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| The cat in the mosque |
In a charming tale from Persia, a cat rests in a mosque, where he resides to keep down the mice population. A mouse happens to appear and the cat immediately pounces on it. The mouse thinks it has a ploy to get free: it asks the cat to speak the name of one of the blessed prophets in order to speed the mouse’s journey to heaven.
The cat isn’t about to open his mouth and thereby set the mouse free, so he speaks the name Jergis—which he can say without opening his mouth. In short, the mouse served as dinner.
