Short Stories Collection I

Advising A Fool

On a mango tree in a jungle, there lived many birds. They were happy in their small
nests. Before the onset of the rainy season, all the animal of the jungle repaired their
homes. The birds also made their homes more secure.

Many birds brought twigs and leaves and others wove their nests. “We should also store
some food for our children," chirped one of the birds. And they collected food, until they
had enough to see them through the rainy season. They kept themselves busy preparing
for the tough times.

Soon the rains came. It was followed by thunder and lighting. All the animals and birds
stayed in their homes.

It continued raining for many days. One day, a monkey wet in the rain came into the
forest. He sat on a branch, shivering with cold, water dripping from its body.

The poor monkey tried his best to get shelter, but in vain. The leaves were not enough
to save him from the rains. “Brrr! It is so cold!" said the monkey.

The birds were watching all this. They felt sorry for the monkey but there was little they
could do for him. One of them said, “Brother! Our small nests are not enough to give you
shelter."

Another bird said, “All of us prepared for the rainy season. If you had, you would not be
in this piteous situation."

“How dare you tell me what to do?" said the monkey, growling at the bird. The monkey
angrily pounced on the bird’s nest, tore it and threw it on the ground. The bird and her
chicks were helpless.

The poor bird thought, “Fools never value good advice. It is better not to advise
them."
 Short Stories Collection I
Foolish Imitation

Long ago, a hawk lived on the top of a hill. At the foot of the hill there was a banyan tree
on which a crow used to perch everyday. The crow was very foolish. He would imitate
everyone.

The hawk atop the hill would fly down everyday in search of food. The crow watched the
hawk circling in the air for long hours and swooping down when he saw his prey. The
hawk gifted with eyes that could see long distances would spot his prey from the hill top
and then fly down to pounce upon the prey.

The crow watched the hawk thinking, “Hunh! If the hawk can do that, I too can. What
does he think? One day, I will show the hawk that I can do the same thing."

A few days later, as the hawk was circling in the air, the crow decided to do the same.
Suddenly a baby rabbit came out of the bushes. The hawk saw it and the crow too saw
the rabbit.

Before the crow could move, the hawk swooped down, caught hold of the rabbit in his
strong sharp talons and flew away. “Swoosh!" was all the crow heard as the hawk
disappeared in the sky with his prey. “Hmmph! That is no great skill," thought the crow,
angrily.

Next moment he spotted a big fat mouse coming out of a hole. Without wasting time, the
crow swooped down. Like the hawk he tried to catch the mouse in his claws.

But the mouse saw the crow and moved away, the crow crashed against the hill.
“Eeeaaa!" cried the crow in pain.

Just then the hawk came flying down. “I hope, now you know it is not easy to hunt and
it is not easy to imitate, either," said the hawk and flew away.

There after, the crow never imitated any one in its life. It lived happily with the
god-given abilities.
 Short Stories Collection I

The Hospitality of The Pigeon

Once upon a time, there lived two pigeons. They were husband and wife. They spend
their day looking for food. In the evening they would come and rest on their favorite tree
in the forest.

One evening, the wife returned home early. A usual she was waiting for her husband,
when suddenly it started raining. She strated to worry. “Where are you, my dear? You
never get so late," she whispered to herself.

Just then she saw a bird-catcher coming towards her. In a cage he had a pigeon. It was
her husband. “OH no, what shall I do now" I wish I can help my husband," she said. She
desperately tried to distract the bird-catcher by flapping her wings, but all in vain.

Soon, it stopped raining. “Brrr! It is so cold," said the bird-catcher. His clothes were wet.
He decided to sit under the same tree where the two pigeons lived.

The poor wife sat by her husband’s cage. And she started to cry. The husband said. “Do
not feel sad, dear. We now have a guest. This man is shivering and hungry. He needs
your help." Hearing this, the wife flew around getting dry twigs. She made a fire for the
bird-catcher. Then she looked at the bird-catcher and said, “You are our guest, since I
have no food to offer, I will jump into this fire. In few minutes I will become an edible
item for you. You can eat me."

By now, the bird-catcher was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the humble pigeon
couple. He at once stopped the wife jumping into the fire.

