The Dog and the Well

A mother dog and her pups lived on a farm. There was a well on their
farm. The mother dog always told her pups never to go near or play
around it.

One day, one of the pups was overcome by curiosity, wondering why
 The Story of a Rainbow

A very long time ago, there was a nice farmer named John. He married a

beautiful woman and both of them had a beautiful baby boy.

But one day, the wife and son of the farmer got sick. Then the wife wore

her wings and then flew with the son next to her, leaving the farmer alone

and heartbroken.

The gods didn't want to see him sad and heart broken. They help the

farmer by building a gorgeous, colorful bridge. The farmer can climb the

sky and then see his wife and son again.

 The Purse of Gold
A beggar found a leather purse that someone had dropped in a market place.
Opening it, he discovered that it contained 100 pieces of gold. Then he heard a
merchant shout, "A reward! a reward to the one who finds my leather purse!"
Being an honest man, the beggar came forward and handed the purse to the
merchant saying, "Here is your purse. Will you keep your word to give a reward
now?"

"Reward?" scoffed the merchant greedily counting the amount of gold, "The
purse I dropped had 200 pieces of gold in it. You've already stolen more than
the reward I'll give you! Go away or I'll tell the police."

"I'm an honest man," said the beggar defiantly. "Let us take this matter to the
court."

In court the judge patiently listened to both sides of the story and said, "I
believe you both. Justice is possible! Merchant, you stated that the purse you
lost contained 200 pieces of gold. Well, that's a considerable cost. But, the purse
this beggar found had only 100 pieces of gold. Therefore, it couldn't be the one
you lost."

And, with that, the judge gave the purse and all the gold to the beggar
 Getting to Know Joe
I live in an old two-story home in Newark. My neighbors are mostly retired people with
perfect front yards. One of the retirees, Joe Perez, lives on the corner. Because of our time
together last summer, he and I have built a special relationship.

At the start of the summer, Joe and I didn't hit it off too well. He was very picky about his
yard. Every morning he was doing something to make the lawn look better. If we goofed
around and stepped on his grass, Joe would yell at us from his front porch.

Through mid-July his yard was perfect, but then I noticed some changes. I didn't see Joe
outside as much. His grass was getting brown and shaggy, and some weeds were growing
in his flower beds.

It wasn't like Joe to let things go. I didn't dwell on it, but when I walked by his place, I
wondered why he wasn't taking care of his yard.

One day I was sitting on the curb waiting for one of my buddies to show up, when Joe came
out on the porch. I expected him to yell at me for sitting on his grass. Instead, he swayed
back and forth. Then he fell down! I ran to my house and dialed 911.

"My neighbor, Mr. Perez, just passed out! He lives on the corner of Garden and Mills," I
blurted. Then I hurried back to the porch to see what I could do. Joe was awake, but he was
white as a ghost. He stared blankly at me.

"W-what happened to me?" he mumbled.

"You passed out, Mr. Perez," I said, trying to catch my breath. "But help is on its way."

The paramedics came and took Joe to the emergency room. It turned out that Joe had been
forgetting to take his blood pressure medicine. He was going to be all right, and I was glad
about that. He could be a grump at times, but I guess I cared about Joe more than I realized.
I couldn't imagine my neighborhood without him.

Joe thanked me for helping. Then I asked him, "Is there anything I can do for you, Mr.
Perez?" Little did I know that one question would change everything.

Joe found lots of things I could do. Soon I was cutting his grass, weeding his flowers,
trimming his bushes, and edging the grass along his sidewalk. Before long, I was planting
things like a pro and telling kids to stay off the grass. Instead of yelling at me from his porch,
Joe now waved and smiled.

A whole year has passed, and each week I help Joe. I realize that I can make a difference,
so I also help some of the other older neighbors. Joe taught me that helping people is what
life is all about.
 The Lion and the Poor Slave
There was once a slave who was treated cruelly by his master. One
day, he couldn't take it anymore and ran to the forest to escape. There,
he chanced upon a lion who couldn't walk because of the thorn in its
paw.

Although scared, the slave mustered his courage and took out the
thorn in the lion's paw. When the lion was finally free of the thorn, he
ran into the forest and didn't harm the slave.

Sometime later, the slave was caught by his master along with some
animals in the forest. The master then ordered the slave to be thrown
into the lion's den. When the slave saw the lion, he recognized it as
the lion he helped in the forest. The slave was able to escape the den
unharmed, and he freed all the other animals.
 The Lion & The Mouse

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little
Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran
across the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on
the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely
repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was
generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils
of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring.
The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running
to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the
Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that
even a Mouse can help a Lion."
 The Ant and The Grasshopper
The ant and the grasshopper were good friends. In the summer, the
ant works hard to fill his storage with food. While the grasshopper
was enjoying the fine weather and playing all day.

