Late one cold winter night, a mouse visited a fireplace and curled up next to its flames. Each night the mouse would warm himself at the fire, and soon he became friends with the fireplace. As winter turned into spring, the fireplace was used sporadically, and before long it was finished for the season. Corresponding with the lack of fire, the mouse rarely visited, and after spring arrived he stopped appearing all together. This made the fireplace very sad. Then one summer night, the fireplace saw the mouse dart across the room. The fireplace asked, "Dear friend, why don’t you visit me anymore?"

"Because you no longer provide the warmth that attracted me," the mouse replied.

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