George's dream island

The Hermit and the Mouse
Deep in a forest, a hermit sat on a rock under a tree.
“If someone is small and weak,” he thought, “he may have trouble…”
“Help! Help!” screamed a mouse as he ran from the sharp beak of a crow.
The hermit drove the crow away.
He picked up the trembling mouse and stroked it gently.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “You are safe now.”
He gave the mouse a little milk and some rice.
Along came a cat. The little mouse trembled in fear.
“Abracadabra!” said the hermit, and the mouse instantly changed into a bigger cat.
The other cat was afraid and ran away.
One night a dog came near the hermit’s hut and barked at the big cat.
The big cat trembled in fear, hiding behind the hermit.
“Abracadabra!” said the hermit, and the big cat instantly changed into a bigger dog.
The other dog was afraid and ran away.
One afternoon, as the big dog lay beside the hermit under a tree, a tiger appeared and growled at the big dog.
The big dog trembled in fear.
“Abracadabra!” said the hermit, and the big dog instantly changed into a bigger tiger.
The other tiger was afraid and ran away.
Now the big tiger was free of fear. He walked around the forest full of ferocious pride.
“Now I am the greatest in the forest,” he told himself as he watched all the other animals run away in fear.
“Don’t act so big,” the hermit scolded. “You shouldn’t forget that you were once a little mouse.”
The tiger roared and pounced on the hermit.
“You are the only one who knows that I was once a little mouse. When I’ve eaten you…”
“Abracadabra!” cried the hermit, and the big tiger shrank into a dog, into a cat, and once more into a little mouse.
The old fear came back to the little mouse and he scurried away into the forest.
The hermit returned to the rock under the tree.
“If someone is big and strong,” he thought, he may have trouble…”