When winter came, the ant was lying cozily in his home, surrounded
by the food he stored during the summer. While the grasshopper was
in his home, hungry and freezing. He asked the ant for food, and the
ant gave him some. But it wasn't enough to last the entire winter.

When he tried to ask the ant again, the latter replied: "I'm sorry my
friend but my food is just enough for my family to last until the end of
winter. If I give you more, we too will starve. We had the entire
summer to prepare for the winter but you chose to play instead."
 The Blue Jackal
Once there was an adventurous jackal who frequently strayed into the village looking for
food. The Village was filled with dogs that scared the jackal. Although he was scared of the
dogs, the jackal loved food and traveled to the city again and again.

One day, as he was going to enter a house, he heard barking. He was shocked to find a
gang of dogs running towards the house. They looked violent and caused the jackal to panic.
He ran and tumbled into a tub of blue dye. The dogs couldn't see him and they ran another
way.

Now the jackal was completely blue from head to toe. He appeared very different from any
other animal. The jackal was pleased as no one would be able to recognize him and he
could easily fool anyone in the jungle. Just like he had thought, everyone in the jungle was
surprised to see such an unusual animal.

The small animals, the lion and the tiger all asked who he was and who had sent him.

"I have been sent by God himself to look after you. I will now be the king of the jungle" The
jackal said.

The lion protested saying he had always been the king of the forest.

"From now, that must change and all of you must serve me" The Jackal happily said.

Some animals like the tiger protested and asked what would happen if they didn't obey him.
He replied saying God would destroy the entire jungle if they didn't.

Scared for their lives and their jungle, the animals asked the blue Jackal what he would like
them to do.

"Bring me lots of food," said the blue jackal promptly.

The animals quickly scurried and returned with lots of food for the Jackal. He had so much
food that he gave his leftovers to the other animals and told them that they had to serve him
fresh food every day. He even threw out the pack of jackals from the forest because he knew
that they could identify him some day.

The blue jackal was very happy with himself for fooling the entire forest and was happy to be
away from the city dogs. But one day the banned pack of jackals was walking around the
forest and howling loudly. The blue jackal began howling out of habit too. Because of this
mistake, the other animals quickly identified him as a jackal and destroyed him.
 Elephant and Friends

A lone elephant walked through the forest, looking for friends. She soon saw a
monkey and asked, "Can we be friends, monkey?"

The monkey quickly replied, "You are big and can't swing on trees like I do, so
I cannot be your friend."

Deflated, the elephant continued to search and stumbled across a rabbit. She
asked him, "Can we be friends, rabbit?"

The rabbit looked at the elephant and replied, "You are too big to fit inside my
burrow. You cannot be my friend."

The elephant continued until she met a frog. She asked, "Will you be my friend,
frog?"

The frog replied, "You are too big and heavy; you cannot jump like me. I am
sorry, but you can't be my friend."

The elephant continued to ask the animals she met on her way but always
received the same reply. The following day, the elephant saw all the forest
animals run in fear. She stopped a bear to ask what was happening and was told
the tiger was attacking all the small animals.

The elephant wanted to save the other animals, so she went to the tiger and said,
"Please, sir, leave my friends alone. Do not eat them."

The tiger didn't listen. He merely told the elephant to mind her own business.

Seeing no other way, the elephant kicked the tiger and scared him away. After
hearing the brave tale, the other animals agreed, "You are just the right size to
be our friend.
 Belling the Cat

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their
enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she
was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be
done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir
from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last
a very young Mouse got up and said:

"I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.

All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell
ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan
before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse
arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one
question: Who will bell the Cat?"
 A Glass of Milk
There once was a poor boy who spent his days going door to door selling newspapers to
pay for school. One day, as he walked his route, he started feeling low and weak. The poor
boy was starving, so he began to ask for nourishment at each home he stopped at.

The poor boy was denied every time until he reached the door of a young girl. He asked for
a glass of water, but seeing his poor state, the girl returned with a glass of milk. The boy
asked how much he owed her for the milk, but she refused payment.

Years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, fell sick. She went from doctor to doctor,
but no one could cure her. Finally, she went to the best doctor in town.

The doctor spent months treating her until she was finally cured. Despite her happiness, she
was afraid she couldn't afford to pay the bill. But, when the hospital handed her the bill, it
read, "Paid in full, with a glass of milk.

