A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Once upon a time there lived a lion in a forest. One day after a heavy meal. It was sleeping
under a tree. After a while, there came a mouse and it started to play on the lion. Suddenly the
lion got up with anger and looked for those who disturbed its nice sleep. Then it saw a small
mouse standing trembling with fear. The lion jumped on it and started to kill it. The mouse
requested the lion to forgive it. The lion felt pity and left it. The mouse ran away.

On another day, the lion was caught in a net by a hunter. The mouse came there and cut the
net. Thus it escaped. Thereafter, the mouse and the lion became friends. They lived happily in
the forest afterwards.
 A Town Mouse and A Country Mouse

A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were friends. The Country Mouse one day invited his friend to
come and see him at his home in the fields. The Town Mouse came and they sat down to a dinner of
barleycorns and roots the latter of which had a distinctly earthy flavour.

The flavour was not much to the taste of the guest and presently he broke out with “My poor dear
friend, you live here no better than the ants. Now, you should just see how I fare! My larder is a
regular horn of plenty. You must come and stay with me and I promise you shall live on the fat of the
land."
Four Friends
Four Friends

Once upon a time in a small village lived four Brahmins named Satyanand, Vidhyanand,
Dharmanand and Sivanand. They had grown up together to become good friends.
Satyanand, Vidhyanand and Dharmanand were very knowledgeable. But Sivanand spent
most of his time eating and sleeping. He was considered foolish by everyone.

Once famine struck the village. All the crops failed. Rivers and lakes started to dry up.
The people of the villages started moving to other villages to save their lives.

“We also need to move to another place soon or else we will also die like many others,"
said Satyanand. They all agreed with him.

“But what about Sivanand?" Asked Satyanand.

“Do we need him with us? He has no skills or learning. We cannot take him with us,"
replied Dharmanand. “He will be a burden on us."

“How can we leave him behind? He grew up with us," said Vidhyanand. “We will share
whatever we earn equally among the four of us."

They all agreed to take Sivanand along with them.

They packed all necessary things and set out for a nearby town. On the way, they had to
cross a forest.

As they were walking through the forest, they came across the bones of an animal. They
became curious and stopped to take a closer look at the bones.

“Those are the bones of a lion," said Vidhyanand.

The others agreed.

“This is a great opportunity to test our learning," said Satyanand.

“I can put the bones together." So saying, he brought the bones together to form the
skeleton of a lion.

“Dharmanand said, “I can put muscles and tissue on it." Soon a lifeless lion lay before
them.

“I can breathe life into that body." said Vidhyanand.

But before he could continue, Sivanand jumped up to stop him. “No. Don't! If you put
life into that lion, it will kill us all," he cried.

“Oh you coward! You can’t stop me from testing my skills and learning," shouted an
angry Vidhyanand. “You are here with us only because I requested the others to let you
come along."

“Then please let me climb that tree first,’ said a frightened Sivanand running towards the
nearest tree. Just as Sivanand pulled himself on to the tallest branch of the tree
Vidhyanand brought life into the lion. Getting up with a deafening roar, the lion attacked
and killed the three learned Brahmins.
Hungry Wolf

This is a short story about Hungry Wolf.

Once, a wolf was very hungry. It looked for food here and there. But it couldn't get any. At last it
found a loaf of bread and piece of meat in the hole of a tree.

The hungry wolf squeezed into the hole. It ate all the food. It was a woodcutter's lunch. He was on
his way back to the tree to have lunch. But he saw there was no food in the hole, instead, a wolf.

On seeing the woodcutter, the wolf tried to get out of the hole. But it couldn't. Its tummy was
swollen.

The woodcutter caught the wolf and gave it nice beatings.

The Clever Crab :

There lived a heron by a big lake. He used to catch fish and eat them. But he had
become old and could not catch fish like before. He went without food for many days
together.

