God and the Rat
故事全文
One day, the God of Heaven was taking a walk in the forest. He suddenly heard a shrill call for help. "Squeak! Squeak! Help me!", cried the mouse. An eagle had caught him in its sharp talons. The God felt sorry for the mouse, and pointed his finger at the eagle. "Ouch!", the eagle said, and dropped the mouse. God caught the falling mouse and said, "You should be more careful in future. Try not to get caught again!" Then, God continued his stroll through the woods.
In the evening, just as God was about to return to heaven, he saw that the mouse had been caught by a cat. God rescued the mouse again and told him, "You are so tiny! I shall make you bigger, so that you will not be caught again." He changed the mouse into a cat. The mouse became a cat and soon forgot the past. He started to bully other small animals. One day, he was chased by a fierce dog. As he ran, he shouted for help, "Help! God, help me!" God saved him again and said, "I shall make you even bigger!" This time, the mouse was turned into a dog. Every time the mouse was chased by a larger animal, God made the mouse bigger. Finally, the mouse was turned into a tiger. From then on, the mouse feared nothing. He kept bullying the other animals, and forgot what it felt like being bullied.
Eventually, the animals in the forest learned that the tiger was once a tiny mouse. They lost their respect for him. The mouse who turned into a tiger thought, "If I got rid of God, everyone will respect me." So, when God came to visit him the next day, he tried to bite and kill God. God said angrily, "You, ungrateful creature! Turn back into your original form!" The tiger immediately turned back into a mouse, and squeaked in fear as he ran away.