There once was a poor boy who spent his days going door to door selling newspapers to
pay for school. One day, as he walked his route, he started feeling low and weak. The poor
boy was starving, so he began to ask for nourishment at each home he stopped at.

The poor boy was denied every time until he reached the door of a young girl. He asked for
a glass of water, but seeing his poor state, the girl returned with a glass of milk. The boy
asked how much he owed her for the milk, but she refused payment.

Years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, fell sick. She went from doctor to doctor,
but no one could cure her. Finally, she went to the best doctor in town.

The doctor spent months treating her until she was finally cured. Despite her happiness, she
was afraid she couldn't afford to pay the bill. But, when the hospital handed her the bill, it
read, "Paid in full, with a glass of milk."
 The Monkey and the Crocodile

This is a story from Panchatantra. A monkey lived on a berry tree on the River Bank. Once he
saw a crocodile under the tree who looked hungry and tired. He gave the crocodile some
berries, the crocodile thanked the monkey and became one of his friends.

The monkey would give berries to the crocodile every day. One day the monkey even gave
the crocodile extra berries to take to his wife.

His wife enjoyed the berries but told her husband that she wanted to eat the monkey's heart.
She was a wicked and cunning woman. The crocodile was upset, but he decided that he
needed to make his wife happy.

On the next day, the crocodile went to the monkey and said that his wife had called him for
dinner. The crocodile carried the monkey on his back across the river. He told this monkey
his wife's plan.

The monkey had to think quickly if he wanted to save himself. He told the crocodile that he
left his heart on the berry tree and that they needed to return.

On reaching the monkey climbed the tree and spoke. "I'm not getting down; you betrayed my
trust and that means our friendship is over"
 The Two Goats

Two Goats, frisking gaily on the rocky steps of a mountain

valley, chanced to meet, one on each side of a deep chasm
through which poured a mighty mountain torrent. The trunk of
a fallen tree formed the only means of crossing the chasm, and
on this not even two squirrels could have passed each other in
safety. The narrow path would have made the bravest tremble.
Not so our Goats. Their pride would not permit either to stand
aside for the other.

One set her foot on the log. The other did likewise. In the
middle they met horn to horn. Neither would give way, and so
they both fell, to be swept away by the roaring torrent below
The Golden Egg

Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid one golden egg every day. The
egg provided enough money for the farmer and his wife to support their daily needs.
The farmer and his wife continued to be happy for a long time.

But, one day, the farmer thought, "Why should we take just one egg a day? Why
can't we take them all at once and make a lot of money?" The farmer told his wife his
idea, and she foolishly agreed.

Then, the next day, as the goose laid its golden egg, the farmer was quick with a
sharp knife. He killed the goose and cut its stomach open, hoping to find all its
golden eggs. But as he opened the stomach, he only found guts and blood.

The farmer quickly realized his foolish mistake and proceeded to cry over his lost
resource. As the days went on, the farmer and his wife became poorer and poorer
because of their foolishness.
 The Boasting Traveler
A man came back from a tour and boasted about his
adventurous journeys. He talked at length about the different
people he met and his amazing feats that got him fame and
praise from people everywhere. He went on to say that he went
to the Rhodes where he had leaped to such distances that no
man could ever match his feat.

He even went on to say that there were witnesses who would

vouch for his words. Hearing the man boast so much, a smart
bystander said, "Oh good man, we do not need any witnesses
to believe your words. Imagine this place to be Rhodes and
leap for us".

The lying traveler didn't know what to do and went away

quietly.
 The Elephant and The Ants

There was once a proud elephant who constantly bullied

smaller animals. He would go to the anthill near his home and
spray water at the ants.

The ants, with their size, could do nothing but cry. The
elephant just laughed and threatened the ants that he would
crush them to death. One day, the ants had enough and
decided to teach the elephant a lesson.

