In the name of the Almighty Creator Dewan Shamsudduha

BA(Hons), MA (DU)
Lecturer in English, DRMC
Stories Cont: 01925029225
The Thirsty Crow
Once there lived a crow in a certain forest. On a hot summer day, it became every thirsty. It flew all over the fields searching for
water. For a long time, he didn’t find any. It looked very weak and almost lost all its hope. Its heart became as dry as the desert for it
could not drink for a long period. It wanted to quench its thirst as soon as possible otherwise it would perish.
It had to fly a long distance. All the canals, ponds and ditches had dried up. It thought that its end was not far. Broken hearted, it tried
the last attempt. It flew in another direction. Suddenly, it came by something. A round thing was visible at a distance. It flew straight
down and found that it was a jar of water. Its heart swelled up with hope. “Yes, at last God took pity on me,” the bird said to itself.
When it craved its beak to quench its thirst, it saw to its great shock that the water was at the bottom of the jar. It tried to push its head
into the jar. Sadly, it found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then it tried to push the jar to fall the water to flow out but the jar
was too heavy. Being unable to quench its thirst, it felt utterly tired. With a disappointed look the crow now became to cast tired
glance around it.
Suddenly, it noticed a pile of pebbles at a short distance. As a bird, the crow is not foolish at all. Suddenly, a plan came to its mind. It
took pebbles one by one in its beak and put them into the jar. As more and more pebbles filled the jar, the water level kept rising. At
last the water rose almost up to the brim. Soon, it was high enough for the crow to drink. It was very happy that its plan had worked
out successfully. It began to drink water without any more delay. It dipped its beak and quenched its thirst. It drank to its heart content.
Then it took rest for a while and flew away to its own destination with a contented heart.
Moral: Where there is a will, there is a way/ Necessity is the mother of invention.
The Ant and the Dove

One hot day, being thirsty, an ant was searching for some water. After walking around for some time, she came to a spring. To reach
the spring, she had to climb up a blade of grass. While making her way up, she slipped, lost her balance and fell into the water. The
little waves of the stream washed her away.

A dove happened to be sitting in a tree nearby and saw what happened. He quickly plucked a leaf off the tree and threw it down into
the water next to the ant. Seeing the leaf, the ant got hope. After a great effort, she became able to climb onto the leaf and thus was
saved from drowning. Coming to the shore she still found the dove sitting in her place. The ant, being grateful, thanked the dove from
the core of her heart for saving her life saying. “You have saved my life, friend! I am really grateful to you.” “It’s nothing. I have just
done my duty.” The dove replied. From then on a great friendship grew on between them.

After a few days, one day a hunter came by these woods with his gun to hunt doves. Incidentally , the dove that saved the ant’s life
was sitting on a branch of a tree but she did not noticed the hunter’s presence. But the ant was passing by that way. She noticed
everything. The hunter started to fix up his aim to shoot the dove setting up his gun . The ant knew what he was up to. “How can I
let this hunter catch the dove that saved my life?” he thought. “I must do something! But how can a little ant like me save my friend
from a great big man?” Then she had an idea. She hurried across the path, climbed the man’s leg and then gave him a very sharp
bite. “Owwww!”, yelled the hunter and dropped his gun. The dove flew off. “Thank you, dear ant, for saving my life,” he
called. “I’m too grateful to you and I’ll never forget your kindness!”

Moral:- Do to others as you wish them to do to you.

Two Friends and a Bear

Once there lived two boys in a village who were very bosom friends. They were so close to each other that they would go anywhere
together. Their fame of intimacy was well-known in the whole village. Once they were on a study tour. They were passing through a
deep, thick forest. They were watching the flora and the fauna of the forest. They were so spell-bound by the indigenous beauty of the
forest. They roamed several hours in an aesthetic mind. They were then talking about friendship. “A true friend is one who never
deserts his friend”, one of them said. However, while passing, they had a fear in mind. The forest might be teeming with ferocious
beasts. The two friends took an oath to face any difficulty together and help each other on their way. One would not leave the other in
any situation.
