Once, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ran through a maze lookingfor cheese to nourish them and make them happy.

　　Two were mice named "Sniff" and "Scurry" and two were littlepeople - beings who were as small asmice but who looked and acted a lot like people today. Their names were "Hem" and "Haw".

　　Due to their small size, it would be easy not to notice what the four of them were doing. But if youlooked closely enough, you could discover the most amazing things!

　　Every day the mice and the littlepeople spent time in the maze looking for their own special cheese.

　　The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing only simple rodent brains, but good instincts, searched forthe hard nibbling cheese they likes, as mice often do.

　　The two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used their brains, filled with many beliefs, to search for a verydifferent kind of Cheese - with a capital C - which they believed would make them feel happy andsuccessful.

　　As different as the mice and littlepeople were, they shared something in common; every morning,they each put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their little homes, and raced out into themaze looking for their favourite cheese.

　　The maze was a labyrinth of corridors and chambers, some containing delicious cheese. But therewere also dark corners and blind alleys leading nowhere. It was an easy place for anyone to getlost.

　　 However, for those who found their way, the maze held secrets that led them enjoy a better life.

　　The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used the simple, but inefficient, trial-and-error method of findingcheese. They ran down one corridor and if it proved empty, they turned and ran down another.

　　Sniff would smell out the general direction of the cheese, using his great nose, and Scurry wouldrace ahead. They got lost, as you might expect, went off in the wrong direction and often bumpedinto walls.

　　However, the two littlepeople, Hem and Haw used a different method that relied on their ability tothink and learn from their past experiences, although, they would sometimes get confused by theirbeliefs and emotions.

　　Eventually in their own way, they all discovered what they were looking for - they each found theirown kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C.

　　Every morning after that, the mice and the littlepeople dressed in their running gear and headedover to Cheese Station C. It wasn't long before they each established their own routine.

　　Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every day and race through the maze, always following thesame route.

　　When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes, tied them together andhung them around their necks - so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed them again.

　　Then they enjoyed the cheese.

　　In the beginning Hem and Haw also raced toward Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the tastynew morsels that awaited them.

　　But after a while, a different routine set in for the littlepeople.

　　Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese Station C.

　　After all, they knew where the Cheese was now and how to get there.

　　They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there. They just assumed it would bethere.

　　 As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C each morning, they settled in and madethemselves at home. They hung up their jogging suits, put away their running shoes and put ontheir slippers. They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.

　　"This is great," Hem said. "There's enough Cheese here to last us forever." The littlepeople felthappy and successful, and thought they were now secure.

　　It wasn't long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at the Cheese Station C as theircheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer toit, and built a social life around it.

　　To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and Haw decorated the walls with sayings and evendrew pictures of Cheese around them which made them smile. One read:

　　HAVING CHEESE MAKES YOU HAPPY.

　　Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C,and point to it with pride, saying, "Pretty nice Cheese, huh?" Sometimes they shared it with theirfriends and sometimes they didn't.

　　"We deserve this Cheese," Hem said. "We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it."He picked up a nice fresh piece and ate it.

　　Afterwards, Hem fell asleep, as he often did.

　　Every night the littlepeople would waddle home, full of Cheese, and every morning they wouldconfidently return for more.

　　They went on for quite some time.

　　After a while Hem's and Haw's confidence grew into arrogance. Soon they became so comfortablethey didn't even notice what was happening.

　　 As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrived early each morning andsniffed and scratched and scurried around Cheese Station C, inspecting the area to see if there hadbeen any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down to nibble on the cheese.

　　One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese.

　　They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply of cheese had been gettingsmaller every day, they were prepared for the inevitable and knew instinctively what to do.

　　They looked at each other, removed the running shoes they had tied together and hung convenientlyaround their necks, put them on their feet and laced them up.

　　The mice did not overanalyze things. And they were not burdened with many complex beliefs.

　　To the mice, the problem and the answer were both simple. The situation at Cheese Station C hadchanged. So, Sniff and Scurry decided to change.

