The mouse peered through the crack in the wall
It saw the farmer open a sack
"What food might that contain," he wondered
But quickly he was taken aback

Out of the sack came a mouse trap
To him it was devastating
The mouse ran into the barnyard
Proclaiming his scary warning

"There is a mouse trap in the house
Now what are we going to do
Anyone have a suggestion
As this could affect all of you!"

Although the chicken clucked and scratched
She simply raised her head and said
"I can tell this is grave to you
But I am not bothered by it."

When the mouse told the pig of it
The pig offered his sympathy
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do
Besides, it doesn't bother me"

The mouse turned to the cow and said
"Please help, there's a trap in the house"
The cow said, "I'm sorry for you
But it's not my concern, Mr. Mouse"

So the mouse returned to the house
Dejected, he held his head down
He faced the trap like a trooper
While carrying so sad a frown

That very night a sound was heard
The sound of the trap catching prey
The farmer's wife rushed in to see
What had been caught the very first day

It was dark and she could not see
The trap had caught a venomous snake
And the snake bit the farmer's wife
Suddenly, her life was at stake

They rushed off to the hospital
Where she was treated for the wound
They gave her medicine to take
And soon she was on her way home

Still, that night she soon became sick
Came down with a fever and chill
The farmer did the best he could
For his wife who was very ill

Now everyone knows that you treat
A fever with fresh chicken soup
So, the farmer got his hatchet
And went out to the chicken's coop

But his wife's illness continued
So friends and neighbors came to sit
And be with her around the clock
To feed them he butchered the pig

The farmer's wife never got well
Their friends came to her funeral
So, the farmer slaughtered the cow
Just to provide meat for them all

The mouse looked upon all of this
Through the wall and felt great sadness
Thinking...had someone simply cared
It could have prevented this madness

(not quite)
THE END

So, does this make you think?
The next time someone you know is facing a problem and you feel it is of no concern of yours, remember this short but sad story.

When one of us is threatened, we could all be at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. And we all may be walking many of the same trails.

We should all keep an eye out for one another and make every caring effort to encourage and support each other.
United we stand but divided we may fall!

Each of us might be a vital step on another person's trail through life.
Our paths have crossed for a reason.
I thank God every day that they do.
And, my friends, I thank God for you!

I hope you enjoyed this tale and
may God Bless all of you.