Misfortune awaited them in due course. All on a sudden, a bear was approaching towards them getting the smell of human beings.
There were many tall trees around them. Finding no other alternative, one of the friends started climbing up a tall tree and became
safe. The other friend didn’t know how to climb up a tree. He was quite trembling with fear. “Don’t leave me alone. Please, rescue me.
What should I do now?” he urged. The friend who didn’t know how to climb up a tree was now at the mouth of death. He stood there
helplessly as his only friend deserted him alone. But the idea, that a bear doesn’t eat a dead body, flashed through his mind. He, at
once, strengthened all his courage. He lay flat on the ground pretended to be a dead man. The bear came close to him and felt his face
with its snout. But as the man held his breath and lay quite still, the giant bear took him for a dead man and went away.
The other friend, to his utter surprise, watched everything from the tree. He quickly got down from it and asked his friend, “What did
the bear whisper into your ears?” He was so much surprised seeing his friend saved miraculously. The friend replied promptly, “The
bear told me not to trust a friend who leaves me in danger. He can never be a good friend”. Saying this he went away leaving the
sother friend puzzled.
Moral: A friend in need is a friend in deed/ Every man is for himself.
 The Lion and the Mouse
One summer day a lion ate and drank to his heart’s content. Then a profound sleep came to his eyes. He lay down in his den and
began to sleep cozily and peacefully. A mouse was running about and playing. It didn’t see the sleeping lion. While playing, by
chance, it ran over the lion’s body. The lion woke up and became very angry. He caught the mouse and said, “You little pest! How
dare you disturb me? I will kill you.” The mouse begged pardon. “I am sorry sir. I didn’t intend to disturb you. It happened by
chance”, it explained. “Please, spare me. I may be of use to you one day perhaps”, it added. Actually no creature dared to come near
his den at any time of the day. The little mouse was much frightened. He asked the pardon of the lion for this time only. The lion felt
much amused hearing like this. He smiled and said,” How can a little creature like you be of any use to the king of beasts?”
“Whenever anyone is any danger, he promises like this to get rid of the danger,” he added. The mouse said “I am not like that type, sir.
I know how to be grateful and how to repay debts. I shall at last remain grateful to you for your kindness”. The mighty beast seemed
convinced. He pardoned the mouse and let it go. The mouse thanked the lion and ran away in joy.
One day, after this, the lion was strolling around as usual. Suddenly he was caught in a net set by some hunters. He roared loudly in
rage, tried his best to get free but all his efforts ended in vain. He went on raging as before. The mouse, playing nearby, heard the roar
of the lion. It got frightened and got ready to go to a safer place. Suddenly, it remembered the promise made to that lion. It at once
came to the net. “Your Majesty, don’t worry,” said the mouse. Saying so the mouse first cut one rope of the net with its sharp teeth
and then another and then another. Finally it succeeded in setting the lion free. The lion now got free from danger and became so
happy and pleased with the mouse. Since then the lion and the mouse became good friends which was based on mutual trust. The lion
learnt that no little thing is worthless.
Moral: Good things come in small packages.
The Lying Cowboy/Shepherd
Once there lived a very naughty boy in a village. He used to tend his flock of cows by the side of a dense forest. It was a summer
noon and the sun was shining very brightly. At that very moment, a seamy thought crept into the mind of the mischievous boy. He
thought to play tricks to befool people around him. He cried out at the top of his voice. “The wolf! The wolf! Help! Help!” As the
loud and fearful cry of the shepherd reached every house of the village, the villagers rushed to the pasture near the forest where he
was tending his cattle to rescue him. Some carried long bamboo poles; some carried sharp axes while some other came with other
tools to kill the wolf anyhow. But on their arrival, they could not see any tiger. “Perhaps it went back again to the jungle at the loud
cry of men” someone commented. Then the shepherd laughed at them for pains. They were puzzled and then understood that it was
only a joke. They grumbled in anger, someone admonished the boy. As he was a mere child, they could not punish him. But being
astounded, they left the place.