“I have to think of a plan. Otherwise I won't live for long," thought the heron. Soon he
came out with a clever plan. The heron sat at the water’s edge looking depressed and
thoughtful. In the same lake lived a crab who was friendly and thoughtful. As he went
past, he noticed how the heron looked and asked him, “Why are you looking depressed
my friend?"

“What can I say," said the heron in a sad voice. “Something terrible is going to happen."

“What is that?" asked the crab anxiously.

“When I was on my way here this morning, I heard an astrologer say that there will be
no rains in these parts for the next twelve years. The lake will dry up and we will all die.
I am quite old. It does not matter if I die. But you all are so young. There is so much for
you to see and enjoy," said the heron.

The crab went to the fishes in the lake and told them what the heron had told him. They
were all filled with fear. “O no! What do we do? We will all die." they cried.

“There is a very big lake some distance from here. I can take you all there one by one."
offered the heron. All the fishes were comforted and they agreed to be carried to the
bigger lake one by one.

Every day, the heron would fly the fishes one by one. He would hold one gingerly
between his long beak and fly away. But instead of taking them to any lake, he would
land on a rock some distance away and eat them. Then he would rest till evening and
return to the lake.

After some days, the crab went up to the heron. “You have been taking the fishes to the
other lake. When will you take me?" he asked.

The heron thought to himself, “I am tired of eating fish. Crab meat should be a pleasant
change."

The heron agreed to take the crab to the other lake.

But the crab was too large for the heron to carry in his beak. So the crab climbed on to
the heron’s back and they started the journey. After a while, the crab grew impatient.

“How far is the lake?" he asked the heron.

“You fool," laughed the heron. “I am not taking you to any lake. I am going to dash you
against those rocks and eat you like I ate all those fishes."

“I am not a fool to allow you to kill me," said the crab.

He held the heron’s neck in his powerful claws and strangled the wicked heron to death.
The Clever Frog

The Clever Frog :

The Deep inside a forest, there was a pond. Many fishes, crabs and frogs lived in the
pond. Theirs was a happy and peaceful life.

Among them lived two beautiful fishes named Sahasrabuddhi and Shatabuddhi. They
were bigger than the other fishes in the pond. They were very proud of their good looks
and intelligence.

In the same pond lived a frog with his wife. His name was Ekkabuddhi. The fishes and
frogs were good friends. They all led an undisturbed life.

But one day two fishermen, returning from the river in the forest after fishing. came
across the pond. It was late in the evening and as usual all the fishes and frogs were at
play. Sahasrabuddhi, Shatabuddhi, Ekkabuddhi and many others joined the game. They
leaped high into the air and chased each other.

Seeing the beautiful scene the fishermen were amazed and stopped in their tracks.

“How beautiful they look?" said one fisherman.

“Yes. And so many of them too," replied the other.

“The pond does not look very deep," said the first fisherman. “Let us catch some of
them."

“It is already very late and we have a heavy load to carry a long way. Let’s come back
tomorrow," suggested the other fisherman.

Ekkabuddhi turned to the others in the pond and said, “Did you not hear what the
fishermen said? We must leave this pond for a safer place."

“Just because two fishermen said they would come back to catch us tomorrow, you want
us to leave our home and flee. For all we know, they might not come back," said
Sahasrabuddhi.

“Even if they come back to catch us I know a thousand tricks to get away."

“And even if your thousand ways fail, I know another hundred ways to escape," said
Shatabuddhi. “ We will not let two fishermen scare us away from our me." All the others
in the pond agreed with them.

“Well! I know only one trick," said Ekkabuddhi. “To leave the place before danger
strikes." Ekkabuddhi and his wife left the pond in search of a safer place. All the fishes,
crabs and frogs laughed at them as they left.

The next day the fishermen returned to the pond and cast their net. “Ouch! This net is
too thick for me to bite through," cried Sahasrabuddhi.

“For me too," cried Shatabuddhi. “Only if I could get out, I could do something.

“We should have listened to Ekkabuddhi," cried a fish. “Now we are all doomed."
The fishermen caught them all and put all the fishes, frogs and crabs into a big basket
and took them away.

