UnknownOnce there was a mouse, a bird and a sausage. They were friends. They lived together in a house. Each one had a job. The mouse’s job was to collect water from the river, make the fire and lay the table. The bird’s job was to go to the forest and collect wood for the fire. The sausage’s job was to cook. Every day, each did their job, and they ate dinner together. They were all good at their jobs, and they were very happy.
One day, the bird flew to the forest to collect wood. She was picking up wood when she heard another bird.
‘Hello! What are you doing there?’ said the other bird.
‘I’m collecting wood.’
‘You are collecting wood to make a nest? But that wood is so big! How big is your nest?’
‘No, I’m not making a nest. I don’t need a nest. I live in a house.’
The other bird was very surprised. ‘You live in a house? Birds don’t live in houses.’
‘Well I do. I live with a mouse and a sausage.’
‘A mouse and a sausage! How strange!’
The bird was a bit angry now. She wanted to finish collecting wood and go home. ‘It’s not strange at all,’ she said. ‘I collect wood from the forest. The mouse collects water from the river, makes the fire and lays the table.’
‘And what does she do after that? That doesn’t take very long.’
‘Well, she goes to bed and sleeps.’
‘I see. And what does the sausage do?’
‘The sausage cooks the food. He waits by the pot and stirs it. When it is ready, he jumps inside and swims around.’
‘How strange! Why does he do that?’
‘To make it salty! It tastes much better that way.’
‘And you collect wood for the fire? How long does it take?’
‘Well, I can’t take all the wood at once. It’s quite heavy, you know. So I go to the forest, collect some wood, and then fly home. I make about three trips a day.’
‘Three trips! You work very hard, you know. The mouse goes to bed and the sausage just stands by the pot and waits. You work harder than both of them.’
The bird felt strange. She had never thought about that. But it was true. She started collecting wood in the morning and finished in the evening. The mouse and the sausage didn’t work that long.
That night, the mouse, the bird and the sausage ate dinner. Then the bird said, ‘I’ve had enough! I can’t do my job anymore.’
‘What is wrong?’ said the mouse. ‘Are you sick?’
‘No!’ said the bird. ‘I’m tired. I work from morning until night. I work much harder than you two.’