But telling a lie is a great sin. A sinner can’t go unpunished. The wolf however did truly come one day while tending cows. The
shepherd, now really alarmed, shouted in an agony of terror. “Pray, do come and help me. The wolf is killing the sheep”, the boy
frantically cried. But none paid any heed to his cries nor rendered any assistance. This time they thought that the cow boy had raised a
false alarm as before to enjoy a fun. The men around went away saying, “If the rascal cries out, we won’t go to his help.” The wolf,
having no cause of fear at his leisure, destroyed the whole flock. And then it killed the shepherd. At the time of his death he had
repentance.
A few restless boys who were playing here and there in the village ran there. They noticed that a ferocious wolf had fallen on him and
killed him. They hurried to the villages to inform them. But it was too late. When they reached the spot, they saw long trail blood of
the boy towards the jungle. They had nothing to do but bemoan at the sad lot of the shepherd. He paid a huge price at the cost of his
life for telling lies.
Moral: Nobody believes a liar/ A liar is punished in the long run.
The Old Man and His Quarrelsome Sons
There lived a farmer in a certain village. He had four sons, who always quarrelled with one another. This made the farmer very
unhappy. He tried his utmost to bring them to their senses but they didn’t pay heed to his words. The farmer grew very old and feeble
gradually. The thought of his sons’ future made him feebler. He looked older than his age. One day he became seriously ill. His mind
was still troubled by the thought of their dark future. “How can I bring them to good senses’, asked the farmer to himself. At last an
idea flashed through his mind. He called all his four sons beside his bed. Then the farmer called his sons to bring some sticks and a
rope. They followed their father’s order.
When the sticks and a rope were brought, a bundle was made with these. Then he asked his eldest son to break it. He tried his best but
without any success. Then he asked the other sons one by one to break the bundle. None of them succeeded. Each of them told his
father that it was quite impossible to break it because the bundle was very strong. The farmer was an intelligent and experienced man.
“All right, now I will ask you to do something and hope you will.” said the old farmer. The sons readily agreed to do that.
Then he untied the bundle. He then gave one stick to each of them and asked to break it. This time each son succeeded in breaking the
stick. The sons got curious to know the reason of these activities. “Why have you made us to do so, dear father? What good will come
of it?” said one of the sons. Now the father drew their attention to the tied bundles and the separate sticks. “My sons, each of you have
become successful in breaking a single stick, but none of you could break the bundle, why?”said the old farmer. “In the bundle the
sticks are together”, replied the sons.
“Right you are”, said their father. “Like the sticks of the bundle, if you remain together and attached to one another, nobody can harm
you. If you live apart and divided, your enemy can easily injure you,” Now, the sons understood their follies and promised to remain
together even after their fathers’ death.
Moral: Unity is strength/ United we stand, divided we fall.

The Fox Without a Tail

Once upon a time, there lived a fox in a jungle. He was very clever and cunning in nature. One day the fox was walking through the
jungle. Suddenly he fell into a trap. He landed on his tail. He tried heart and soul to get free but failed. At last he got free but for a
great loss. For getting free from the trap he left his tail behind. Without the tail he looked very strange. So what could he do now? He
began to think. If he got present with this state among the other foxes, they would definitely mark it and make fun with him and he
would be discarded from the society. So how could he save him from the shame and humiliation? Suddenly an idea crossed his mind.
Like his character the idea also was a cunning one. He began to plan to befool the foxes and did accordingly. He called for a meeting.
All the foxes of the jungle were invited to the meeting. Knowing about the meeting all the foxes got curious and said among
themselves, “What is he going to talk about?” Then they decided to attend the meeting.
When all the foxes came, he asked them if they had ever thought about their tail. They remained silent. Then he told him that actually
there was no use of such a tail as they had. It looked ugly and it was an extra part of the body. So after thinking a lot, he decided to cut
his tail and he did so. Hearing these words and seeing the missing tail, the simple foxes got startled but they believed his words.
