1. The Fox and the Stork
A fox invited a stork over for dinner. The fox served a very thin soup in a very shallow bowl. It was easy enough for the fox lap the soup of the bowl. But the stork pecked with her long narrow beak and couldn't get even one drop of soup.
"I'm dreadfully sorry, Stork," said the fox. "It seems that my soup is not to your taste."
"That's quite all right, Fox," said the stork politely. "Why don't you come over to my house for dinner next Tuesday?"
Next Tuesday came around, and the fox visited the stork for dinner. The stork served soup also, but in a jar with a long skinny neck. It was easy enough for the stork to stick her thin beak into the jar and slurp up the soup. But the fox could only lick the rim of the jar. He couldn't get even a drop of soup!
"Oh, I'm so dreadfully sorry, Fox," said the stork. "Perhaps the soup is not to your teste."
The fox just sat there, hungrily licking his chops.
Moral: One who tricks others is bound to get tricked.
2. The Fox and the Grapes
A fox was walking through an orchard on a hot summer day when he spotted a juicy bunch of grapes. They were on a high branch, way above the fox's head. So he crouched down, leaped as high as he could, and snapped his jaws, but missed the grapes.
The fox stared up the grapes. They looked so fat and purple and tasty, his mouth began to water. The fox backed up, got a good running start, and again leaped for the grapes. He snapped his jaws together with a terrific smack. But again, the grapes were beyond the fox's grasp.
The fox gazed up longingly at the grapes. There were so many of them. They were so round, so ripe, so purple, so perfect! He had to h5.ave those grapes. The fox backed up even farther, he ran even faster, he leaped even higher, and he snapped his jaws together even more loudly than before. But when he returned to the ground, still no grapes.
The fox looked up one last time and pronounced, "Those grapes are surely sour."
Moral: One often despises what one cannot have.
3. The Lion And The Mouse
Once upon a time, there was a lion who lived in the jungle. He was asleep under the tree. Then, the mouse came and began to run up and down toward him. The lion was wakened by the mouse's running. He was angry with the mouse. He placed his giant pawn upon the mouse. He also opened his big jaws to swallow the mouse.
"Forgive me, King." The little mouse cried to beg. "Please forgive me this time, and I will never forget it. Some days, I will pay back your kindness with my help, please forgive me, King". The Lion was so shocked and tickled with the mouse’s idea to help him. He thought that is a ridiculous idea. However, he lifted up his paws and let the mouse go.
Once upon a time there was a shepherd who liked to play a trick on the villagers who lived nearby. He'd pretend that his floc of sheep was being attacked by wolves. "Come quickly," he'd yell as loudly as he could. "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!"
Each time, every time, the villagers raced to rescure the shepherd's flock. But each time, every time, there were no wolves to be found. The villagers would turn and walk home. The shepherd would fall on the ground and roll around, screaming with laughter.
But one da wolves really did attack the shepherd's flock.
"Come quickly," he yelled. "Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!"
But this time, no villagers came to help. They'd had enough of the shepherd's silly tricks. They stayed in their village. The shepherd kept yelling. And the wolves kept attacking until they ate up the sheep, every last one.
Moral: Liars are not believed, even when they tell the truth.
5. The water buffalo and the tiger
A farmer was ploughing his fields. “Why are you so lazy?” he asked his water-buffalo pulling the plough. “You are very slow and you have no strength. Look how quick and strong the tiger is! If only you could be like that.”
“Do you really think the tiger is stronger than I? take me to one now and I shall show you,” replied the water-buffalo. He was angry that his master thought he was lazy.
A few days afterwards, the farmer took him to meet a tiger. The tiger roared when he saw the buffalo coming. “What a nice meal!” he thought.
“Mr. tiger,” said the water-buffalo, “Let us see who is stronger. You can bite me three times if you will allow me to butt you three times.”
The tiger agreed. While the tiger sharpener his teeth, the water-buffalo sharpened his horns. The water-buffalo then rolled in the mud and covered himself with leaves. The tiger could not understand why. He asked the water-buffalo but the water-buffalo did not answer him.
“Come, Mr. tiger,’ the water-buffalo said, “You can bite me first.” The tiger bit him three times but he could not bite through the mud and leaves. The water-buffalo then butted the tiger. With the first butt, he tossed the tiger over his shoulder. With the second butt, he killed him.
After that the farmer treated the buffalo very well. He did not dare call him lazy and useless again.
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