ECD SHORT STORIES

Sir Bryn James

Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy who was bored watching
his flock of sheep on the hill. To amuse himself, he shouted, “Wolf! Wolf!
The sheep are being chased by the wolf!” The villagers came running to
help the boy and save the sheep. They found nothing and the boy just
laughed looking at their angry faces.

“Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there’s no wolf boy!”, they said angrily and left. The
boy just laughed at them.

After a while, he got bored and cried ‘wolf!’ again, fooling the villagers a
second time. The angry villagers warned the boy a second time and left.
The boy continued watching the flock. After a while, he saw a real wolf
and cried loudly, “Wolf! Please help! The wolf is chasing the sheep. Help!”

But this time, no one turned up to help. By evening, when the boy didn’t
return home, the villagers wondered what happened to him and went up
the hill. The boy sat on the hill weeping. “Why didn’t you come when I
called out that there was a wolf?” he asked angrily. “The flock is scattered
now”, he said.
An old villager approached him and said, “People won’t believe liars even
when they tell the truth. We’ll look for your sheep tomorrow morning. Let’s
go home now”.

MORAL
Lying breaks trust. Nobody trusts a liar, even when he is telling the truth.

Sir Bryn James

The Midas touch

In ancient Greek, there was a king named Midas. He had a lot of gold and
everything he needed. He also had a beautiful daughter. Midas loved his
gold very much, but he loved his daughter more than his riches.

One day, a satyr named Silenus got drunk and passed out in Midas’ rose
garden. Believing that Satyrs always bring good luck, Midas lets Silenus rest
in his palace until he is sober, against the wishes of his wife and daughter. Si-
lenus is a friend of Dionysus, the god of wine and celebration. Upon learning
Midas’ kindness towards his friend, Dionysus decides to reward the keg.

When asked to wish for something, Midas says “I wish everything I touch
turns to gold”. Although Dionysus knew it was not a great idea, he granted
Midas his wish.

Happy that his wish was granted, Midas went around touching random
things in the garden and his palace and turned them all into gold. He
touched an apple, and it turned into a shiny gold apple. His subjects were
astonished but happy to see so much gold in the palace.

In his happiness, Midas went and hugged his daughter, and before he real-
ized, he turned her into a lifeless, golden statue! Aghast, Midas ran back to
the garden and called for Dionysus. He begged the god to take away his
power and save his daughter. Dionysus gives Midas a solution to change
everything back to how it was before the wish. Midas learned his lesson and
lived the rest of his life contended with what he had.

MORAL
Do not get greedy. Be happy and content with what you have.

Sir Bryn James

Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid a golden egg every day.
The egg provided enough money for the farmer and his wife for their day-to
-day needs. The farmer and his wife were happy for a long time. But one
day, the farmer got an idea and thought, “Why should I take just one egg a
day? Why can’t I take all of them at once and make a lot of money?”

The foolish farmer’s wife also agreed and decided to cut the goose’s stom-
ach for the eggs. As soon as they killed the bird and opened the goose’s
stomach, to find nothing but guts and blood. The farmer, realizing his foolish
mistake, cries over the lost resource!

The English idiom “kill not the goose that lays the golden egg” was also de-
rived from this classic story.

MORAL
Think before you act.

Sir Bryn James

An old miser lived in a house with a garden. The miser hid his gold coins in a
pit under some stones in the garden. Every day, before going to bed, the
miser went to the stones where he hid the gold and counted the coins. He
continued this routine every day, but not once did he spend the gold he
saved.

One day, a thief who knew the old miser’s routine, waited for the old man
to go back into his house. After it was dark, the thief went to the hiding
place and took the gold. The next day, the old miser found that his treas-
ure was missing and started crying loudly.

His neighbor heard the miser’s cries and inquired about what happened.
On learning what happened, the neighbor asked, “Why didn’t you save
the money inside the house? It would’ve been easier to access the money
when you had to buy something!”

“Buy?”, said the miser. “I never used the gold to buy anything. I was never
going to spend it.”

On hearing this, the neighbor threw a stone into the pit and said, “If that is
the case, save the stone. It is as worthless as the gold you have lost”.

MORAL
A possession is just as worthy of what it is used for.

Sir Bryn James

A tortoise was resting under a tree, on which a bird had built its nest. The tor-
toise spoke to the bird mockingly, “What a shabby home you have! It is
made of broken twigs, it has no roof, and looks crude. What’s worse is that
you had to build it yourself. I think my house, which is my shell, is much better
than your pathetic nest”.

