All mice have long tails. But once there was a mouse with a very long tail indeed. Naturally, he was called Mouse-with-the-Longest-Tail. When he went walking, the other mice would settle down to watch the tail go sliding past. Far in the distance, Mouse-with-the-Longest-Tail would say proudly, "I am the best mouse of all." The other mice were not so sure. Mouse-with-the-Longest-Tail thought much too highly of himself. Anyway, he was not allowed to join their games because everyone always tripped over his tail. So he played all by himself. One day he was playing among some big rocks. Suddenly, he saw something that looked like a mouse's tail. He crept forward. The tail wriggled and moved away. It seemed to be a very long tail. Mouse-with-the-Longest-Tail grew angry. If this other tail were longer than his, then he wouldn't be the best mouse any more. He decided to take a nip of this stranger's tail. But when he bit, he felt the other fellow bite too. Angrily he jumped forward and took another nip. Every time he nipped, the other mouse nipped him. He whirled around to try to catch the other mouse. There was nothing there but a very short tail. He had been chasing his own tail and had nearly bitten it all off! A sorry mouse crept back to the other mice. But now they asked him to join in their games because they knew they wouldn't trip over Mouse-with-the-Shortest-Tail.

 

Source: Unknown.