A fairy tale about a clever mouse named Betka who lives in a cheese shop and helps a merchant solve a problem with cheese packaging. Through a simple experiment with different shapes, she discovers that cubes are the best shape that can be efficiently packed into square boxes, and reveals her discovery to him through a drawing.
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In a small village under a huge oak tree stood a cozy little house. In it lived a cheese merchant who made and sold the finest cheeses in the entire area. And right under the floor of his workshop, a little mouse named Betty had made herself a comfortable home.
Betty was a very clever mouse. Every evening, when the merchant went home, she would crawl out of her hiding place and taste the tiny scraps of cheese that remained on the table. It was a real feast for her! But Betty wasn't just a little gourmand. She was also very curious and thoughtful.
One day, when the cheese merchant was getting ready to close up, she heard him talking worriedly with his apprentice.
"A big order is coming tomorrow," the merchant sighed. "We need to make lots of cheese and pack it into these square boxes. But I don't know what shape of cheese would be best to fit as many as possible in there without wasting space unnecessarily."
When they left, Betty began to think. "That's an interesting puzzle! What shape would fit best into a square box?"
"I have to try it!" she whispered to herself and pulled out her tiny stores of cheeses of various shapes, which she had saved for harder times.
First she took a cheese shaped like a little ball. They merrily rolled all over the table!
"Round cheeses aren't a good idea," she muttered, trying to arrange them in a small paper box she had prepared. "Look at that! There's too much empty space left between the balls!"
Then she pulled out a triangular cheese. It fit nicely into the corners, but emptiness still gaped in the middle of the box.
"This isn't it either," she shook her head unhappily.
Finally she pulled out a cheese that was shaped like a cube. She carefully placed it in the box and her eyes lit up. It fit perfectly! No gaps, no empty space. When she placed more cubes next to each other, they created a beautiful, orderly pattern together.
"Hurray!" Betty cheered. "The cube is the perfect shape! Just like a little brick, one fits right next to another."
She told herself she had to show this to the merchant somehow. But how? After all, she was just a small mouse and he might get scared of her!
Then she got an idea. Papers and a pencil lay beside the table. Betty struggled to climb onto the chair and got to work. She drew a simple picture: a box full of balls with a big frowning face and next to it a box full of cubes with a huge smiling face. She used an arrow to point to the cube as the winner.
In the morning, when the merchant came to the workshop, he immediately noticed the picture on the table.
"What is this?" he wondered. "I didn't leave anything like this here yesterday."
His apprentice looked at the drawing. "Sir, look! It looks like someone wanted to advise us that the best shape for our cheeses in square boxes is a cube."
The merchant thought for a moment and smiled. "You're right! Cubes can be stacked best without wasted space. What a brilliant idea! Let's try it!"
And so they set about making cube-shaped cheeses. Betty watched them enthusiastically from the safety of her hiding place.
When it came time to pack the cheeses, the merchant couldn't stop marveling. "Look at that! How beautifully it fits! So many more fit in each box and no space is wasted!"
The apprentice nodded. "And besides, when we slice the cheese into cubes, it's precise and quick. We have almost no scraps left."
Betty squeaked happily under the floor. Her discovery worked! And not only that – when the merchant saw how practical it was, he began making only cube-shaped cheeses. And every evening when he left, he would leave a small piece of cheese on the table for his mysterious "clever little helper."
One evening Betty grew bold and came out while the merchant was still cleaning up. At first he was startled, but then he saw how she looked at the empty plate where he left her cheese, and he understood everything. He smiled.
"So you're my little helper!" he said warmly. "Thank you. Your idea was brilliant."
From that day on, Betty became the official taster and friend. She had her own little table and the merchant always let her be the first to taste new cheese.
Once he asked her: "Betty, how did you actually figure out that the cube is the best shape?"
Betty bit off a piece of cheese and with her mouth full squeaked: "I simply tried it! Sometimes you just need to try and think to find the best solution."
And the merchant had to admit she was right. Thanks to the simple discovery of a little mouse, his business became the most successful in the entire region.