“What can we do now?” they asked him. “Cut, friends. Cut your tails. Follow me.” When all of them agreed with him and they were
about to cut their tails with a knife, one wise old fox cried out, “Stop. Don’t do this. Don’t follow him. He has not cut his tail. It is
trick. He has actually lost it in a trap.” Hearing these wise words all the other foxes got back their conscience and sense. They
understood that they were going to be made fool by him. So they stopped. Now, as the real motive got exposed, the fox felt shame
and ran away.
Moral: The rouges never come out successful.
The King and the Spider
It was long since Robert Bruce had been the king of Scotland. He was a good ruler and a brave warrior. He loved freedom. Scotland
was then under the domination of England. Robert Bruce wanted to gain freedom of his country and fought against the English. He
met the English soldiers in six battles one by one. But it was the irony of fate that he was defeated each time. At last, he lost heart and
gave up the hope of success. Robert Bruce was dethroned. His enemies were trying to capture him. He became a fugitive. He roamed
about in search of a shelter. He was moving in the hills and forests. At last, he took shelter in a cave.
One day the king was lying in the cave. He was brooding over his misfortune. He was thinking about his lost kingdom, his subjects,
his family and children. “Is there any way out yet? Should I pass my days without doing anything?” he asked himself. Just at that
moment, he found a spider trying to reach the ceiling. His attention was drawn to the repeated efforts of the spider. It was trying hard
again and again. The spider crawled up a few inches and then dropped on its silken thread. But it did not give up its attempts. It tried
again and again and on the seventh time it became successful. The sight of the spider encouraged the king. He thought the spider was
not disheartened in spite of repeated failure. But it went on trying again and again, and at last it came out successful. It raised a new
hope in the king. He came out of the cave and began to gather forces. In his last effort, he came out successful. Scotland was at last
free. From the story it is proved that patience and repeated endeavours can bring anyone success.
Moral: Failure is the pillar if success.
Belling the Cat
Once the house of a rich man was infested with rats. The house became like the town of Hamelin. There were rats everywhere. They
were having a good time. But the members could not enjoy sound sleep. Even the little babies were not free from the attack and biting
of the rats.
The rats would take away foods, cut cloths and tear holes here and there. All the members were in great trouble. At last the owner of
the house hit upon a plan. He knew that rats would run away at the sight of cats. So, he bought a cat. The mice were very afraid of the
cat. They fell in a great difficulty because they could not move freely as before. So, a few days later, all the mice held a meeting to
discuss the matter and find a way to be free from this danger. Several proposals were made but none of the proposal was good enough
to accept. At one point, it seemed to them that they had to finish the meeting without finding any fruitful measure. Right at that
moment, a young mouse rose to speak and said, “I have a good plan for your consideration. Let us tie a bell round the cat’s neck.
Then we will hear him coming and be able to hide ourselves in time.” All the mice appreciated the young mouse for his good plan and
thanked him. At last, an old mouse stood up and said, “No doubt the idea of the young mouse is good. But who will tie the bell?”
Hearing this, all the mice remained silent and felt disappointed. They understood it very well that it’s really very dangerous to tie the
bell round a cat’s neck and he who will go to implement this task must die. At last the meeting ended without finding any way out and
they had nothing to do but to migrate eventually.
Moral: It is easy to say but difficult to do.
The Lion and the Lamb
Once there was a lion in a jungle. One summer day, being thirsty, it was looking for water. After searching for long, it came near a
brook. It began to drink water from the brook. It also happened that a lamb, tiny in shape, being thirsty also looked for water and at
last found water in the brook and began to drink water at the downstream of the same brook. Incidentally the lamb came to the notice
of the lion. As soon as he saw the lamb, his hunger grew larger and a devilish thought crossed his mind. “How nice it would be if I
can devour this tiny creature!” Thinking so, he began to make plan how he could accomplish his evil design. “Will I directly fall on it
or make any excuse? Yes------ I have got.” "Why are you making the water dirty?" the lion roared. “ You tiny devil!
