English Original
Once upon a time, a wicked King invaded a land and captured its Queen and her baby daughter. He imprisoned them in the highest room of a tall tower. The room was bare, with only a table and a hard bed. The cruel jailer gave them only three boiled peas and a morsel of black bread each day, leaving them always hungry.
One evening, a tiny, pretty mouse crept into the room. The Queen, despite her own hunger, shared her last pea with the mouse, praising its delightful dancing. In return, a feast miraculously appeared on the table. From then on, whenever the Queen gave her meager rations to the mouse, they were replaced with delicious food.
Tormented by the thought of her daughter being forced to marry the wicked King's horrid son, the Queen longed to escape. She began weaving a basket from straws, which the helpful mouse tirelessly gathered. When the basket was finished, an old woman appeared below the tower, offering to help save the baby—but demanded the mouse in return.
The Queen refused, crying, "I cannot bear to think of its being killed." The old woman left in a rage, calling the Queen a fool for valuing a mouse over her own child.
That night, as the heartbroken Queen prepared to lower her sleeping baby in the basket, the mouse sprang in. To the Queen's astonishment, the mouse spoke, transformed, and revealed herself as the Fairy who had visited long ago.
The Fairy explained, "I wanted to see if you were capable of true friendship before I helped you. When you protected the mouse, knowing you would gain nothing, you passed my test." With three kisses for the baby, the Fairy then whisked the Queen and her daughter away to a safe, enchanted cottage, far from the wicked kingdom, where they lived happily ever after.
中文翻译
从前，一位邪恶的国王入侵了一个国家，俘虏了那里的女王和她襁褓中的女儿，并将她们囚禁在一座高塔的最高层房间里。房间空荡荡的，只有一张桌子和一张硬板床。残忍的看守每天只给她们每人三颗煮豌豆和一小块黑面包，她们总是饥肠辘辘。
一天晚上，一只小巧漂亮的老鼠溜进了房间。尽管自己也很饥饿，女王还是把她最后一颗豌豆分给了老鼠，并称赞它欢快的舞蹈。作为回报，桌上奇迹般地出现了一顿盛宴。从此，只要女王把她那点可怜的口粮给老鼠，就会换来美味的食物。
一想到女儿将来被迫要嫁给邪恶国王那令人厌恶的儿子，女王就备受折磨，渴望逃脱。她开始用稻草编织篮子，而那只乐于助人的老鼠不知疲倦地为她搜集稻草。篮子编好后，塔下出现了一位老妇人，主动提出帮忙救出婴儿——但要求用老鼠作为回报。
女王拒绝了，她哭着说：“我无法忍受想到它被杀死。”老妇人愤然离去，斥责女王为了只老鼠而不顾自己的孩子，真是个傻瓜。
当晚，心碎的女王正准备将熟睡的婴儿用篮子送下高塔时，那只老鼠跳了进来。令女王震惊的是，老鼠开口说话了，它变形后，显露出真身——正是很久以前来访过的那位仙女。
仙女解释道：“在我全力帮助你之前，我想看看你是否具备真正的友谊。当你明知无利可图却仍保护那只老鼠时，你通过了我的考验。”她亲吻了婴儿三次，随后便带着女王和她的女儿瞬间消失，去了远离邪恶王国的一间安全而神奇的村舍，从此在那里幸福地生活下去。