Once there were mice who lived in a house, in constant fear of the cat. So one day a little mouse called all the mice in the neighbourhood together to present them with a plan he had devised himself. It was a plan to get rid of the fear of the cat.
“I’m glad you’ve all come,” the mouse greeted them.
“There have been plans like this before,” Grandpa Mouse snorted, leaning on his walking stick. “Not one of them worked out. I wonder what you came up with.”
Little Mouse cleared his throat and started, “Dear mice, as Grandpa Mouse said, there have been many plans. For so many years we would have liked to at least know that the cat was coming so we have plenty of time to hide from it. And today I’m going to present you with such a plan. Finally, the constant fear of having a cat on our backs will end.”
The mice sat quietly and listened.
“My plan is amazingly simple, and I know for a fact that it will work. All we have to do is hang a bell on a string around the cat’s neck. As soon as we hear the bell ring, we’ll know the cat is coming and we’ll make an immediate escape. It’s as simple as that.”
The mice immediately started talking among themselves about what a surprise this was and that there had never been a plan like this before. They were even beginning to rejoice that their worries were over when the old mouse stepped in.
“Quiet, mice,” he shouted, and the mice fell silent. “I have to agree with you that the young mouse’s plan is indeed excellent. But let me ask you this: Who will hang the bell around the cat’s neck?”
There was a silence. The enthusiasm was gone like a snowman in spring. No one spoke up. It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite another to actually do it. And so the mice continued to live in fear of the cat. There has never been a mouse hero brave enough to hang a bell around a cat’s neck. A few mice talked about it, but they were all talk and no action.
