story 411
The Musical Donkey
Once upon a time, there was an old thin donkey that worked for a washerman by day. At night he was free to wander as he liked.
One night, he made friends with a jackal and they both went out in search of food. They found a garden filled with cucumbers and helped themselves to a delicious meal. After that they returned every night to the garden to eat cucumbers. And so the donkey started looking healthy and fat.
One night, after a particularly tasty meal, the donkey was overwhelmed with happiness. So happy was he, that he told the jackal he wanted to sing a song. The jackal immediately told him not to do any such thing! He warned the donkey that they were thieves so it was not a good idea to make noise and attract the farmer’s attention. If they were caught, they would be beaten.
But the donkey insisted on singing. The jackal told him that his voice was not sweet. The donkey was upset and thought that the jackal was jealous of him. The jackal warned that donkey again that if he did sing, the farmers would come and reward him in a way that he would not like.
But the donkey started singing, and the jackal decided to wait outside the garden. When the farmers heard the donkey braying, they rushed out to beat him. The donkey fell down and the farmers tied a heavy stone around his neck.
Somehow the donkey dragged himself out to the waiting jackal. The jackal congratulated him on his reward. The donkey realised his mistake and apologised to the jackal for not listening to good advice.