The Farmer and His Donkey

Once upon a time, there was a kind farmer who owned a hardworking donkey. Every day, the donkey helped the farmer carry heavy loads of goods to the market. The donkey was old, but it was loyal and always did its best. One morning, the farmer loaded sacks of salt onto the donkey’s back and started walking toward the market. It was a hot day, and the road was long. As they walked, they came to a narrow bridge that crossed a small river. While crossing the bridge, the donkey slipped and fell into the water. When the donkey got up, something surprising happened. The sacks of salt had dissolved in the water, making the load much lighter. The donkey was happy and continued walking with ease.

The clever donkey realized something—if it fell into the water, its load would become lighter. The next day, when the farmer loaded salt again and they reached the river, the donkey pretended to slip and fell into the water on purpose. Once more, the salt dissolved, and the donkey’s load was light. The farmer quickly noticed what the donkey was doing. He decided to teach it a lesson. The next day, instead of salt, the farmer filled the sacks with sponges and loaded them onto the donkey’s back. As usual, the donkey pretended to slip and fell into the river. But this time, the sponges soaked up the water and became very heavy. The donkey struggled to stand and had to carry the much heavier load all the way to the market. The donkey learned its lesson. From that day on, it stopped playing tricks and worked hard without complaining. The farmer was pleased, and they continued to live and work together peacefully.

Moral of the story: This story teaches us that trying to avoid work or responsibilities can sometimes backfire. It’s better to be honest and do our duties properly.