How dare you disturb me by mudding the water?” Hearing these mighty words, the lamb got frightened at first. It was totally helpless
before this king of beasts. But anyhow, it gained courage and told meekly, "But I am down stream while you are drinking water
upstream."
"Maybe so, but you called me names last summer when I came this way, isn’t it?" said the lion visible annoyed.
"It could not be me, because I was only born in spring this year" said the lamb somewhat relieved.
"If it was not you, it must be your mother" roared the lion again. Saying this the lion attacked the lamb and killed him and managed
his meal for that day.
Sheikh Saadi and the Gang of Robbers
Sheikh Saadi was a great poet in Iran. When he was a child, his mother wanted him to be educated. So she wanted to send him to
Baghdad. One day during his boyhood he was going to Baghdad with a group of rich merchants. He was carrying a bundle of books
and some money with him. The merchants took responsibility to take him to Baghdad where Sheikh Saadi would stay and get
education. Then he would become a scholar. However the caravan of the merchants and traders was going to Baghdad fearlessly.
They traveled for twelve days without any trouble. On the thirteenth day a gang of robbers attacked the caravan. The merchants had
their valuable articles, gold, diamonds and other things .They had also a lot of money with them. The robbers snatched away all the
goods and money from the merchants. Sheikh Saadi stood on the corner.
He did not have any fear. He saw the brutality of the robbers. He observed the unkind and immoral activities of them. Suddenly the
leader of the gang saw sheikh Saadi in the corner. He came to saadi .He asked Saddi what things he had with him. Saddi never told a
lie. He was a brave and truthful boy. Though his money was hidden in his dress by his mother, he spoke the truth about his money.
They leader of the robbers ordered Saddi to give all things he had with him.
Without any fear Sheikh Saddi handed him the bundle of books and the hidden money he had .Saddi then said, ‘‘I hope that you will
make good use of these books’’. The gang leader became very surprised to see the courage of Saddi. He observed that he did not fear
them at all. Then the leader of the robbers wanted to know how those books could be used properly.
In reply Sheikh Saadi advised the leader to appoint a good scholar to teach those books to their children. Then the children would
know and tell them what a great sin to rob was, how immoral and brutal to snatch away the wealth of others was. They would tell
them what other great sins there were. Allah would punish us for all these sins and for all wrongdoings like robbing.
Hearing these moral advice the robbers became astonished. The words of Saadi changed their minds. They realized their immoral
activities and crime. Then they returned the goods and money to the merchants. Since then the robbers gave up robbing and became
good and honest. The Greedy Dog
One day a dog was crossing a bridge. The bridge was across a small river. The dog was in a very happy mood because it managed a
piece of meat and was holding it in his mouth. He was thinking that showing it to everyone, he would have a great credit and
enjoyment. But the dog was greedy in mature.
While crossing the bridge, he happened to look down. His sight fell on to the water of the river. But what came to its sight was
unbelievable! There was another dog in the water! It was holding the same piece of meat! If that dog were alone without
any piece of meat, the dog perhaps would try to avoid it because dogs do not want to pick a quarrel with other dogs outside or far
from their residence. But the sight of the piece of the meat made the dog forget everything. “If I have two pieces at a time, it would be
very nice and I can have a nice meal,” the dog thought.
Actually what was appeared to the dog as another dog was nothing but the shadow of his own. The dog could not understand that
because he never crossed a bridge and looked on water in that way. So he got startled and at a time the sense of covetousness seized
him. So failing to resist his temptation, the dog began to bark at the shadow. He said, “You scoundrel, you cannot have that piece
when I am here. I must have that piece too.” But alas! The moment he opened his mouth, his own piece of meat dropped into the
water. The dog jumped after the meat but he failed to get it. He somehow swam to the other bank of the river and remained unfed.
