In a cozy little village, nestled among rolling green hills, lived a kind shepherd. He had a daughter who was not only as pretty as a spring flower but also very clever.

Now, three young men from the village all wanted to marry her. The shepherd liked them all, and he scratched his head, wondering, "Oh dear, how can I choose?"

Finally, he had an idea! He called the three young men together. "My dear fellows," he said, "I have a little challenge for you. Whoever can jump over this small wooden gate while holding a piece of cheese, without dropping the cheese, will win my daughter's hand."

The first young man, who was very strong, stepped forward. He grabbed a big piece of cheese, took a running start, and WHOOSH! He leaped over the gate. But oh dear! PLOP! The cheese tumbled from his hand and landed in the grass. "Too bad!" said the shepherd.

The second young man, who was very quick, went next. He took his cheese, zipped towards the gate, and JUMP! He sailed over it easily. But alas! SQUISH! His cheese slipped and fell right into a muddy puddle. "Oh, what a shame!" sighed the shepherd.

Then came the third young man. He wasn't the strongest or the quickest, but he was very thoughtful. He looked carefully at the cheese in his hand, then at the gate. He took a steady, careful run, and HOP! He jumped cleanly over the gate. And guess what? The cheese was still held perfectly in his hand!

"Hooray!" cheered the shepherd. "You've done it!"

But just then, his daughter stepped forward with a twinkle in her eye. "Wait a moment, Papa," she said. "There's a little more to this story."

She turned to the three young men. "You see," she explained, "in each piece of cheese, I had hidden a tiny, little field mouse!"

The first two young men looked very surprised.

"The first two of you," she continued, "were so focused on jumping high and fast that you didn't even notice the little wiggle inside the cheese. You weren't paying attention to what you were holding."

She then smiled at the third young man. "But you," she said, "you noticed. You held the cheese gently and carefully, making sure the little mouse inside was safe and didn't get squashed or fall out. You were observant and kind."

The shepherd smiled proudly. He understood. The third young man hadn't just won by jumping; he had shown he was careful, thoughtful, and paid attention to the little things.

And so, the clever shepherd's daughter married the thoughtful young man, and they lived very happily, always remembering to look out for the small, important details in life.

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