They went straight into the elephant's trunk and started biting
him. The elephant could only howl in pain. He realized his
mistake and apologized to the ants and all the animals he
bullied.
 SNOW WHITE
One day, there was a queen sitting near a very beautiful window while tailoring
and seeing the snow. Accidentally, her finger was pierced by a sewing needle so
that three drops of blood dripped out. The drops of blood fell down on the snow.
The red color of the blood which was stuck in the white of the snow looked very
pretty. Suddenly the queen thought "If only I had a child whose skin was as
white as snow and whose lips were as red as blood".
As the time went by, finally a queen gave birth to a very pretty princess whose
skin was as white as snow and whose lips were as red as blood. The queen grew
up as a very pretty and kind-hearted girl. She was called Snow White. However,
when Snow White was a teenager, the queen died because of an illness. After
the queen's death, the king married again. This new queen was wicked and
hated Snow white. The queen gave orders that Snow White was to be treated as
a servant.
Everyday the queen stood in front of her magic mirror while asking "Who is the
most beautiful woman in the land?" and the mirror always answered, "You are
the most beautiful one of all." The new queen asked the same question everyday
and the mirror always answered the same thing. But one day the mirror
answered that the queen was so beautiful but Snow White was much more
beautiful than the queen. It made the queen so angry that she gave orders to one
of her Huntsmen to take Snow White into the woods and kill her.
The Huntsman had such a kind heart that he couldn't do the deed. He told her to
run away. While fleeing into the woods, she found a place in which seven
dwarfs lived. Their house was small and strange. Snow White entered the little
house and found it very untidy. Then, she started to clean up the entire house. In
the upstairs she found seven little beds. She was so exhausted that she stretched
out on one of the beds. Not long after that, she was asleep on the bed.
When the Dwarfs came home they were surprised to find Snow White and after
some argument, decided to let her stay. She promised to cook and look after
them. She lived there together happily.
Unfortunately, The Queen discovered the place where Snow White was living
and disguising herself as a witch. She then took a poisoned apple and set out for
the Dwarfs cottage. She gave Snow White the poisoned apple to eat and as soon
as she bit the apple, she sank into unconsciousness.
Thinking she was dead, the Dwarfs built a glass coffin and put her in it. For
days she lay in the forest in her glass coffin. One day, the Prince was riding
through the forest looking for Snow White and found her. He leaned over and
kissed her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. Everyone was happy at
that time. The Prince took Snow White to his palace where they were married
and lived happily ever after.
 Buffalo and Crocodile
One morning a crocodile was struck by a large piece of wood. The
crocodile asks for help to be saved. A buffalo has the intention to help the
crocodile. The buffalo raised a piece of wood that fell on the crocodile and
moved it to another place. But without being noticed, the kindness of the
buffalo carried a catastrophe for him. The buffalo's feet are bitten by a
crocodile because he intends to eat the buffalo. The buffalo was in pain
and asked the crocodile to release its legs. The crocodile keeps biting the
buffalo's feet and tries to drop it.
Then came the wise mouse deer. Deer see a buffalo being bitten by a
crocodile. The buffalo asks the deer to help him escape the crocodile.
Kancil is very clever and asks buffalos and crocodiles how it can happen.
Buffalo and crocodile also told of the incident but his opinion was different.
The buffalo told the truth and the crocodile lied that he had moved the large
piece of wood. Kancil actually already knew the actual chronology, but he
pretended not to know. Kancil also said that he did not believe in the talk of
Buffalo and Crocodile.
Then buffaloes and crocodiles showed the mouse deer that he was strong
enough to lift the big wood. The buffalo asks the crocodile to release his leg
for a moment so he can show his strength to the mouse deer. He lifted the
large wood with its horns. Then the crocodile does not want to lose to the
buffalo and asks that the big wood be thrown over the crocodile's body.
The buffalo threw the large wood over the crocodile's body. Crocodile
managed to lift the big wood but not as strong as a buffalo. Because the
crocodile was no longer able to hold back the wood, he asked the buffalo to
lift the wood back.
The buffalo wants to help lift the wood again. But the deer said, do
buffaloes want to die? For a moment the buffalo thought because of the
deer's words. He realized that if the wood was lifted again, the buffalo's
legs would be bitten by a crocodile. Finally the buffalo did not lift the big
wood. Then the buffalo with the mouse deer left the crocodile crushed by
the wood.
Moral value of the story: Do not repay kindness with evil. Because good will
always win from evil.
 Ants and Pigeons

One morning there was an ant who wanted to find water. The ant goes
around looking for water and finally finds a river. On the edge of the river,
ants are looking for ways to bring water to the nest. Then he tried to take
the leaves to make a container of water. But because the river flow was
very heavy, the ant was carried away by the river currents and almost sank.

Ants ask for help to be saved. Near the river there are pigeons who see
ants in trouble. The dove picks a leaf and throws it near the ant. He intends
to help the ants through the leaves. Ants reach the leaves thrown by
pigeons. Not long after that the ants finally survived with the help of
pigeons.

Ants also thank the dove. Then the dove went and perched on a tree. Soon
there was a hunter who wanted to shoot the pigeon. Seeing that, the ants
want to repay the good of the dove by thwarting the hunter's plan. When a
hunter wants to shoot a dove, the ant immediately bites the hunter's feet.
Then the hunting bullet finally misses and can't hit the dove. Merpati also
immediately went away from the hunter's place. Finally the ants and doves
survived the catastrophe that happened to him.