The Car and the Mice - Part Two

The cat’s plan was very simple. Every day, the processing of mice came before her to wish her. They walked away in a line. The cat caught the last mouse in the line and ate that mouse.

So twice every day, the cat ate the last mouse in the line.

With this plan, the cat lived very comfortably for some time.

However among the mice there were two very clever and cunning mice. They were called Rambe and Ambe. 

Within a short time, the two mice realized that the number of mice kept decreasing. The two mice saw that the cat was not hunting any of the mice, but still their numbers decreased.

The two mice were more or sure that the cat was involved in this. 

So they came up with a plan to help them during the procession that they made before the cat.

Ambe would be the last of mice and Rambhe would be the first. They decided to call out for each other randomly while walking in the procession.

So when the next day, Rambhe first before the cat, he wished the cat and then shouted in a shrill voice. “Ambe are you there?”

The last of the mouse - Ambe - shouted back. “I am here.”

The cat was stunned when Ambe and Rambhe kept this up for the entire procession until Rambhe walked away from the cat.

The cat went hungry that time, because of this.

The cat thought about this and  hoped that this was an accident. The cat decided that the next time, she would catch the last fat mouse and make up for this.

Much to the cat’s dismay, the next time, Ambe and Rambe did the same thing again.

This time too the cat went hungry.

Adapted from Tibetan Folktales