Ekkabuddhi, hiding behind a boulder with his wife turned to her and said, “If I had not
acted in time, we would also be in that basket with the others."
The Crane and The Snake

The Crane and The Snake

In a forest close to the river bank mere lived a crane with his wife. They were very
unhappy. Every time the wife laid eggs in their nest, a big black cobra who lived in a
hollow in the tree, would eat them up. The crane had a friend the crab. He went to his
friend the crab and shared his misery. "I feel so hopeless….That sneaking thief has eaten
our eggs again," complained the crane angrily.

“Don’t worry," said the crab comfortingly. “You need not be hopeless when you have a
friend like me. We will come up with a solution."

The crab sat to think of a plan. Suddenly he jumped up and rushed to the crane.

“Friend, I have a wonderful plan," said the crab and whispered something into the
crane’s car.

The crane flew back to his nest and told his wife all about the crab’s plan. He was very
excited.

“Are you sure this will work?" asked the wife.

“I hope we are not making a mistake. Think twice before going ahead with the plan."

But the crane was eager to try out the plan. The crane flew down to the river bank and
began to fish. He caught several little fishes and went down to the hole in which a
mongoose lived. He dropped a fish at the mouth of the hole. Then he took another fish
and dropped it a little further away from the first one. Repeating this, he made a trail of
fishes leading to the tree where his nest was.

The mongoose smelt the fish and came out of the hole. “Ah, a fish!" exclaimed the
mongoose joyfully and quickly ate it up. He then followed the trail of fishes. As he
neared the tree where the cranes and the snake lived, the trail ended. Finding no more
fishes, he looked around.

Suddenly he came across the black cobra at the foot of the tree. Seeing the mongoose,
the cobra fought for his life. Both fought for a long time and in the end the mongoose
killed the snake. The cranes who were watching the fight from their nest sighed with
relief.

The next day the mongoose began to follow the same trail hoping to find more food.
When he came to the tree where the trail ended, he decided to climb the tree in search
of food.

The cranes who were away at the river bank returned to find the mongoose climbing
down the tree. On looking in their nest, they discovered that this time, the mongoose
had eaten up all their eggs.

“Alas! We got rid of one enemy only to find another," said the crane to his wife.
The Crow and The Eagle

The Crow and The Eagle:

It was a bright spring day. The sun was high in the blue sky. A herd of sheep was
grazing contentedly on the hillside. The little lambs with their soft white coats and curly
tails were playing among themselves. The Shepherd, seeing that his flock was safe and
happy, had fallen asleep under the spreading branches of a large old tree.

Suddenly an Eagle swooped down from the sky. It pounced on a little lamb and carried it
off so swiftly that none of the other lambs even had the time to bleat. The sleeping
Shepherd heard nothing.

A Crow was sitting on the tree under which the Shepherd lay asleep. He had seen how
the Eagle had caught the lamb and carried it off to his nest.

‘What a wonderful way to get dinner!’ he thought. 'Why do crows look for old smelly
food?’

The Crow decided to do exactly as the Eagle had done. It had looked easy enough. All he
had to do was to decide which sheep he wanted, swoop down upon it, hold it as firmly as
he could in his claws and fly off with it… Easy!

If the Eagle could do it, then so could he!

The Crow looked down at the flock of sheep to decide which sheep he wanted.

Just below the tree, by the Shepherd, a big, old Ram was grazing. He had curling horns
and a thick heavy fleece.

'Aha! He should be a good meal for me!' thought the Crow greedily. He was very hungry
and the thought of a large juicy ram for lunch made his mouth water.

The Crow swooped silently and swiftly down onto the Ram, just as he had seen the Eagle
do and grasped it firmly by its fleece.

‘And now to fly off with it to my nest,' said the Crow to himself. He flapped his wings
with all his strength, but could not lift the Ram.

The Ram was large. He was much too heavy for the Crow to carry. The Crow tried again
and again, but without success.

