The Greedy Crane

Once a crane lived by the side of a lake. The lake had plenty of fish and other water creatures. When the crane was young he had a nice time there. Now the crane was old, far from the swiftness needed to catch a fish often he had remain hungry. One day the crane could not catch a single fish the whole day.

In the evening, the crane started crying loudly out of hunger. The crab and the other fishes heared his loud wailing and asked, why he had been weeping. The clever crane lied “O friends! I am crying for you people”. A fortune teller has told me this lake will dry up very shortly. “I am worried what will happen to you innocent creatures.” as I grew up by this lake the possible death of you friends makes me feel sad and worried. I have even stopped eating my food.

The gullible fishes believed his words and said in a worried voice. “O crane”! You are the oldest and most experienced among us. Please save our lives from this calamity. The shrewd crane, who was waiting for this opportunity. Immediately agreed to render his help. “ There is another lake at some distance from here.” I can pick you up from this lake one by one,” and can drop you there safely. Hearing this, the fishes and other creatures of the pond rejoiced and thanked him for his kind gesture and with this the old crane’s problem of hunger was solved.

The sly crane pretended to help them and started shifting creatures one by one. But this old crane was no saint. On the pretext of shifting the creatures to another lake. He took them in to a deep forest, where there was a big rock. The old crane could very easily kill the creatures there with out any haste and eat them up. Days passed this way. Every day the creatures who were willing to shift to the other lake requested him to oblige them at the earliest possible. The crane took them also and had a nice meal.

One day, a crab who was also the resident of the same lake said, “since long I have been requesting you to transport me to the other lake.” So far you have been obliging only the fishes. Now it is my turn. You take me on your back to the lake. The crane took the crab on his back and flew towards the rock. On the way, the crab asked about the shifted fishes. The crane thought that as the crab was on his back and they far away from the lake. There was no danger in speaking the truth.

He laughed, there is no lake around. All the other creatures who were transported by me are resting safely in my stomuch. Now, be prepared to go to the same place. The moment the crab heard the crane’s bitter truth. He held the crane’s long neck between his sharp claws and severed it. The crane died immediately.

The crab returned to the lake crawling and told the whole story to the residents there. The lake inhabitants thanked the crab for saving their lives with his wit and his promptness.

DO NOT BELIEVE THE WORDS OF AN ENEMY UNDER ANY SITUATION.