The Mice in Council

Summary

The story revolves around a group of mice who hold a meeting to address the threat posed by their natural predator, the cat. They brainstorm various strategies to preemptively detect the cat's approach, ultimately settling on the idea to attach a bell to the cat's neck. This way, they would hear the bell's sound and have time to escape. However, when it comes to executing the plan, none of the mice is willing to take on the risky task of belling the cat. The tale illustrates the concept that coming up with plans can be easy, but putting them into action, especially when dangerous or challenging, is much harder.

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The Mice summoned a council to decide how they might best devise means of warning themselves of the approach of their great enemy the Cat. Among the many plans suggested, the one that found most favor was the proposal to tie a bell to the neck of the Cat, so that the Mice, being warned by the sound of the tinkling, might run away and hide themselves in their holes at his approach. But when the Mice further debated who among them should thus “bell the Cat,” there was no one found to do it.