Storyclover
Storyclover
At dawn, Pip carried a crumb of cheese across the pantry shelf. Below, the orange cat stretched beside the door. Pip froze with one paw in the air.
Who Will Put the Bell on the Cat?The mice invent a clever warning plan, then discover that a plan is not useful until someone can truly carry it out.
1. At dawn, Pip carried a crumb of cheese across the pantry shelf. Below, the orange cat stretched beside the door. Pip froze with one paw in the air.
2. The cat’s whiskers twitched. Pip tucked the cheese beneath his scarf and slipped behind a flour jar. The pantry was no place for a careless mouse.
3. That afternoon, Pip called a meeting in the wall. Nella, Bram, and Tilly gathered around a walnut shell. “We need a warning,” said Pip. “We need to know when the cat is near.”
4. Bram pointed to a little brass bell. “We can tie it to the cat’s collar,” he said. “Then every step will ring.” The mice nodded so hard that their ears wobbled.
5. “Excellent!” cried Tilly. “Who will put the bell on the cat?” The room went quiet. Even the crumbs seemed to stop crunching.
6. Bram said he was too round for the collar. Nella said she was too short. Tilly said she had a very important tail. Pip looked at the bell, then at the pantry door.
7. Pip tested the plan with string, spoons, and a feather. Nothing reached the cat without a mouse reaching the cat first. A clever idea still needed brave paws.
8. That night, Pip carried the bell to the sleeping cat. His paws shook, but he kept going. Behind him, the other mice held their breath.
9. Pip reached the collar and tied the bell tight. The cat sighed in his sleep. Pip backed away, and the bell gave one tiny ring.
10. In the morning, the cat crossed the pantry. Ring, ring, went the bell. The mice heard every step and stayed safely behind the wall.
11. Pip placed a crumb in the middle of the table. “The plan worked,” he said. Nella smiled. “Yes,” said Bram, “because someone could truly carry it out.”
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