The Descendant of Heziboahikiah the 25th

I was going through piles of my old schoolwork a few weeks ago, and found this very amusing creative writing assignment from the beginning of 2009. It's a rewrite of the classic parable about the mouse and the lion. I was relatively bored with my class (thank you, Excellence in Writing curriculum) so I decided to shake my story up a bit :) For a more standard version, see this link: http://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/lion.html

Enjoy!


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The Descendant of Heziboahikiah the 25th

The lion was sleeping on a beach of gold. The water, like glass, reflected the light as sunlit diamonds. Frolicking in the water, dolphins chattered happily as crabs on the beach scuttled hither and thither. The lion yawned as he awoke from his nap. Something was hurting him. As he slowly and sleepily opened his eyes, adjusting to the glare of the water, he found a mouse chewing on his tail, as if it were a bone. Placing his paw over it so it could not escape, he calmly opened his mouth to swallow it. “Put me down!” spat the mouse, dangling from his paw. “No eating me, you stinky, despicable animal!” Grrr!” The mouse barred its teeth ferociously. Taken aback by the petite, angry mouse, the lion, worried the rodent would give him indigestion, released the mouse abruptly. “Nay!” cried the mouse, “Never will a descendant of Heziboahikiah the 25th ever be in debt to a stranger! How dare you threaten Jehezikebaih the 17th and then release him without demanding retribution! Disgrace to the race of lions thou art!” The mouse squeaked in rage as he danced furiously on the sand. Cautiously the lion began to back away from the mouse, “Why don’t you pay back your debt some other time? Right now isn’t very convenient.” “Good sir,” piped the mouse, “I promise on the honor of Jehezikebaih the 17th that you will be repaid someday!” Jehezikebaih the 17th sat up, saluted the lion, and galloped off the beach, leaving a cloud of dust and a very confused lion behind. When Jehezikebaih the 17th was out of sight, the lion collapsed onto the sand with a sigh. He had never met a mouse quite like Jehezikebaih the 17th before and he was not sure he ever wanted to again. Suddenly the lion sat up, wondering if Jehezikebaih had rabies, because he had acted very strangely. Since it seemed very likely he did, and Jehezikebaih had chewed on his tail, the lion got up and trotted home to treat himself for rabies.

Jehezikebaih the 17th was pacing frantically and furiously in his mouse-hole. Finally he came to a conclusion: the debt must be repaid. Dashing out of his hole, Jehezikebaih galloped up and down the beach, searching for the lion. As he neared the end of the beach he spied a lion-ish mass lying prostrate on the sand. “At long last!” Jehezikebaih cried, “Victory is mine! Debt shall be repaid!” Recklessly he approached the lion. “It is I, Jehezikebaih the 17th! Finally I shall repay you! Command it and it shall be done!” The lion opened his eyes worriedly. Help me quickly,” the lion whispered, “the hunters shall return soon. They tied me to this tree while they searched for water.” “Perish, foul, fat foes!” Jehezikebaih the 17th lashed out, “You shall not touch my friend the lion!” “Shut up,” hissed the lion, “just bite through these ropes and I’ll be free. I don’t care if they perish or not so long as I’m free.” The desperate and courageous mouse, putting himself at risk to repay his debt, bit through the ropes cleanly and efficiently. “So long, good sir!” squeaked Jehezikebaih the 17th, “My debt has been repaid, and a descendent of Heziboahikiah the 25th is no longer in debt!” Once Jehezikebaih finished orating, the lion, after a heartfelt thanks, skedaddled. Jehezikebaih the 17th stayed to fight the fiendish, foul, fat foes, but was ignored and barely escaped being trodden on. Although they parted ways and never saw one another again, the lion never forgot his little friend – a descendant of Heziboahikiah the 25th – and how he defended his honor.

Moral: Your size does not affect your deeds.