　　They both looked out into the maze. Then Sniff lifted his nose, sniffed and nodded to Scurry, whotook off running through the maze while Sniff followed as fast as he could.

　　They were quickly off in search of New Cheese.

　　Later that same day, Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C. They had not been payingattention to the small changes that had been taking place each day, so they took it for granted theirCheese would be there.

　　They were unprepared for what they found.

　　"What! No Cheese?" Hem yelled. He continued yelling, "No Cheese? No Cheese?" as though ifhe shouted loud enough someone would put it back.

　　"Who moved my Cheese?" he hollered.

　　Finally, he put his hands on his hips, his face turned red, and he screamed at the top of his voice,"It's not fair!" Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too, had counted on finding Cheese at Cheese Station C.

　　He stood there for a long time, frozen with shock. He was just not ready for this.

　　Hem was yelling something, but Haw didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to deal with what wasfacing him, so he just tuned everything out.

　　The littlepeople's behavoir was not very attractive or productive but it was understandable.

　　Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it meant a great deal more to the littlepeople than just havingenough of it to eat every day.

　　Finding Cheese was the littlepeoples' way of getting what they though they needed to be happy.

　　They had their own ideas of what Cheese meant to them, depending on their taste.

　　For some, finding Cheese was having material things. For others it was enjoying good health, ordeveloping a spiritual sense of well-being.

　　For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having a loving family someday and living in a cozycottage on Cheddar Lane.

　　To Hem, Cheese was becoming A Big Cheese in charge of others and owning a big house atopCamembert Hill.

　　Because Cheese was important to them, the two littlepeople spent a long time trying to decide whatto do. All they could think of was to keep looking around Cheeseless Station C to see if the Cheesewas really gone.

　　While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued to hem and haw.

　　They ranted and raved at the injustice of it all. Haw started to get depressed. What would happenif the Cheese wasn't there tomorrow? He had made future plans based on this Cheese.

　　The little people couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? No one had warned them. Itwasn't right. It was not the way things were supposed to be.

　　 Hem and Haw went home that night hungry and discouraged. But before they left, Haw wrote onthe wall :

　　THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR CHEESE IS TO YOU THE MORE YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO IT.

　　The next day Hem and Haw left their homes, and returned to Cheese Station C again, where theystill expected, somehow, to find their Cheese.

　　The situation hadn't changed, the Cheese was no longer there. The littlepeople didn't know what todo. Hem and Haw just stood there, immobilized like two statues.

　　Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put his hands over his ears. He just wanted to blockeverything out. He didn't want to know the Cheese supply had gradually been getting smaller. Hebelieved it had been moved all of a sudden.

　　Hem analyzed the situation over and over and eventually his complicated brain with its huge beliefsystem took hold, "Why did they do this to me?" he demanded. "What's really going on here?"Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and said, "By the way, where are Sniff and Scurry?

　　Do you think they know something we don't?"Hem scoffed, "What would they know?"Hem continued, "They're just simple mice. They just respond to what happens. We're littlepeople.

　　We're special. We should be able to figure this out. And, besides, we deserve better.

　　"This should not happen to us, and if it does, we should at least get some benefits.""Why should we get benefits?" Haw asked.

　　"Because we're entitled," Hem claimed.

　　"Entitled to what?" Haw wanted to know.

　　"We're entitled to our Cheese." "Why?" Haw asked.

　　"Because, we didn't cause this problem." Hem said. "Somebody else did this and we should getsomething out of it."Haw suggested, "Maybe we should stop analyzing the situation so much and just get along and findsome new Cheese.""Oh no," Hem argued. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."While Hem and Haw were still trying to decide what to do, Sniff and Scurry were already well ontheir way. They went farther into the maze, up and down corridors, looking for cheese in everyCheese Station they could find.

　　They didn't think of anything else but finding New Cheese.

　　They didn't find any for sometime until they finally went into an area of the maze where they hadnever been before: Cheese Station N.

　　They squealed with delight. They found what they had been looking for: a great supply of NewCheese.

　　They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the biggest store of cheese the mice had ever seen.

　　In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese Station C evaluation their situation. Theywere now suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated andangry and were blaming each other for the situation they were in.

