The Five Mouse Brothers (A Beautifully Illustrated Children Picture Book Adapted From a Classic Chinese Folktale; Perfect Bedtime Story) (3 page)

So the villagers put him back in. This time they waited hours and hours, until it was late in the afternoon. 

When they caught him again, Brother Wong smiled through the net and said, “My! What a wonderful dip this has been. Are you planning on putting me back in, or shall I fetch a towel?”

The mayor was astounded, as was everyone else. Because they could not think of anything else to do, they brought Brother Wong back to prison.

Once more the mayor called a council meeting, and said, “Bring out…the Wheel of Doom!” It was spun, and landed on “Cat.”

Brother Hong heard and saw all of this, and that night Brother Wong was switched with Brother Look.

The next morning, Brother Look was brought to a huge, rickety barn. The villagers dumped him there, and then scurried away to hide a safe distance off. Soon after, a large, orange tabby cat lumbered towards Brother Look. It meowed loudly.

To the villagers’ amazement, the cat did not eat Brother Look. Instead it bent its large, whiskered head down and let the mouse scratch behind its ears. The cat purred. The villagers were too far off to hear Brother Look, who was talking away in the cat’s language.  He was
meowing
a whole conversation to it. The two chatted for some time about the weather and dogs and such, before the cat trudged further into the barn.

Mayor Chun was forced to bring “Brother Hong” back to prison one more time.

There was only one punishment left: poison. So that night, Brother Look was switched with Brother Lalm.

Morning came, and the villagers took Brother Lalm. This time they set him in front of a large, gray bag that had crossbones and a skull on it.

“Brother Hong,” Mayor Chun said, “Because you have stolen food from your neighbors, you must eat this poison.”

Thus, Brother Lalm ate the poison. And he ate. And ate. And ate. Eventually his tummy grew round, and he said, “My, this is awfully good grub, but you wouldn’t happen to have any hoisin sauce, would you?  It would be awfully nice if you could bring me some.”

The villagers were in shock.

“What is going on?” they cried. “He has been placed in the trap, tossed in the pond, confronted the cat, eaten the poison, and is still alive! What are we to do?”

They looked at the mayor.

Mayor Chun, confused, stroked his mustache. “Perhaps this is the work of something we cannot perceive. Perhaps it means that we are wrong, and Brother Hong is not the thief.”

“Perhaps,” the villagers said reluctantly.

“If this is so—and since nothing we seem to do works—I declare that you, Brother Hong, innocent and free to go,” Mayor Chun said.

Flashback to the present….

“Brother Lalm was allowed to leave, and he went and told the rest of the mouse brothers, who already knew, thanks to Brother Hong.  And so the five mouse brothers were allowed to live in peace,” finishes an elderly mouse, gray from the passage of years. He is telling the story to a circle of young mice, five of them, all girls, exactly identical in appearance except for the smocks that they wear and the bows in their hair.

“Grandpa Hong,” asks one of the little girl mice. “What about the food? What happened to the food?”

“That is a good question, granddaughter,” says Grandpa Hong. “I do not know. What happened to the sacks of food is still a mystery.  The answer I may never know.  But if you were to ever find out, I am sure that it would be a whole other story.”

Coming Soon: The Magical Dragon’s Three Gifts

Add one kind deed, a sprinkle of magical dragon, three dashes of surprising gifts, a smidgen of wicked innkeeper; mix well and you'll get a mouth watering, adventurous bowl of Bear Cub's story time recipe.

Scoop up a spoonful of this delicious book and enjoy.

Follow Bear Cub's tale as he shows just how far a good heart goes.