He opened the cage and set the husband free. “I have been cruel and selfish. I will never
trap any bird in my net again," said the bird-catcher and went away. The two pigeons
were happy to be reunited.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Arrogant Swans

In a far away kingdom, there was a river. This river was home to many golden swans.
The swans spent most of their time on the banks of the river. Every six months, the
swans would leave a golden feather as a fee for using the lake. The soldiers of the
kingdom would collect the feathers and deposit them in the royal treasury.

One day, a homeless bird saw the river. “The water in this river seems so cool and
soothing. I will make my home here," thought the bird.

As soon as the bird settled down near the river, the golden swans noticed her. They
came shouting. “This river belongs to us. We pay a golden feather to the King to use this
river. You can not live here."

“I am homeless, brothers. I too will pay the rent. Please give me shelter," the bird
pleaded. “How will you pay the rent? You do not have golden feathers," said the swans
laughing. They further added, “Stop dreaming and leave once." The humble bird pleaded
many times. But the arrogant swans drove the bird away.

“I will teach them a lesson!" decided the humiliated bird.

She went to the King and said, “O King! The swans in your river are impolite and unkind.
I begged for shelter but they said that they had purchased the river with golden
feathers."

The King was angry with the arrogant swans for having insulted the homeless bird. He
ordered his soldiers to bring the arrogant swans to his court. In no time, all the golden
swans were brought to the King’s court.

“Do you think the royal treasury depends upon your golden feathers? You can not decide
who lives by the river. Leave the river at once or you all will be beheaded!" shouted the
King.

The swans shivered with fear on hearing the King. They flew away never to return. The
bird built her home near the river and lived there happily forever. The bird gave shelter
to all other birds in the river.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Bonded Donkey

In a small village, there lived a potter. He had a donkey. Everyday his donkey would
carry soil from the field to his house. Since the field was quite far off, the potter would
rest under a tree midway, tying his donkey nearby.

One day, the potter forgot to take the rope with which he tied the donkey everyday.
When he reached the tree, he thought, “How do I tie this donkey today? He might run
away if I sleep. “The potter decided to tie down holding the donkey’s ears so that the
donkey would not run away.

But this way neither the donkey was comfortable nor the potter was able to take rest. A
saint, who happened to be passing by, saw the potter holding on to the donkey’s ears.
Then the saint wanted to know what the problem of the potter was. When the potter told
the saint what the problem was, the wise saint said, “Take the donkey to the place where
you tie him everyday. Pretend to tie him using an imaginary rope. I assure you he won’t
run away." The potter did what the saint had said.

He left the donkey and went to take a nap. When he woke up, to his surprise and relief,
he found the donkey standing in the same place.

Soon the potter prepared to leave for home. But the donkey did not move. “What is
wrong with this donkey!" exclaimed the potter in frustration.

Luckily, the potter saw the wise saint again. He ran up to the saint and told him about the
donkey’s strange behavior. The saint said, “You tied up the donkey, but did you untie
him?" Go and pretend to untie the rope with which you had tied the donkey." The potter
followed the saint’s advice.

Now the donkey was ready to leave for home. The potter understood that donkey was
the bonded donkey. The potter thanked the wise saint and went home happily with his
donkey.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Bone in Throat

Once upon a time, there was a lazy wolf living in a jungle. Near his house was a pond.
Many animals came to the pond to drink water. The wolf was always in search of food.

One day, he was sitting near the pond hoping to get something to eat. When suddenly he
spotted a dead bull. “Aha! What a luck! Now I can eat all I want," he thought and his
mouth strated watering.

He began to eat the bull. A thought struck him, “if another beast comes this way he will
ask for a share. I had better eat fast." ‘Grub! Grub! Grub! Grub1’ he chewed, faster and
faster.

In his haste, a piece of bone got stuck in his throat. “Ohh! Errk!" cried the wolf. He tried
to bring it out of his mouth. He tried to cough it out but in vain. Next, he tried to swallow
it down but he failed.

“Ooh, the bone in throat hurts. What shall I do now?" thought the wolf. Suddenly he
remembered that a crane lived on the nearby riverbank.

The wolf went to the crane and pleaded, “My dear Crane! I have got a bone stuck in my
throat. I will give you a present, if you pull it out of my throat with your long beak."

The crane took pity on the wolf. He asked the wolf to look up with his mouth open. The
crane then put its head into the wolf’s mouth and pulled out the bone.

“Oh! What a relief!" the wolf sighed.

“Now where is my present?" asked the crane.

“What present?" the wolf replied, pretending not aware of its promise.

