Which tense is mostly used in the story? Why

Strange Friends

Once there was a cat and a mouse. Usually, cats eat mice, and mice run away from cats, but this
cat and this mouse liked each other very much. They liked each other so much that they lived
together. They made a nice little house in the city. Everyone called them the “Strange Friends”.
‘We must think of winter,’ said the cat. ‘In winter, it will be cold, and there will be little food.
We should save something for winter, so that we are not hungry. After all, you are a mouse, and
if you look for food in winter, a cat will eat you.’
The mouse agreed with the cat. So they bought a pot of fat, but they did not know where to put it.
‘We can keep it in the house,’ the cat said.
‘No, no,’ said the mouse. ‘If we see it in the house, we will want to eat it. Let us put it in the
church, under the big table. Nobody will steal from the church. And if we cannot see it, we will
not want to eat it. We will not eat it until we really need it.’
So they put the pot of fat under the big table in the church, and they continued their happy life
together.
But the cat was a selfish animal. A few weeks later, she had a strong desire for the fat. She
imagined how it would taste, and she got very hungry.
The cat said to the mouse, ‘Dear mouse, I have to ask you something. My cousin has had a
beautiful son. He is white with brown parts. My cousin wants me to be the godmother, so I must
go to the christening. Will that bother you? You will have to look after the house alone.’
‘Of course not!’ said the mouse. ‘Go, and if you find any nice food or drink, bring some for me.
At christenings the wine is very sweet and delicious. Bring me some christening wine.’
However, the cat was lying. She had no cousin, and nobody had asked her to be a godmother.
She went to the church, went under the table, and opened the pot of fat. She licked the top of the
fat off.
Then she walked on the roofs of the city. She looked for other food and drink, but did not see
any. So she lay down in the sun. When she thought of the pot of fat, she licked her lips, and she
came home only in the evening.
‘I’m sure you’ve had a lovely day,’ said the mouse. ‘How was the christening?’
‘It went very well,’ said the cat.
‘What did they name the child?’
‘Top off,’ said the cat.

‘Top off!’ said the mouse. ‘That is a very strange name. Is it common in your family?’
‘It is not a strange name,’ said the cat. ‘You have a godchild, yes? He is called Big Nose. That is
just as strange a name.’
A week later, the cat felt a desire to lick the fat again. She said to the mouse, ‘You must help me.
Once again, I have been asked to be godmother. This child has a white ring around its neck, and
it is very pretty. I cannot say no. Will you look after the house alone, so that I can go?’
The mouse said yes, but again, the cat went through the city to the church. This time, she ate half
the pot of fat. ‘It tastes much better when you are alone,’ she said to herself.
When she went home, the mouse asked, ‘What did they name this child?’
‘Half-done,’ said the cat.
‘Half-done! Is that true? I have never heard of that name. I don’t think it’s in the name books!’
A few days later, the cat desired the fat again.
‘Good things go in threes,’ said the cat. ‘I have been asked to be godmother again. This child is
black, but it has white hands. This is a very strange thing. Will you look after the house, so that I
can go?’
‘Top off! Half-done!’ said the mouse. ‘They are such strange names. They make me think.’
‘You sit at home,’ said the cat. ‘Oh, you have so many ideas, because you do not go out in the
day. You sit at home and look after the house.’
While the cat was gone, the mouse cleaned the house. It made the house very nice and clean.
While the mouse cleaned, the cat ate the whole pot of fat.
‘It is good to finish food,’ said the cat. She was so full that she did not return home until nighttime. The mouse asked what they had named the third child.
‘You will not like it,’ said the cat. ‘He is called All-gone.’
‘All-gone!’ said the mouse. ‘That is the strangest name of all. I have never read that name, and I
have never heard that name. What does it mean?’ The mouse was very confused, and went to
sleep.
After that, nobody asked the cat to be godmother. When winter came, they didn’t have any more
food. So the mouse said, ‘It is a good thing we have that pot of fat. Let us go to the church, and
enjoy our food.’
‘Yes,’ said the cat to herself. ‘Or you could lick the air. You would enjoy it as much.’

When they arrived at the church, the pot of fat was there, but it was empty.
‘Oh no!’ said the mouse. ‘I see what has happened. I thought we were friends! But you ate all the
fat when you were “going to christenings”. First Top off, then Half-done, then—’
‘Do not finish,’ said the cat. The names were making her think of the fat, and she was getting
very hungry. ‘If you say one more word, I will—’
But it was too late. ‘All-gone!’ said the mouse. She said the words, and the cat jumped on her
and ate her.
Because that is the world. Cats eat mice, and cats get fat.
THE END

1. Which tense is mostly used in the story? Why?
2. In the story, you can see the word: “Christening”, do you understand the
meaning of this word? Do we have any similar ceremonies to this?