There lived a tortoise in a pond. A fox also lived near by.
Gradually, both had become friends. They would eat together and play together in the evening. They were very happy in each other’s company.
One day, they were walking near the pond.
Suddenly, a hungry cheetah came there from nowhere. Seeing him both ran for their lives.
But the slow-moving tortoise could not reach the water quickly. So he was caught by the cheetah.
Pouncing the tortoise in his paw the cheetah sat under a tree.
He tried to break its hard shell with his sharp pointed claws. Sometimes he toppled the tortoise over.
But it couldn’t make even a scratch on it. The fox was watching the scene from some distance.
The fox thought of a trick to help his friend. So, he came out of the den.
He politely said, “Sir, I tell you how to break the shell of this tortoise.”
“OK, show me the way,” said the cheetah.
“Throw it into the water, for its hard shell will become soft,” said the clever fox.
The cheetah at once threw the tortoise into the water.’s
Once in the middle of the pond, the tortoise was away from danger. Thus, the fox saved his friend’s life.
Moral : A friend in need is a friend indeed.
The Donkey, The Dog & The Letter
Once, a donkey and a dog met on a road. Both were going in the same direction.
So, they became friends and moved together.
They had not gone far when they saw a letter lying on the road.
The dog picked it up and said to the donkey, “Open it and read it out.”
The things liked by a donkey were mentioned in it—grass, fodder, etc.
The dog said impatiently, “Turn over the letter and see something about the things I am fond of— meat, bones, bread, etc.”
The donkey turned the letter over but nothing was there for the dog’s interest.
The dog became sad. It said, “Throw it away; it is of no use to us.”
The donkey was not shocked to hear the dog’s words. He knew why the dog had said so. The letter had nothing for it.
Moral : Creatures are selfish by nature.