“You said that you would give me a present if I remove the bone from your throat," said
the crane humbly.

“Hah! Is it not a present that you put your head into my mouth and got out alive? I could
have easily crushed your head while your beak was inside my mouth," said the
ungrateful wolf and went away.

The crane felt helpless and decided not to help any ungrateful creature in the future.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Brahmin and His Enemies

Long ago, a poor Brahmin lived with his family in a small house. His disciples would help
him with food and clothes. He somehow managed to pass his days.

One day, the Brahmin received two calves as a gift from one of his disciples. He was
overjoyed. Though he had difficulty in arranging for fodder and grain for the calves, he
managed to feed the two calves. Years passed by and the calves grew up into two
bullocks.

A thief had seen the bullocks. “The foolish Brahmin does not even know the proper use
of these bullocks. I will steal the bullocks and sell them," he thought.

That evening, the thief started for the Brahmin’s house. While on his way, the thief was
stopped by a fierce demon. “I am hungry. I will eat you," said the demon, in a thundering
voice. “Wait! Wait, dear friend! I am a thief I am on my way to the Brahmin’s house to
steal his bullocks. You can eat the Brahmin instead of me," said the thief.

The demon agreed. The thief and the demon proceeded towards the Brahmin’s house.
Reaching the house of the Brahmin, the thief said, “Let me take the bullocks and go.
Then you can eat the Brahmin."

“No! Let me eat the Brahmin first. I am hungry," roared the demon. The two started to
quarrel.

The noise woke up the Brahmin. As soon as he saw the demon, he started chanting some
mantras. The demon uttered a sharp cry, “AAIEE!" and disappeared.

Then the Brahmin got hold of a thick stick, “You tried to steal my bullocks, did you?" said
the Brahmin. And he thrashed the thief. Thus the Brahmin saved himself from the
demon and eventually punished the thief.

The Brahmin and His Enemies were separated from each other.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Curse of The Bullock

Long time ago, in a small village lived an old woman with her daughter. While the old
woman was hard working, her daughter was lazy and selfish. They had a bullock. “We
should take proper care of our bullock." The old woman would say. “Hah! Animals should
serve us, not we serve them," the daughter would reply.

There was a pond, at some distance from the old woman’s house. Every afternoon, she
used to take the bullock to the pond to have a bath and to drink water. Meanwhile the
lazy daughter would eat and sleep.

One day, the old woman fell ill. She requested her daughter to take the bullock to the
pond. “It is very hot today, dear! The bullock must be thirsty," said the old woman. “Look!
I have some sweets here. I know you love sweets, dear. Take the bullock for a drink.
While he is drinking water, you can eat these sweets," the old woman added, handing a
box of sweets to her daughter. The greedy girl agreed.

But as soon as she was out of her mother’s sight, the lazy girl tied the bullock to a tree
and sat down to eat the sweets. The thirsty bullocks waited for the daughter to finish
eating the sweets. “I hope she eats fast. I am really thirsty," thought the bullock. But
after having eaten all the sweets, the daughter returned home and lied to her mother
that she had taken the bullock to the pond and that the bullock drank water from the
pond.

The bullock was extremely angry. He cursed the daughter, “In your next birth, you may
be born as a Chatak, a bird that drinks water when only it rains. As you kept me thirsty
today, so will you remain thirsty."

The Curse of The Bullock came true. In her next birth, the daughter was born a Chatak.
It is said that a Chatak is a bird that waits for rains, remaining thirsty throughout the
year, despite having water all around.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Clever Crow

Once upon a time there lived a crow. She had built her nest on a tree. At the root of the
same tree, a snake had built its home.

Whenever the crow laid eggs, the snake would eat them up. The crow felt helpless. “That
evil snake. I must do something. Let me go and talk to him," thought the crow.

The next morning, the crow went to the snake and said politely, “Please spare my eggs,
dear friend. Let us live like good neighbors and not disturb each other."

“Huh! You cannot expect me to go hungry. Eggs are what I eat," replied the snake, in a
nasty tone.

The crow felt angry and she thought, “I must teach that snake a lesson."

The very next day, the crow was flying over the King’s palace. She saw the Princess
wearing an expensive necklace. Suddenly a thought flashed in her mind and she
swooped down, picked up the necklace in her beak and flew off to her nest.

