The Stork And The Crab
Once upon a time, there lived an old stork by a pond. He had grown weak with age and could no longer catch fish like he used to. He began to worry “How will I survive now?”
Then he had a clever but cruel idea.
The stork stood still by the pond with a sad face. The fish, frogs, and other creatures noticed and asked “Why do you look so sad?”
The stork sighed and said, “Oh dear friends, I have heard that this pond will soon dry up. People from the nearby village want to fill it and build houses. I am heartbroken. You all will die if you stay here.”
The creatures panicked. “What do we do?” they cried.
The stork replied, “Don’t worry. I know of a big lake not far from here. It’s safe and full of water. I can carry you there, one by one, in my beak.”
The fish and frogs were grateful and started agreeing to go with him. Every day, the stork took one or two animals in his beak—pretending to help them—but instead of taking them to another lake, he flew to a rock far away and ate them!
Days passed. Finally, a clever crab came to the stork and said, “Please take me to the lake too.”
The stork agreed. But the crab, being smart, asked to ride on the stork’s back instead of being carried in his beak.
As they flew, the crab noticed they were heading in a different direction. Looking below, he saw piles of bones near a rock.
The crab realized the truth. “You wicked bird! You’ve been eating my friends!”
Before the stork could react, the crab used his sharp claws and snapped the stork’s neck, killing him instantly. Then he carefully climbed down and crawled back to the pond.
The other animals were relieved to hear the truth. They praised the crab for his cleverness and bravery.
Moral of the Story : Wisdom and alertness can defeat even the most cunning enemy.
By Little Authors
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