“Yes, it is made of broken sticks, looks shabby and is open to the elements of
nature. It is crude, but I built it, and I like it.”

“I guess it’s just like any other nest, but not better than mine”, said the tor-
toise. “You must be jealous of my shell, though.”

“On the contrary”, the bird replied. “My home has space for my family and
friends; your shell cannot accommodate anyone other than you. Maybe
you have a better house. But I have a better home”, said the bird happily.

MORAL
Better a crowded hut than a lonely mansion.

Four cows lived in a forest near a meadow. They were good friends and did
everything together. They grazed together and stayed together, because
of which no tigers or lions were able to kill them for food.

But one day, the friends fought and each cow went to graze in a different
direction. A tiger and a lion saw this and decided that it was the perfect op-
portunity to kill the cows. They hid in the bushes and surprised the cows and
killed them all, one by one.

MORAL

Unity is strength.

Sir Bryn James

There were four friends who hated studying. They partied all night before
their exams and planned to skip the test by lying to the professor. So they
went to the dean and told him that they had been to a wedding the pre-
vious night and on their way back, they had a flat tire. They continued to
say that they had to push the car all the way back, as they didn’t have a
spare tire and hence, were not in a position to write the exam.

The dean listened and agreed to let them take the test on a later date.
Happy that they got a second chance, the four friends studied hard and
were ready for the exam. On exam day, the dean asked the students to sit
in separate classrooms, which the students agreed to.

The examination paper had only two questions, for a total of 100 marks.
The questions were thus:

1. Your name:
Which tire of the car burst: a) Front left b) Front right c) Rear left d) Rear
right

MORAL
You may be smart, but there are people smarter than you in the world.

Sir Bryn James

A man came back from a tour and boasted about his adventurous jour-
neys. He talked at length about the different people he met and his amaz-
ing 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 distanc-
es 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.

MORAL

He who does a thing well does not need to boast.

Sir Bryn James

One day, a camel and her baby were chatting. The baby asked, “Mother,
why do we have humps?” The mother replied, “Our humps are for storing
water so that we can survive in the desert”.

“Oh”, said the child, “and why do we have rounded feet mother?”
“Because they are meant to help us walk comfortably in the desert. These
legs help us move around in the sand.”

“Alright. But why are our eyelashes so long?” “To protect our eyes from the
desert dust and sand. They are the protective covers for the eyes”, replied
the mother camel.

The baby camel thought for a while and said, “So we have humps to store
water for desert journeys, rounded hooves to keep us comfortable when
we walk in the desert sand, and long eyelashes to protect us from sand
and dust during a desert storm. Then what are we doing in a zoo?”

The mother was dumbfounded.

MORAL

Your strengths, skills, and knowledge are useless if you are not in the right
place.

Sir Bryn James

The farmer and the well

A farmer looking for a source of water for his farm bought a well from his
neighbor. The neighbor was cunning, though, and refused to let the farmer
take water from the well. On asking why, he replied, “I sold the well to you,
not the water”, and walked away. The distraught farmer didn’t know what
to do. So he went to Birbal, a clever man and one of the nine courtiers of
Emperor Akbar, for a solution.

The emperor called the farmer and his neighbor and asked why the man
was not letting the farmer draw water from the well. The cunning man said
the same thing again, “I sold the well, not the water. So he cannot take my
water”.

To this, Birbal replied, “All that sounds fine to me. But if you have sold the wa-
ter and the water is yours, then you have no business keeping your water in
his well. Remove the water or use it all up immediately. If not the water will
belong to the owner of the well”.

Realizing that he’s been tricked and taught his lesson, the man apologized
and left.

MORAL
Cheating will not get you anything. If you do cheat, you’ll pay for it soon
enough.

Sir Bryn James

True friends love ypu anywayLord Krishna and Sudama were childhood
friends. While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn’t. He lead the life
of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days,
the kids wouldn’t even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms.
One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.

Sudama was reluctant to seek favors, but he also didn’t want his kids to suf-
fer. So his wife borrows some rice from the neighbors to make some rice
snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Su-
dama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was
used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by
the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.

Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Suda-
ma has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, goes and informs
the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here, Krishna stops doing whatever
he was doing and runs barefoot to meet his childhood friend.