The Ram felt the Crow on its back and was most annoyed. Just what do you think you
are doing, you pesky bird?' he snapped, glaring at him over his shoulder.

The Crow flapped harder still, trying to carry the Ram away.

‘Now stop that!' cried the Ram. ‘Go away! Shoo! Leave me in peace!’ He jumped and
bucked and tried to shake the Crow off his back.

‘Oh oh!' thought the Crow, alarmed at the Ram’s fierce antics. ‘Maybe this wasn't such a
good idea after all! Perhaps I should look for my dinner somewhere else! I had better let
the Ram be!'
The Crow tried to fly away, but he found he could not move. His claws were caught in
the Ram’s thick fleece! The Crow pulled his feet this way and that. He flapped his wings
as hard as he could. But no matter what he did, he only seemed to get stuck more
firmly.

Oh, how was he ever going to get free? The Crow squawked loudly in fear and despair.
The Ram started running around the tree, bellowing with rage. The Shepherd woke up
with a start. Who was making that horrible noise? Were his sheep in danger? He sat up.

What a sight met his eyes! The Ram was running round and round the tree. On his back
was the Crow, squawking and trying to rise into the air.

The Shepherd began to laugh. At last, wiping his eyes, the Shepherd stood up. He
stopped the Ram as he ran by and calmed him with gentle words.

When the Ram was still, the Shepherd took a pair of shears from his sack. Holding the
Crow with one hand, he deftly snipped the fleece until the Crow was free.

‘What did you think you were doing, my fine friend'' asked the Shepherd, looking at the
Crow. ‘Playing at being an Eagle, were you?'

The Shepherd burst out laughing again.

The Crow was too embarrassed even to croak. He wished only that the Shepherd would
let him go so he could fly away to his nest and hide his foolish head.

Finally, when the Shepherd let the Crow go, the Crow flapped his wings and flew off as
fast as he could.

‘And the next time you want to be an Eagle, make sure you pick an animal your size!'
called the Shepherd after him.

The Crow, feeling silly and foolish, promised himself that from now on he would only do
as other crows did!
The Crow and The Necklace

The Crow and The Necklace

Once a crow and his wife built their nest atop a huge banyan tree beside a river. They
were very happy there. But when the female crow laid her eggs, they were in for an
unpleasant shock. A huge snake who lived in a hole at the bottom of the tree came up
and ate all their beautiful eggs.

The crows were helpless with anger and pain. “You can’t let this wicked snake eat our
children anymore," cried the female crow bitterly. “You have to find a way to save them
from him,’ she said.

“Let us go to our friend the jackal. He is very clever. He will surely be able to help us
with a solution," said the male crow.

They both flew to the cave in the forest where their friend the jackal lived.

The jackal saw them coming. “Hello my friends. Why do you look so sad and worried?
Can I help you in any way?"he asked.

“Every time my wife lays eggs in our nest, a wicked snake living at the foot of the tree
eats them up," explained the crow.

“We want to get rid of him and save our children. Please tell us what we can do."

The jackal thought for some time. “I know what you should do," said the jackal and he
told the plan to the crows.

It was a habit of the queen to come with her maids for a bath to the river. When they
did so, they removed all their clothes and jewels and placed them on the river bank. On
the following day the queen and her maids as usual entered the river.

“You know what to do right?" asked the crow to his wife. “Yes," she answered.

Both of them flew over the pile of clothes and jewels. The female crow swiftly picked up
a precious pearl necklace in her beak. At the same time the male crow began to caw
loudly to gain the attention of the queen and her maids.

“Oh, those crows have taken my pearl necklace." cried the queen. “Guards!" she cried.
“Get that necklace back from those pesky crows." Her guards chased the crows shouting
loudly.

The crows flew straight to the banyan tree with the guards close behind. Hearing all the
noise, the snake came out of his hole at the foot of the tree. Immediately, the female
crow dropped the necklace right where the snake was.

“Look out! There is a huge snake near the necklace," alerted one guard.

