AN: A project I did for school. We had to write a fable.

Life seemed to be happy in a small country town like this, and it could definantly be said that it was, but this was not an excited, loud kind of happiness, it was a quiet, stable kind of happiness. No one in the whole town was worried about much of anything because everything stayed the same for so long that surprises were about as rare as a day without the sun and a night without the stars. At the same time, there was nothing fun or especially delightful that would occur, so the residents passed the time by telling stories, playing games, and just going about their day-by-day lives without giving much thought as to whether or not there was more to life than their dull but consistent days spent in this little community.

One thing that came with having such a repetitive and consistent life was that change, no matter how small, was always a big deal. After all, what else were they going to use as material for their conversations amongst themselves? They had to make do with whatever little gossip they could get their hands on. Otherwise, life would have been unbearably boring. It wasn't common for something new and exciting to occur, so it was always a huge deal whenever something did.

One particularly cold year, an orange cat from the city came into town to build his new home. No one knew why he came, but they were all extremely curious. All sorts of stories spread around about just who he was. One story that was widely believed was the one that old Mr. Rat told.

"Now let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, this Cat coming in from the big city ain't no nice fellow like you all have been sayin'. Those city folk care only about their own welfare, and he is no exception. He came here to steal your hard-earned money, take over your businesses, and even steal your wives. He is a dirty, dirty liar so don't believe anything he says. I personally have had some experience with guys like him, they come here sayin' that they are looking for 'work' or 'a new home.' Who comes here of all places for work when there's plenty of it in the big town? Nope, this is not an honest fella, I tell you." explained the Rat.

Most would not believe his story without any logical evidence, but these individuals came from a small, secluded town that had little to no access to information coming from outside of their community. They had never been taught to question what they are told, so it never occurred to them that the could have been making this up. Mr. Rat was an elder and was respected in the community so it would be tough to speak up against him anyways.

When the Cat came in to start settling into his own home, he was greeted by coldness instead of the warm, welcoming residents he was told about. He had been told that everyone here was nice and kind and he wondered what on earth could have changed since those others had gone here to the point that he had moved in. All he wanted was to start a small business, meet some new friends, and live a more quiet and relaxing life. He was sick and tired of the hustling and rushing of city life, and since he was still young and unmarried he decided that it would be nicer to move into a small town than to continue to live in the big city. He had always hated being stuck in large crowds and was in love with this fantasy they called "country life" since he was a child. Now, as a young adult, he was ready to turn this fantasy into a reality.

The Cat finally found someone to talk to, a little mouse who was just a young child, "Hello, young friend. I was only wondering, why is it that I am being ignored?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you. Go away!" yelled the little Mouse.

"Why not? No one here even knows me, how have they decided that I am such a bad creature already?" questioned the Cat.

"Old Mr. Rat says that you're only here to put our dads out of business and to trick us." the Mouse explained, "We all know that it's true because he says so."

"Wait a minute here." the Cat stopped him, "The only reason why I'm coming here is to start a new life. I have absolutely no interest in stealing anything or tricking anyone, I swear."

The Cat and the Mouse talked to each other for a while, and the Mouse finally realized that not everything that the Rat says is true. It took a while, but the little Mouse convinced the reluctant city population that the Cat was truly a nice fellow and that they should not believe everything they are told. The Rat was scrutinized for his lies at first, but he was forgiven when the Cat himself stated that it was alright. They all learned that you cannot believe everything one says about another without questioning.