make you look bad. It would make you look like a bully.
Lion:
I see your point. It would be bad PR.
Mouse:
Everyone would be talking about it. “Did you hear about the poor mouse that accidentally woke up the lion---and the lion ate the poor mouse even though the poor mouse begged for its life?”
Lion:
I would look bad in that story.
Mouse:
Right! You want everyone to think of you as powerful, not cruel! There’s a difference, sire.
Lion:
Point taken. A good king does not bully. A good king does not attack creatures smaller than himself.
The Lion and the Mouse
Mouse:
Now, you’ve got the picture!
Lion:
Very well. I hereby let you go. I release you. Scram!
Mouse:
A thousand thank yous. And if I can ever be of any help to you…
Lion:
Oh, mouse! You make me laugh at the very thought of YOU ever being any help to me!
Narrator 1:
Years passed. Hunters began to invade the jungle. They loved to catch big game such as lions.
Narrator 2:
The hunters set traps throughout the forest so that lions would get ensnared in nets.
Narrator 1:
Then they would kill the lions for their fur. It was a terrible business.
Narrator 2:
One day, the mighty Lion, was ambling through the forest when suddenly:
Lion:
I’m caught! I’m caught!
Narrator 1:
The lion had indeed been caught in a net.
Lion:
Help me! Someone help me! ROAR!
Narrator 1:
No animals came to his aid. After a few hours, the Lion was beginning to think he was done for… 5
The Lion and the Mouse
6
Narrator 2:
and then he spotted
Lion:
the MOUSE
Mouse:
Sire! I came as soon as I heard your roar. What has happened to you?
Lion:
Can’t you tell? I’m trapped in this net. The hunters are coming back soon. If I can’t get out of this net, that’s the end of me.
Mouse:
We’ll see about that! I’ll set to work at once.
Narrator 1:
And the mouse began to chew at the ropes in the net.
Lion:
What are you doing, Mouse?
Mouse:
I am chewing on the ropes in the net.
Lion:
But the ropes are thick and you are a tiny mouse! Your tiny teeth will never cut through the thick ropes in time!
Mouse: Lion:
Trust me! You’d be surprised at what a tiny mouse can chew through. Just ask a homeowner! This is madness! Go call a REAL animal. An animal that is bigger than my paw! Get an elephant or a hyena to help me. Then I will at least have a chance.
Mouse:
Trust me for once!
The Lion and the Mouse
Narrator 2:
And the mouse chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed
Narrator 1:
until
Lion:
I am free! I am perfectly free!
Mouse:
Told you!
Lion:
I better get out of here before the hunters come back.
Mouse:
Before you go, have you learned anything from this experience we’ve just shared?
Lion:
Um...not to get caught in nets?
Mouse:
Besides that?
Lion:
that the mouse is a true friend?
Mouse:
Besides that?
Lion:
Okay, here goes. I have learned that good things can come in small packages. When I first met you, I did not think you could ever be a help to me. And yet you just saved my life. Just because you are tiny does not mean that you are not powerful.
Mouse:
Lesson learned! Now let’s get out of here! 7
The Lion and the Mouse
8
Narrator 1:
And let that be a lesson for us all. It always pays to be kind to creatures great and small.
All:
The End!