Once
there was a
little mouse. Little Mouse was like other mice in the forest except for one thing—she was always sad. No one knew why. Deep down inside Little Mouse was afraid to tell her secret—her uncle was mean to her and hurt her. Each time Little Mouse's uncle took care of her, he chopped off a tiny piece of her tail.
Now it was almost winter and Little Mouse's parents would be away from home for many days looking for seeds and nuts to eat during the snowy season. Little Mouse would have to stay with her uncle. She was scared. She thought, "I can't live like this. I have to find someone to help me. Who can I tell?"
Little Mouse told her secret to her best friend, Big Ears. Big Ears did not know how to help Little Mouse, but she said that they should go right away to a grown-up who would know how to help.
Together they went across the
river to see Old Woodchuck. Little Mouse told Woodchuck
her secret. It was a hard thing for Little Mouse to do,
but she was very brave. But Old Woodchuck did not
believe Little Mouse's story. Woodchuck told her to stop
lying.
But Little Mouse didn't give up. Next Little Mouse went to Old Eagle. Little Mouse told Old Eagle about her problem with her uncle. Eagle said, "Little Mouse, you have come to the right place. During my years in the forest, other animals have come to me for help. I will make sure that your uncle stops hurting you."
So Little Mouse got the help she needed and was soon happy like other mice.