Moral: Too much greed brings destruction.
A Foolish Crow
One day a crow, being very hungry, was looking for food here and there. When it was passing over a market place, it noticed a stall in
which the owner kept some meat in a bowl. Seeing this, the crow stopped, made a plan and sat in the nearest position. When he got a
chance, it stole a piece from the bowl and flew away.
To eat the piece with its heart’s content without ant disturbance; the crow flew a little far and sat on a branch of a tree. But
incidentally , a fox was passing the way where the tree was standing. Unfortunately the fox noticed the crow and its activity. The fox
was cunning in nature. He also set out for finding food. Seeing the fox with the piece of meat in its beak , he got joyous but he did
not express it. He began to find a way how to get the piece from the crow. He knew that the crow was foolish nature. He began to
think how to befool the crow . Then the idea of flattery came into his mind.. So with a cunning laugh in its mouth, the fox addressed
the crow, “ Hey, friend. How are you? I have heard that you have a very sweet voice and you can sing very nicely. I have searched
for you here and there only to hear a song. Now, today after walking a long distance, I have found you here luckily. Now, would you
please give the chance to have the pleasure of listening a song from your mouth?” Hearing these flattery words the crow got very
pleased. Without thinking anything for a moment, it opened its beak to sing a song. But alas! As soon as it opened its mouth, the meat
fell off her beak. The fox at once took it and ran off saying, “ My good crow , your voice is all right but you are lacking in brain.”
The foolish crow now comes to its sense and understands that he made a great mistake believing the false words of the cunning fox.
Moral: It is foolish to believe a flatterer.
A Greedy Farmer and His Wonderful Goose
Once there lived a poor farmer in a village. He had a peculiar goose which laid a golden egg every day. The poor man earned his
livelihood by hard toil in the past. But now he earned his livelihood by selling the eggs in the market. Gradually he became solvent
enough to run his family in a respectable way. Now, he was living a happy life with his family. But he was not satisfied with the
riches and solvency he got. He now became more ambitious and wanted to be the richest person overnight. As we all know that
human greed is inordinate and it brings a man untold suffering. This very greed crept into the mind of this farmer.
“It was true that the goose was the root of my prosperity. But what are the losses if I at once get all the eggs from the magic goose?”
he thought himself. He wanted to cut the belly of the goose open to have all the eggs. He shared his desire with his wife. His wife, not
foolish like him, warned him that he would lose everything by killing the goose. But the farmer was adamant and he would go on with
the plan anyhow. He thought for a long time. He was worried whether he should kill the goose. At last he yielded to temptation.
“What are the uses of listening to a foolish woman?” he thought.
The foolish man didn’t understand that a goose could lay only one egg daily. So, one morning when he got only one egg, he killed the
goose with a sharp knife to get all the eggs once. But to his great sorrow, he found that there were no eggs inside the body of the
goose. He was crying loudly bemoaning his sad lot. His wailing reached the house of the neighborhood. They rushed to the house of
the farmer thinking that some great misfortunes had fallen on them. They came and saw the dead goose there. The farmer cried
aloud,” Alas! What have I done? I have destroyed my own fortune.” They tried to console him, “What is the use of wailing now?”
said one of the neighbours.
The farmer and his wife now could understand their blunder of killing the innocent magic goose which was bringing them good
fortune gradually. But it was too late. His greed again made him a poor, hopeless and hapless man.
Moral: Greed begets sin and sin brings disaster./ Greed destroys good fortune/Grasp all, lose all.
Devotion to Mother/Bayazid’s Devotion to His Mother
Bayazid Bostami was a small boy. His mother was ill. One night the entire village was in deep sleep. He was studying by
the side of the bed of his ailing mother. But all on a sudden, his mother woke upraised her head and told her son to give
her a glass of water. Bayazid went to the kitchen to bring water but he found no water there. He looked for water
everywhere in the house. He was so much devoted to his mother and loved her very dearly. He felt great pity for his
thirsty mother. As a result, he went to a distant fountain to fetch water. But the nearby water hole was far away from the
home. He took the pitcher and started walking to the water hole. Reaching to the hole he filled the pitcher and returned
home as early as possible. He came back with water and found his mother asleep. He did not wake her. He thought
awakening his mother may sour up her illness. Holding a glass of water in a hand, he is still beside his mother’s bed. He
was waiting for his mother’s waking. But she was sound asleep.