Before the snake could realise what was happening, the guards attacked him with sharp
spears and killed him. The guards then picked up the necklace and took it back to their
queen.
The crows thanked their friend the jackal for helping them get rid of their enemy. They
lived happily with their children.
The Donkey and The Load of Salt

The Donkey and The Load of Salt :

Once, there lived a peddler. The peddler sold all sorts of goods….sturdy shoes for the
farmers and pretty trinkets for their sweethearts, warm, woolly shawls to keep the
women warm and sweet, sticky toffees for the children to munch on their way back from
school.

Some days he sold fruits and on other days, kettles. To carry all his wares, the peddler
had a donkey. Every morning, the peddler loaded the donkey with his wares. The two
would set out and walk from farmhouse to farmhouse, from village to village and from
market to market.

The peddler always walked ahead, whistling merrily as he went. The poor donkey
followed, trying as hard as he could to keep up with his master and groaning under the
weight of his load.

Every evening, their wares sold, the peddler and his donkey would wend their way
home. The peddler, pleased with the day's takings, would walk ahead, jingling the
pennies in his pocket. The poor old donkey would follow, foot sore and weary from
carrying the heavy sacks all day long.

“Ah! My poor feet! Oooh! My aching back!" the donkey moaned every night as he
collapsed wearily onto the hay in his stable.

The old grey cat who shared the stable with the donkey, would shake her head and sigh.
'Poor old donkey,' she would say to herself, and slink off into the night.

One morning, the peddler loaded the poor donkey with a dozen sacks. The sacks were
full of salt and much heavier than the donkey’s usual load. The donkey groaned under
the weight, but bore it patiently, as he had always done.

“I shall make a tidy profit today on this salt.' said the peddler to the donkey, as they set
off. 'There is not a woman who does not need to buy salt for her cooking and they will
pay me well for this. I shall be a rich man tonight!'

And the peddler danced a little jig in the middle of the road. The donkey could only think
of the heavy load on his back and the long day ahead.

The donkey plodded along behind the peddler. The sun was now high in the sky. The
donkey was hot and tired and longing for a drink of water. Up ahead, he knew, there
flowed a stream of cool, sweet water. The donkey hurried towards the stream as fast as
his tired legs and the heavy load on his back would allow and leaned over for a drink.
The edge of the stream was slippery with mud and slush. The donkey, with the heavy
sacks of salt on his back, slipped and fell into the water.

“Oooh, help! Help!' brayed the donkey in terror, his legs flailing madly in the water. ‘I
will surely drown with this terrible load on my back!'

But suddenly, the donkey felt himself floating, the load on his back gone as if by magic.
He clambered out on to the bank and shook himself. Yes! The weight on his back had
vanished!

Of course the sacks were lighter, for the salt had dissolved in the water. But the donkey
did not know that. 'At last! A way to rid myself of my burdens,' he thought and brayed
with joy at his great discovery.

That night he told the grey cat all about how he had slipped and fallen into the stream
and how, when he had climbed out, his load had become so much lighter.

“No more heavy loads for me,' declared the donkey, feeling very pleased.

‘Every time it gets too much for me, all I have to do is to pretend to fall into a stream
and my load will lessen by magic!'

The grey cat shook her head and sighed. 'Poor old donkey.' she said and slunk off into
the night.

Next morning the peddler loaded the monkey again, this time with bales of cloth that he
wanted to sell at the next village. Be careful today, old donkey,’ he said as they set off.
‘I did not earn penny yesterday. I must earn double today or we go to bed hungry
tonight.'

The donkey plodded along behind the peddler and groaned under the weight of the cloth.
His back ached more than ever and his feet were killing him. He resolved to find a
stream as quickly as he could. As luck would have it, the peddler took the same path he
had taken the previous day and very soon they came to the same stream. The donkey
hurried ahead as though very thirsty and pretending to slip, fell in. He kicked his legs
about, making sure the bundle on his back was properly soaked.