And if you look at store shelves today, you'll often see cube-shaped cheeses there. Who knows, maybe it's really thanks to little wise mouse Betty, who many years ago discovered that even an ordinary cube can be the best invention in the world.
Betty was a very clever mouse. Every evening, when the merchant went home, she would crawl out of her hiding place and taste the tiny scraps of cheese that remained on the table. It was a real feast for her! But Betty wasn't just a little gourmand. She was also very curious and thoughtful.
One day, when the cheese merchant was getting ready to close up, she heard him talking worriedly with his apprentice.
"A big order is coming tomorrow," the merchant sighed. "We need to make lots of cheese and pack it into these square boxes. But I don't know what shape of cheese would be best to fit as many as possible in there without wasting space unnecessarily."
When they left, Betty began to think. "That's an interesting puzzle! What shape would fit best into a square box?"
"I have to try it!" she whispered to herself and pulled out her tiny stores of cheeses of various shapes, which she had saved for harder times.
First she took a cheese shaped like a little ball. They merrily rolled all over the table!
"Round cheeses aren't a good idea," she muttered, trying to arrange them in a small paper box she had prepared. "Look at that! There's too much empty space left between the balls!"
Then she pulled out a triangular cheese. It fit nicely into the corners, but emptiness still gaped in the middle of the box.
"This isn't it either," she shook her head unhappily.
Finally she pulled out a cheese that was shaped like a cube. She carefully placed it in the box and her eyes lit up. It fit perfectly! No gaps, no empty space. When she placed more cubes next to each other, they created a beautiful, orderly pattern together.
"Hurray!" Betty cheered. "The cube is the perfect shape! Just like a little brick, one fits right next to another."
She told herself she had to show this to the merchant somehow. But how? After all, she was just a small mouse and he might get scared of her!
Then she got an idea. Papers and a pencil lay beside the table. Betty struggled to climb onto the chair and got to work. She drew a simple picture: a box full of balls with a big frowning face and next to it a box full of cubes with a huge smiling face. She used an arrow to point to the cube as the winner.
In the morning, when the merchant came to the workshop, he immediately noticed the picture on the table.
"What is this?" he wondered. "I didn't leave anything like this here yesterday."
His apprentice looked at the drawing. "Sir, look! It looks like someone wanted to advise us that the best shape for our cheeses in square boxes is a cube."
The merchant thought for a moment and smiled. "You're right! Cubes can be stacked best without wasted space. What a brilliant idea! Let's try it!"
And so they set about making cube-shaped cheeses. Betty watched them enthusiastically from the safety of her hiding place.
When it came time to pack the cheeses, the merchant couldn't stop marveling. "Look at that! How beautifully it fits! So many more fit in each box and no space is wasted!"
The apprentice nodded. "And besides, when we slice the cheese into cubes, it's precise and quick. We have almost no scraps left."
Betty squeaked happily under the floor. Her discovery worked! And not only that – when the merchant saw how practical it was, he began making only cube-shaped cheeses. And every evening when he left, he would leave a small piece of cheese on the table for his mysterious "clever little helper."
One evening Betty grew bold and came out while the merchant was still cleaning up. At first he was startled, but then he saw how she looked at the empty plate where he left her cheese, and he understood everything. He smiled.
"So you're my little helper!" he said warmly. "Thank you. Your idea was brilliant."
From that day on, Betty became the official taster and friend. She had her own little table and the merchant always let her be the first to taste new cheese.
Once he asked her: "Betty, how did you actually figure out that the cube is the best shape?"
Betty bit off a piece of cheese and with her mouth full squeaked: "I simply tried it! Sometimes you just need to try and think to find the best solution."
And the merchant had to admit she was right. Thanks to the simple discovery of a little mouse, his business became the most successful in the entire region.
And if you look at store shelves today, you'll often see cube-shaped cheeses there. Who knows, maybe it's really thanks to little wise mouse Betty, who many years ago discovered that even an ordinary cube can be the best invention in the world.
EN
4811 characters
873 words
5 minutes
9.7.2025
1