When the Princess saw the crow flying off with her necklace, she screamed, “Somebody
help, the crow has taken my necklace."

Soon the palace guards were running around in search of the necklace. Within a short
time the guards found the crow. She still sat with the necklace hanging from her beak.

The clever crow thought, “Now is the time to act." And she dropped the necklace, which
fell right into the snake’s pit of house.

When the snake heard the noise, it came out of its pit of house. The palace guards saw
the snake. “A snake! Kill it!" they shouted. With big sticks, they beat the snake and killed
it.

Then the guards took the necklace and went back to the princess. The crow was happy,
“Now my eggs will be safe," she thought and led a happy and peaceful life.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Clever Bull

There was a forest with many birds and animals. Once, a bull wandering in the forest
came upon a cave. Near the cave was a big pond and lush green grass. “This is an ideal
place for me to settle down," the bull thought. So, he made the cave his home. Many
days passed. The bull became quite healthy, grazing in the meadows. The bull was
happy and peaceful living in that cave. He had made many friends in that forest.

One day, the bull was resting outside his cave house. A lion happened to come by that
way. The lion was happy to have spotted a bull after a long time. “Aha! A bull! He is so
healthy too," thought the majestic lion, licking his lips in anticipation of a good meal. The
bull too noticed the lion. He could sense danger. I must be on my guard now," the bull
thought and decided to do something to hide himself from the lion.

When the lion came close to the bull, the clever bull looked into the cave and called out,
“Darling, do not cook anything for dinner. I have just spotted a lion. I am waiting for it
to come near." When the lion heard the bull, he returned around and ran for his life.

A jackal saw the lion running breathlessly. “Why are you running, Mr. Lion?" asked the
jackal. The lion told him all that had happened. “The bull has made a fool out of you,"
replied the jackal. And the jackal added, “Come with me. Together we can feast on the
bull." But the lion was too scared to believe the jackal.

The jackal understood why the lion was hesitating to come with him. “Alright then! Tie
your tail with mine and let me lead you to the cave of the bull. In case the bull attacks,
then I will be the one who will get caught first," the jackal said.

The lion agreed to this plan of action prepared by the jackal. And then the lion and the
jackal tied their tails together. They set off to the bull’s cave.

Both the lion and the jackal went near the cave where the bull was. When the bull saw
the lion coming with the jackal, he thought, “I am sure that cunning jackal knows I
fooled the lion. Without panicking, the bull cried out to the jackal, “I had asked you to
being me two lions. Do you want me to keep my children hungry?"

Even this time the lion did not realize that the bull was again fooling him. He was terrified.
He ran as fast as he could run dragging the jackal with him over stones and thorns. The
clever bull outwitted his enemies and saved himself from its enemies.

Both the lion and the jackal never returned that way. Thereafter the bull lived a peaceful
and happy life with his wife and children.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Clever Fox

There once lived a crow. One day he was very hungry. He had not been able to get any
food the previous day. “If I do not get anything to eat I will starve to death," he thought.

As the crow was searching for food, his eyes fell on a piece of bread. He quickly swooped
down, picked it up and flew off. Far away in a lonely place he sat on a tree to enjoy the
bread.

Just then a hungry fox saw the crow sitting on the tree holding the bread in his mouth.
“Yummy! That bread looks delicious. What I would give to get that piece of bread," the
fox thought.

The fox decided to use all his cunning means to get the piece of bread from the mouth
of the crow. He sat under the tree. The crow saw him and thought, “I guess this fox
wants to eat my bread. I shall hold it carefully." And he held on to the bread even more
tightly.

The clever fox spoke to the crow politely. He said, “Hello friend! How are you?" But the
crow did not say anything.

“Crows are such lovely birds. And you are very charming too," said the fox, flattering the
crow.

Then the fox said," I have heard that besides being beautiful you also have a sweet voice.
Please sing a song for me."

By now the crow started to believe what the fox was saying. “The fox knows true beauty.
I must be the most beautiful bird in this whole world. I will sing him a song," thought the
crow.

As soon as the foolish crow opened his mouth to sing the bread fell from its beak and into
the ground. The Clever fox, which had just been waiting for this very moment, caught
the bread in his mouth and gulped it down his throat.

The crow had paid a heavy price for his foolishness.

 Short Stories Collection I
The Cunning Bats

Many years ago, the members of the jungle did not have any King. The animals said,
“The lion must be the King of this jungle." While the birds said, “The Hawk must be the
King." There were many discussions and debates, but no final decision could be taken.