When it was dawn Bayazid’s mother woke up and instantly discovered her son standing beside her bed with a glass of
water in hand. At first, she could not understand anything. She wondered for a moment. Then she could realize the fact.
She could not control her tears. She embraced her son with deep love and blessed him from the core of her heart. The
mother impressed with his son’s devotion to her and blessed him from the core of her heart. Then she remembered and
embraced her son with deep love. She earnestly prayed to Allah to bless her son with the highest honor in spiritual life.
Allah granted her prayer and Bayazid became a great saint in his later life.
Dress Does Not Make a Man Great ( Sheikh Saadi and the Noble Man)
Sheikh Saadi was a great poet in Iran. He used to lead a very simple life. Once on his way for a night to the court of the
king of Iran, he took shelter in a noble man’s house for a night. He was then in very simple dress. The noble man could
not recognize him and the treatment he received offended him. But he did not say anything to him.
The next day Sheikh Saadi went to the court of the king and was received with honor. He stayed there for a few days. He
composed some beautiful poems and entertained the king and his courtiers. He received rich gifts from the king. He put
on a very rich and ornamented dress. Thus he was returning to his village. On his way he again visited that noble man’s
house. This time, the rich man was surprised to see Sheikh Saadi in a rich ornamental dress. He was delighted to see the
change in Sheikh Saadi and treated him with the best of the foods and comfort.
While eating, he was surprised to see the rich delicious foods and understood the rich man’s attitude. Sheikh Saadi
then instead of eating the foods started putting them into the pockets of his rich cloth. This surprised the rich man,
“Why are you putting the foods into the pockets of your dress?” said the rich man. “I am putting them into the pockets
of my dress because these foods are meant for my dress, not for me,” said Saadi. The rich man realized his earlier folly
and became ashamed.
Moral: All that glitters is not gold.
Failure Is the Pillar of Success (The King and the Spider)
It was long since Robert Bruce had been the king of Scotland. He was a good ruler and a brave warrior. He
loved freedom. Scotland was then under the domination of England. Robert Bruce wanted to gain freedom of
his country and fought against the English. He met the English soldiers in six battles one by one. But it was the
irony of fate that he was defeated each time. At last, he lost heart and gave up the hope of success. Robert
Bruce was dethroned. His enemies were trying to capture him. He became a fugitive. He roamed about in
search of a shelter. He was moving in the hills and forests. At last, he took shelter in a cave.
One day the king was lying in the cave. He was brooding over his misfortune. He was thinking about his lost
kingdom, his subjects, his family and children. “Is there any way out yet? Should I pass my days without doing
anything?” he asked himself. Just at that moment, he found a spider trying to reach the ceiling. His attention
was drawn to the repeated efforts of the spider. It was trying hard again and again. The spider crawled up a few
inches and then dropped on its silken thread. But it did not give up its attempts. It tried again and again and on
the seventh time it became successful. The sight of the spider encouraged the king. He thought the spider was
not disheartened in spite of repeated failure. But it went on trying again and again, and at last it came out
successful. It raised a new hope in the king. He came out of the cave and began to gather forces. In his last
effort, he came out successful. Scotland was at last free. From the story it is proved that patience and repeated
endeavours can bring anyone success.
Moral: Failure is the pillar of success.
The Honesty of a School Boy
One day a boy named Asif of twelve years old was returning from school. While he was crossing the road
near his house, he pointed out something lying on the road. He went near it and to his utter surprise , he saw
that it was money bag! “Should I take it or not?” he asked himself. “If I take it , people may think that I am a
thief. But if I do not take it, someone other may take it away.” Thinking so, he took the bag and went home
with a worried mind.
