Aesop's Fables
Dog Displays His Bell
A dog was in the habit of sneaking up on others and biting them. His owner put a bell on him so that everyone could hear him coming. The dog, thinking the bell was a mark of distinction, became prideful of it, and decided to go to the town marketplace and show it off to everyone. One day an old hound said to him, "Why are you putting a spotlight on that? Your bell isn't some sort of award. It's a warning to others that you're obnoxious and have no manners."
The Shepherd's Warning
A shepherd heard his enemies approaching. He ran over to his donkey and exclaimed, "Quick, donkey, we must go now or else we are sure to be captured!"
The donkey replied, "Do you think that if your enemies conquer me, they will put double the load that you put on my back every day?"
"No," the shepherd answered.
"Well then," the donkey continued, "as long as I will be carrying the same load, what difference does it make to me whose loads I am carrying?"
Wolf Complains
A wolf was carrying a dead lamb to his lair. On his way, he was met by a lion, who took the lamb from him. Standing at a safe distance, the wolf exclaimed, "You have unrighteously taken what was mine!" To which the lion jeeringly replied, "Righteously yours? And I suppose you bought it at your local Walmart for $39.95."
Dispute in the Desert
A traveler wanted to cross a section of the desert, and agreed to pay a donkey owner to use his donkey while the owner would walk alongside and act as a guide. Several miles into their voyage, it had become scorching hot, and the traveler stopped to rest.
Since they were deep into the desert and there was no other alternative, the traveler laid down in the donkey's shadow for shade. But the guide protested, and said, "Hey, that's my donkey, and that's my shade. I should be the one resting there."
"Wait a minute!" the traveler replied. "I paid you so I can use this donkey. I have every right to rest under its shade."
"No," the guide retorted. "You paid to ride my donkey, but I still retain the rights to its shade!"
"The rights to its shade?" the traveler incredulously responded. "You sound like an idiot right now!"
"You think you can insult me? How dare you say that to me!"
They continued to argue, and soon began wrestling and throwing fists at each other. As they shouted and fought, the donkey grew terrified and galloped away and out of site.
The Mouse's Adventure
A young mouse was about to take his first trip outside of the mouse hole. Before he left, his mother warned him to watch out for danger.
The excited mouse eagerly went out, but just minutes later he came frantically running back with a terrified look on his face.
"What happened?" his concerned mother asked.
"Well," replied the young mouse, "first I saw this friendly animal with beautiful soft fur, a long tail, and gleaming green eyes. It made an inviting ‘purring' sound, and I was about to go introduce myself to the gentle creature.
"But then I saw a ferocious monster with red hair and vicious claws, and it made a terrifying noise like ‘Cock-a-doodle-do!' I was so scared that I immediately ran away and came back here."
"My son," replied the mother, "that so-called ‘friendly' animal you saw is a cat, and it eats mice like you and me. And that ‘ferocious monster' you saw is a rooster, and it does not eat mice. Remember this lesson, my son: Appearances can be deceiving."
The Fox and the Grapes
After spotting some delicious looking grapes up on a vine caught by a tree branch, a hungry fox eagerly began jumping in attempt to get them down.
After many unsuccessful tries, she turned around and walked away, saying to herself, "Well, they probably weren't ripe anyway."