The bats were cunning. They approached the animal and said, “Since we too are animal,
we would like our dear lion to be the King. He is surely the most powerful among us."
And the animals thought that the bats were on their side.

The bats then went to the birds. “Since we are birds, our dear Hawk must be made the
King of this forest. He is so royal and dignified," they said. And the birds thought that the
bats were on their side.

A few days went by. One day the birds came to know that the cunning bats were not
honest. They informed the animals about this. “So the bats think they are clever, let us
teach them a good lesson," said the animals.

So, the next day, the birds and the animals made peace with each other. The lion was
made the King. The newly crowned King addressed to the bats, “You must choose the
group to which you belong." The bats thought. “We must join the animals because the
lion is the King."

“We are animals!" the bats announced. “But you have wings. No animal has wings. You
must join the birds," said all the animals. “Bats have babies. They do not lay eggs. And
birds lay eggs. Since, the bats give birth to young babies without eggs, they can not be
birds," said the birds.

The bats felt helpless. They just stood there, not knowing what to do.

Since then, the cunning bats have been hiding during the daytime in deserted places.
They come out for food only at night when others are asleep.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Dangerous Helper

In a dense forest, there was lake. All the animals used to drink water from the lake. The
water of this lake was so sweet that many fish lived there for long time. In this lake there
lived a crab. The crab’s best friend was a swan. That swan was in the same lake. They
were happy in the company of each other. Their happiness lasted until one day a snake
made its home near the lake.

Every day the swan laid an egg. The snake would come and eat it up. “I have to find a
way to save my eggs," thought the swan.

One day, he went to the crab and said, “Please help me, dear friend. My eggs are under
threat. That cruel snake eats all the eggs in the nest. What can I do?"

The crab decided to help its best friend. The crab thought for a while. Then he said, “I
have an idea. Let us catch some fish from this lake and scatter them from the snake’s
house till the mongoose house." That mongoose lived in the nearby tree.

Then, the crab and the swan caught some fish and dropped them from the mongoose’s
house all the way to the snake’s house. Then both of them hid behind a tree and watched.
They waited for some time. After a long time, the mongoose came out. He saw the fish
and was overjoyed. “Mymm! Fish right outside my own house!" he said, smacking his
lips. He happily ate all of them one by one. As he ate he kept following the fish trail to the
snake’s house. Finally, the mongoose reached the house of the snake. Both the crab and
the swan were watching all these events, waiting behind the tree.

When the snake saw the mongoose, he thought, “That mongoose is here to attack me.
I had better fight with it." After some time, the snake started to fight with the mongoose.
They fought for some time. After a fierce battle, the mongoose killed the snake.

Watching this behind the tree, the swan and the crab heaved a sigh of relief. But her joy
was short-lived. The next day, the mongoose, looking for more fish, came upon the
swan’s nest. There the mongoose found more eggs of the swan. He immediately ate all
of them. The swan and the crab now felt helpless. They had brought this new threat upon
themselves. They did not know that the mongoose was the dangerous helper. “Our
thoughtlessness has got us a new enemy. Even more dangerous than the previous
enemy," cried the two friends.

After few days, they decided to form one more plan to get rid of the dangerous helper -
mongoose. It is must to be careful while fighting with an enemy.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Donkey and The Cotton

There once lived a salt merchant. He had a monkey for his assistance. Every morning, he
would load a sack of salt on the donkey and go to the nearby town to sell it. On the way,
they had to walk across a pond.

One day, while crossing the pond, the donkey thought,"Ooh! This load is so heavy that
I become exhausted very soon. I wish I could get some of this load taken off my back."
Just then the donkey tripped and fell into the water.

Fortunately, the donkey was not hurt. But the sack of salt on the donkey’s back fell into
the water. Both the donkey and the salt became wet. Some of the salt in the sack got
dissolved, making the load on the donkey lighter. The donkey felt very happy about the
reduction in the weight of the sack of salt on its back. The merchant did his best to help
the donkey to get up and they carried on their journey.

From that day, it became a regular practice for the donkey to slip and fall in the pond
whenever they crossed the pond to the market. This would dissolve some salt in the sack
thus reducing the weight and relieving the donkey of some load. The merchant was not
aware of the donkey’s cunningness. This continued for a few days.