Krishna hugs Sudama welcomes him to his abode and treats him with ut-
most love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man’s rice snacks he
got for Krishna, tries to hide it. But the all-knowing Krishna asks Sudama for his
gift and eats his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.

Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their child-
hood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion showed
by his friend, is unable to ask Krishna for help. When he returns home, Suda-
ma finds that his hut has been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife
and kids are dressed in fine clothes.

Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He did-
n’t even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.

MORAL

True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor. They are always there
for you when you need them.

Sir Bryn James

Two parrots built a nest in a banyan tree. They lived with their two young
ones, which they took good care of. The mother and the father parrot went
out to gather food in the morning and came back home by evening. One
day, when their parents were away, the young parrots were taken by a cru-
el hunter.

One of the birds managed to escape and flew away from the hunter. He
ended up at a hermitage and grew up listening to kind words and compas-
sion. The hunter put the other parrot in a cage, and soon it learned a few
words and phrases. The hunter and his family were crude and didn’t care
much about kind words.

One day, a passerby was resting outside the hunter’s hut. Sensing someone
outside, the parrot said, “Fool, why are you here? Fool! Leave! I’ll cut your
throat”. Scared, the traveler went away, and on his journey, he reached the
hermitage where the other parrot was. The parrot at the hermitage spoke,
“Welcome traveler. You are free to stay here as long as you want”.

Surprised, the traveler told the parrot that he encountered a similar parrot
elsewhere and it was very cruel. How is that you are so kind?” The parrot re-
plied, “That must be my brother. I live with the sages, and my brother lives
with hunters. I learned the sage’s language, and my brother learned the
hunter’s language. The company we keep decides who we will be”.

MORAL
Keep good company if you want to be a good person.

Sir Bryn James

A nine-year-old boy was sitting at his desk in class, when suddenly, his pants
felt wet, and there was a puddle at his feet. His heart almost skipped a
beat, as he got worried that his classmates would see that and make fun of
him.

He quickly wanted to do something, and saw the teacher and his class-
mate Susie walking towards him. Susie was carrying a bowl of goldfish. As
they came closer, the boy thought that the teacher noticed his wet pants,
and suddenly Susie trips and drops the fishbowl in his lap. While thanking
God for helping him, he pretends to get angry with Susie and yells at her.

Everyone in the class thinks it is Susie’s fault that the boy’s pants got wet. The
teacher helps the boy change into dry clothes, and the class continues.
Later that evening, the boy asks Susie, “You did that on purpose, didn’t
you?” “I wet my pants once too”, whispers Susie.

MORAL
Each one of us goes through good days and bad days. Only those who
help you out on your bad days are your true friends.

Sir Bryn James

A wealthy businessman was worried about his son’s bad habits. He sought
counsel from a wise, old man. The old man met the man’s son and took him
out for a stroll. They walked into the woods, and the old man showed the
boy a small sapling and asked him to pull it out. The boy did so with ease,
and they walked on.

The old man then asked the boy to pull out a small plant. The boy did that
too, with a little effort. As they walked, the old man asked the boy to pull out
the bush, which he did. The next was a small tree, which the child had to
struggle a lot to pull out. Finally, the old man showed him a bigger tree and
asked the child to pull it out.

The child failed to pull it out even after trying several times, in different ways.
The old man looks at the boy, smiles and says, “So is the case with habits,
good or bad”.

MORAL
Bad habits are hard to get rid of once they have settled in our system. It is
best to get rid of them early on.

Sir Bryn James

A young woman inherited a beautiful garden from her grandmother. She
loved gardening too and was very proud of her garden. One day, she saw
a very beautiful plant in a catalog and wanted that for her garden. She or-
dered it and planted it at the base of the stonewall in her backyard. She
took great care of the plant, which grew quickly and had beautiful green
leaves on it.

Months passed, but not a single flower bloomed on the tree. Vexed, she al-
most wanted to cut the tree down. At such a time, her invalid called and
said, “Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers. You have no idea how
much I enjoy looking at the blooms of the vine you have planted”.

Hearing this, the young girl rushes to the neighbor’s side of the wall and sees
the most beautiful flower in bloom. All the care she took had paid off. Only
the vine crept through the crevices because of which it did not flower on
her side of the wall but did generously on the other side.

MORAL
Just because you cannot see the good results of your efforts does not mean
that it bore no fruit.

Sir Bryn James