 Returning home, the boy told him mother everything and showed the bag. She instantly realized her son’s
condition and took the bag and opened it. The bag was full of money! They could not believe their eyes!
However, she went on searching the bag and found an address, mobile number and a national ID card. Then she
told her son to make a phone call over the mobile. The boy did accordingly. When he made the call, he heard a
lady’s voice. Then he asked her if she was Mrs. Kamal and being assured of her identity, he gave her his
address.
After about an hour, they heard a knock on the door and opened the door. Then Mrs Kamal entered with her
husband. Then Asif introduced them with his mother and told in detailed what happened. Mrs Kamal and her
husband became very glad and astonished at the honesty and responsibility of such a boy like Asif and thanked
him and his mother heartily.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy.
What Is Sport to One May Cause Death to Another (The Frogs and the Naughty
Boys)
There was a small pond in a village. The pond was not so deep. Some frogs lived in there happily. In the rainy
season when the water level rose up, the frogs also rose up and started to play. Some of them often put their
heads out of the water and croaked loudly. They began to pass their very happily. But alas! This happiness did
not last long. One day some boys were playing by the side of the pond. The boys were wicked by nature. They
were expert in committing mischief. However, at one pint of their game, they heard the croaking sound of the
frogs. Being curious they came to the pond to see what was happening there.
They could not believe their eyes! They saw the frogs were making interesting sounds floating their heads.
“Let’s throw stone at them.” One of them proposed. “Good idea!” the others supported him. The boys went to
collect stones from nearby. The frogs noticed the boys but could think what a danger was waiting for them. The
boys came with stones and began to throw them at the frogs. Now the frogs realized what was happening to
them. They instantly went down into the water. The boys stopped and waited to see what the grogs would do.
When the boys halted, the grogs thinking that the cruelty of the boys was over, raised their heads. But the boys
remained standing with their stones and again they began to cast at the frogs when they saw them. The new
game was a great fun to the boys. They went on pelting the frogs with stones whenever they raised their heads
above. Thus many of the grogs were hit hard and a few were killed. And if this continued, probably all the frogs
would have to lose their life. So there should be an end. Thinking so, one of the oldest frogs raised its head
boldly and said to the boys, “Oh, boys. Please! Please, stop your cruel fun. Don’t throw stones at us.” “It’s a
play. We’re enjoying it,” said the boys. “What is play to you is death to us. This is why you should stop it,”
answered the frog. Though the boys were naughty, they were not without heart. They realized their misdeed.
Being ashamed , they stopped their cruel game and went away.
Moral: One should consider other’s pains and problems.
The Wolf and the Lamb
Once there was a wolf in a jungle. One summer day, being thirsty, it was looking for water. After searching for
long, it came near a brook. It began to drink water from the brook. It also happened that a lamb, tiny in shape,
being thirsty also looked for water and at last found water in the brook and began to drink water at the
downstream of the same brook. Incidentally the lamb came to the notice of the wolf. As soon as he saw the
lamb, his hunger grew larger and a devilish thought crossed his mind. “How nice it would be if I can devour
this tiny creature!” Thinking so, he began to make plan how he could accomplish his evil design. “Will I
directly fall on it or make any excuse? Yes------ I have got.” "Why are you making the water dirty?" the wolf
roared. “ You tiny devil! How dare you disturb me by mudding the water?” Hearing these mighty words, the
lamb got frightened at first. It was totally helpless before this unkind beast. But anyhow, it gained courage and
told meekly, "But I am down stream while you are drinking water upstream."
"Maybe so, but you called me names last summer when I came this way, isn’t it?" said the wolf visible annoyed.
"It could not be me, because I was only born in spring this year" said the lamb somewhat relieved.
"If it was not you, it must be your mother" roared the wolf again. Saying this the wolf attacked the lamb and
killed him and managed his meal for that day.
Moral: Might cannot be always right.