One day, the merchant noticed the donkey deliberately slipping and landing with the
sack into the water. “Oh! So this is the way I am losing my salt everyday" he thought. He
decided to teach the donkey a lesson.

Next morning, instead of loading a sack of salt, the merchant loaded a sack of cotton on
the donkey’s back. As usual they had decided to reach the market by crossing the same
pond. While crossing the same pond, the donkey, as usual, slipped and fell into the pond,
hoping that after some time the weight of the sack would go reduced. As usual, both the
donkey and the cotton would become wet. But this time, when he got up, the load on his
back seemed heavier. “Ooh! The Load seems to have gotten heavier," thought the
donkey. The donkey was astonished at what had taken place against the usual result.

The merchant looked at the donkey and said, “Dear friend, I saw you fall into the water
of the pond deliberately every day with the malicious intention of reducing the weight of
the salt. So, I loaded a sack of cotton today. Cotton when wet gets more weight and
becomes heavier. Now you will have to carry it to the town." The poor donkey had learnt
his lesson.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Donkey and The Dog

A washer man had a donkey and a dog. Both the donkey and the dog helped his master
in many ways. One night, few thieves broke in the house of that washer man. The dog
heard them and started barking. The washer man got up and so did the neighbors.
“What is that? A dog. Let us run," said the thieves. They feared some dangerous
consequences. By that time many people gathered in the street. They tried to run away
but they were caught by the people.

The washer man said, “I am glad I had this dog in my house. I am sure the thieves would
have looted me if my dog had not barked." The washer man was highly proud of the dog.
Every one too praised the dog.

From that day, the donkey started thinking, “The master thinks that the dog is a more
useful animal than me." The donkey decided he will show his master, the washer man,
that he too could be useful just like the dog. Few days passed. One night, it so happened,
two thieves again entered the washer man’s house. The thieves became aware of the
animals, present in that house. “We should be careful, friend! I have heard that a dog
guards this house," one thief said to the other.

As the thieves peeped in, they saw the dog sitting just outside the main door. “It seems
the dog is quite alert," said one thief.

“It is better to leave this house alone. We had better go at once," the other thief said and
the two thieves fled. But unknown to the thieves, the donkey was watching all this. He
thought, “It is a good opportunity for me to show my master that I too can be useful to
him. The thieves have run away. If I start shouting, the master will think that I have
driven the thieves away and out of this house." And the foolish donkey started braying
loudly.

When the washer man heard the donkey bray at this odd hour, he got angry. He came
out with a stick and thrashed the donkey. “This will teach him not to bray at night," he
screamed. The donkey got all the thrashes in silence. It did not know what was taking
place.

Just then the dog came to the donkey and said, “It is better to do your duties than try to
be like me." The donkey knew that the dog was right.There after both the donkey and
the dog remained peaceful.
 Short Stories Collection I
The Donkey and The Horse

Once, there lived a washer man named Bheema. He had a donkey and a horse. The
donkey carried clothes to the pond and back to his house. The horse carried Bheema to
the market and back, occasionally. The donkey worked much harder than the horse.

On a bright sunny day, Bheema was going to the pond with donkey. He took the horse
along to give it a drink of water. The donkey was carrying a heavy load of clothes. The
horse was carrying nothing. The load was unusually heavy and the donkey’s back was
hurting.

When the pain became unbearable the donkey said to the horse, “This load is too much
for me, brother! Please take some of this load on your back."

The horse replied some what rudely, “Eh! Why should I? I am here only to carry our
master to the market." The proud horse continued on his way. The day was getting
hotter as the day went on. The donkey felt totally exhausted. He was almost dragging
himself. “Humph! Humph!" The donkey tried to move. He just could not. The poor
donkey collapsed to the ground. “Oh! What has happened to the poor donkey?" thought
the washer man.

Immediately he took the load off the donkey. “Indeed the load is really very heavy. I
should have been little more careful," thought the washer man. Then he gave some
water to the donkey. The donkey felt better now.

The washer man then picked up the bundle of clothes off the back of the donkey and
placed it on the horse’s back. “Umf! Umf! Came the sound from the horse’s mouth. “I
should have helped the donkey. I made a mistake. I should have taken half the load
when the donkey requested me. Now I realize sharing a burden is easier." The horse
carried the heavy load of clothes for the remaining distance. There after both the donkey
and the horse lived together.