Section 1
A cat became friends with a mouse and convinced her to live with him by expressing his love and friendship for her. Eventually, the mouse agreed to live with the cat and share a home. The cat said to the mouse, "But we need to get ready for winter, or else we'll go hungry. And you, my little friend, can't go everywhere without the risk of getting caught in a trap."
The cat and mouse followed the cat's advice to make preparations for winter and bought a pot of fat, but they were unsure where to store it. The cat then suggested, "I know of no better place to store it than in the church. No one will dare take anything from there. We can put it beneath the altar and only use it when we need it."
The pot of fat was stored away safely, but it wasn't long before the cat desired it greatly. "Listen, little mouse," said the cat. "My cousin has just given birth to a little son, and I have been asked to be his godfather. He's a white kitten with brown spots, and I'm supposed to hold him over the baptismal font. Let me go out today and you stay here to look after the house."
"Sure, go ahead," replied the mouse. "And if you come across any delicious food, don't forget about me. I wouldn't mind having a sip of that sweet red christening wine myself."
The cat's story was a lie. He had no cousin and was not asked to be a godfather. Instead, he went directly to the church, found the pot of fat, and began licking it. He licked off the top of the fat and then went for a walk on the town roofs. While basking in the sun, he kept thinking about the pot of fat and licked his whiskers. The cat did not come back home until evening.
"Well, you're back," said the mouse. "I'm sure you had a good day."
"Everything went smoothly," replied the cat.
"What name did they give the child?" asked the mouse.
"Top-Off," replied the cat nonchalantly.
"Top-Off?" exclaimed the mouse. "That's a strange and uncommon name. Is it a common name in your family?"
The cat replied, "What does it matter? It's no worse than the name Crumb-Thief, which is what your own godchildren are called."
The cat was overcome by another desire and asked the mouse, "Can you do me a favor and take care of the house for a day? I have been invited to be a godfather again, and I cannot refuse because the child has a white ring around its neck."
The mouse agreed to take care of the house alone again. But the cat went to the church behind the town wall and ate half of the pot of fat. "There is nothing that tastes as good as what you eat alone," he said, and he was very happy with what he had done that day.
When the cat returned home, the mouse asked, "What name did they give the child?"
"Half-Gone," replied the cat.
"Half-Gone?" exclaimed the mouse. "I have never heard of such a name before. I bet it's not even in the calendar."
The cat's mouth began to salivate once more at the thought of the tasty treats. He said to the mouse, "I have been asked to be a godfather again. All good things come in threes.The child's fur is entirely black except for its white paws. Apart from the white paws, there are no white hairs on the child's body, and this is a rare event that occurs only a few times every several years. I hope you will let me go."
"Their names, Top-Off and Half-Gone, are quite unusual and thought-provoking," replied the mouse.
The cat remarked, "You sit here at home with your dark gray fur coat and long braid of hair, daydreaming. It's because you don't go out during the day."
