A pair of sparrows made a nest on a tree in a forest. They were happy and contented. They were waiting for the eggs to hatch.
It was extremely hot. There was an elephant who was so upset with the heat that he went slightly mad. He ran through the forest pulling up trees, trampling bushes, trumpeting loudly.
And then, he attacked the tree where the sparrows lived. He broke the branch on which their nest was built, smashing the nest and the eggs. The poor sparrows wept for their lost little nestlings. A woodpecker heard Mother Sparrow sobbing and asked her what happened.
“My little ones are all dead,” she wept, “they have been killed by that awful elephant who attacked our tree. I must destroy him! Will you help me find a way, please?” asked the sparrow.
Seeing how unhappy the sparrows were, the woodpecker decided to help them. Besides, the elephant must be stopped from killing more helpless creatures too. So, he began to think hard and slowly a plan came into his mind. For that, he needed the help of three of his friends too: a fly, a frog and the sparrow. The friends got together and planned out how they were going to drive the elephant to his death.
The woodpecker told the fly that she must buzz constantly near the elephant. He would feel drowsy hearing the continuous buzz and gradually he would fall asleep.
Then the sparrows and the woodpecker would attack him. They would peck at him with their tough little beaks, especially at his eyes. Thus the elephant would be blinded. Wounded and in pain, he would stumble around, unable to see anything. He would want to put something cool on his eyes.
At that time, the frog would sit near a deep, muddy ditch and croak loudly. The elephant would hear the frog croaking, and, thinking that there is water, he would go charging towards the sound. And then the frog would hop out of the way. The charging blind elephant would fall straight into the muddy ditch. He would never be able to get out of it again.
“Is it the plan clear to all of you? Do you know what each one of us is supposed to do?” asked the woodpecker.
“Oh, yes,” chorused the team, “We know what we have to do.”
And so the team went to work carrying out their plan smoothly. The fly began buzzing around the elephant. Slowly, his eyes closed and he fell asleep.
The woodpecker and the sparrows pecked out his eyes. The wounded elephant began stumbling around. Hearing the frog croak, the elephant ran towards the sound and fell into the muddy ditch.