　　Now and then Haw thought about his mice buddies, Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they hadfound any cheese yet. He believed they might be having a hard time, as running through the mazeusually involved some uncertainty. But he also knew that it was likely to only last for a while.

　　Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding New Cheese and enjoying it. He thoughtabout how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the maze, and to find fresh NewCheese. He could almost taste it.

　　 The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself finding and enjoying the New Cheese, the more hesaw himself leaving Cheese Station C.

　　"Let's go!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.

　　"No," Hem quickly responded. "I like it here. It's comfortable. It's what I know. Besides it'sdangerous out there.""No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of the maze before, and we can do itagain.""I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost and makinga fool of myself. Are you?"With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding New Cheese faded.

　　So every day, the littlepeople continued to do what they had done before. They went to CheeseStation C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carrying their worried and frustrations with them.

　　They tried to deny what was happening, but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the nextday, and were becoming irritable.

　　Their homes were not the nurturing places they once were. The littlepeople had difficulty sleepingand were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese.

　　But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station C and waited there every day.

　　Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder we'll find that nothing has really changed that much.

　　The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they just hid it behind the wall."The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel while Haw banged on thehammer until they made a hole in the wall of Cheese Station C. They peered inside but found noCheese.

　　They were disappointed but believed they could solve the problem. So they started earlier, stayedlonger, and worked harder. But after a while, all they had was a large hole in the wall.

　　 Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.

　　"Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later they have toput the Cheese back."Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went home to rest and returned reluctantly with Hemto Cheese Station C. But Cheese never reappeared.

　　By now the littlepeople were growing weak from hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of justwaiting for their situation to improve. He began to see that the longer they stayed in theirCheeseless situation, the worse off they would be.

　　Haw knew they were losing their edge.

　　Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, haw, look at me. I keep doing the samethings over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous, itwould be even funnier."Haw did not like the idea of having to run through the maze again, because he knew he would getlost and have no idea where he would find any Cheese. But he had to laugh at his folly when hesaw what his fear was doing to him.

　　He asked Hem, "Where did we put our jogging suits and running shoes?" It took a long time to findthem because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese Station C,thinking they wouldn't be needing them anymore.

　　As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're not really going out into themaze again, are you? Why don't you just wait here with me until they put the Cheese back?""Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't want to see it either, but how I realize they'renever going to put the Old Cheese back. That was yesterday's Cheese. It's time to find NewCheese."Hem argued, "But what if there is no Cheese out there? Or even if there is, what if you don't find it?""I don't know," Haw said. He had asked himself those same questions too many times and startedto feel the fears again that kept him where he was.

　　Then he though about finding New Cheese and all the good things that came with it and gathered hiscourage.

　　"Sometimes," Haw said, "things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one ofthose times, Hem. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we."Haw looked at his emaciated companion and tried to talk sense to him, but Hem's fear had turnedinto anger and he wouldn't listen.

　　Haw didn't mean to be rude to his friend, but he had to laugh at how silly they both looked.

　　As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh athimself, let go and move on.

　　He announced, "It's maze time!"Hem didn't laugh and he didn't respond.

　　Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about.

　　As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of cheese around it, hoping it would help Hem to smile,lighten up, and go after the New Cheese. But Hem didn't want to see it.

　　It read:

　　IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE, YOU CAN BECOME EXTINCT.

　　Then, Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the maze. He thought about how he'dgotten himself into this cheeseless situation.

　　 He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in the maze, or he may not find it. Such fearfulbeliefs were immobilizing and killing him.

　　Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who moved my Cheese?" but Haw was wondering,"Why didn't I get up and move with the Cheese sooner?"As he started out into the maze, Haw looked back to where he had come from and felt its comfort.

　　He could feel himself being drawn back into familiar territory - even though he hadn't found Cheesethere for some time.

　　Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out into the maze. He wrote asaying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time:

　　WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN'T AFRAID?

　　He thought about it.

　　He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse, ifyou don't do something, it can prompt you into an action. But it is not good when you are afraidthat it keeps y............