Once there were four friends–a tortoise, a rabbit, a mouse and a mongoose. They stayed together all the time. All of them loved to swim except for the mouse. “I know how to swim, but I am very scared of the water!” he would say when the others asked him to join them for a swim in the river. One day, the mongoose and the mouse were playing near the river while the others had gone home to eat food. Suddenly, the mongoose slipped and fell into the water. He could have swum easily but his foot got trapped in a vine under the water. “Mouse, help!” he said, and he was going to be drowned. Immediately, realising the danger, the mouse jumped into the water, without thinking about his own fear. He bravely went underwater and cut the vine off the mongoose’s leg. Due to the mouse’s quick thinking and action, he was able to save his friend from being drowned. They both swam safely back to the shore.
The Brave Friend
