You never know when it may come in handy ….
Here is the story I like:
Lunchtime Learning
The baby mouselets were only a few days old. And they were full of the joys of life. Under the watchful eye of their mother, they were jumping and tumbling, leaping and hopping, squeaking, and squealing, and having a great time.
Suddenly, they all froze in their tracks. A large black shadow had fallen across them and the space where they were playing.
Slowly they turned their little mouselet heads around to see the source of the shadow. There, standing crouched and ready to pounce, was a huge black tomcat. His yellow eyes were as big as plates, his whiskers were long and menacing, his teeth were yellow and sharp and dripping with saliva. If that cat could have said one word it would have been, ”Lunchtime!”
Quick as a flash, the mother mouse leaped over the mouselings and occupied the space between them and the tomcat. Glaring into the tomcat’s eyes, she barked loudly and with attitude: ”Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!”
The tomcat was so surprised it turned on its heels and shot off into the distance with its tail between its legs.
The mother mouse turned to the mouselings and said, ”There you are my darlings, let that be a lesson to you. Never underestimate the importance of learning a second language.”
Primary source: Hugh Lupton
From The Magic of Metaphor by Nick Owen, Crown House Publishing