In a moment my burden will vanish." he told himself and kicked about some more.

But what was happening? Something was wrong! His load, in stead of becoming lighter,
had become much heavier and was slowly pulling him deeper into the stream. Of course
his burden was heavier, for the water had soaked into the bales of cloth. The poor
donkey thrashed about in the water and brayed in terror.

“Help! Help!' he cried.

Meanwhile, the peddler had rushed to the stream and bracing himself on the bank,
helped the frightened donkey out of the water.

That night, the donkey was a sad and subdued creature. He had had to carry the much
heavier, soaked and dripping bales of cloth all the way home again. His back was truly
aching and what was worse, he had caught a cold. He sneezed miserably into the straw.
The old grey cat looked at him and sighed. 'Poor old donkey,' he said and slunk off into
the night.
The Donkey Who Would Sing

The Donkey Who Would Sing

A wild donkey once lived in the woods. He had no friends and lived all alone.

One day a jackal passing by saw the donkey. He went up to the donkey and said, “What
is the matter? Why do you look so sad my dear fellow?"

The donkey turned to the jackal and said, “I have no friends and am very lonely."

“Well, don't worry. I will be your friend from today," the jackal comforted him.

From that day, the donkey and jackal became very good friends. They were always seen
together.

One moonlit evening, the jackal and the donkey were strolling through the woods. It was
a cool and pleasant evening. As they walked on, they came to the outskirts of a village
bordering the woods. There in front of them was a grove of fruit trees.

“Ah. Look! How wonderful and delicious the fruits look," said the donkey. “Let’s eat some
of them."

“Okay," said the jackal. “But let’s do it very quietly."

They entered the grove and silently started to eat the fruits. After eating enough, they
lay under a tree happy and content. “That was delicious, but there is something missing
tonight," said the donkey.

“What is that?" asked the jackal. “Why, music of course," answered the donkey, looking
a little surprised.

The jackal asked, “Where are we going to get music from?" The donkey said. “Don’t you
know that I am an accomplished singer?"

The jackal was alarmed. "Remember, we are in an orchard. If the farmer hears us, we
will be in trouble. If you want to sing let us go away from here," he advised the donkey.

"You think I can't sing, don't you?" asked the donkey in a hurt voice.

“Wait till you hear me."

The jackal realised that the donkey was not willing to take his good advice. He moved
away and hid himself behind a clump of trees. The donkey threw back his head and
started his song. “He …haw, hee-haw," he brayed aloud.
The farmers hearing the loud braying came rushing with sticks and gave the foolish
donkey a severe beating that left the donkey feeling sore all over.

After the farmers had left, the jackal went over to his friend. He said. “Is this the prize
you won for your singing?"

“They don’t appreciate good music," replied a hurt and ashamed donkey.

The jackal replied. “This is what happens when you don’t listen to the advice given by a
good friend. I hope you have learnt a lesson."
The Faithful Mongoose

The Faithful Mongoose

Once there lived a kind Brahmin in a small village with his wife. They had a little son.
One day, as he was returning home from a nearby village, he came across a baby
mongoose crying next to its mother’s dead body.

“Oh! poor creature," thought the Brahmin. “If I leave it here it will surely die." He picked
it up and took it home with him.

“Gowri, I found this little creature on my way home. Let us take care of him," he said to
his wife. “Very well along with our son, I will take care of the mongoose also," replied his
wife.

The mongoose grew up with a lot of love and care in the Brahmin’s house. He slept next
to the Brahmin’s son in the cradle, drank milk and played with the boy everyday. The
baby mongoose’s days were full of joy in the Brahmin’s house. As both the boy and the
mongoose grew up, their friendship changed to a relationship between two brothers.

The mongoose grew up fast and as days went by, the Brahmin’s wife began to get
doubts in her mind. “After all, this is a wild animal. Sooner or later it will show its true
colours," she thought to herself. She put the mongoose’s bed separately and would
watch him carefully when ever he played with her son.

One day when the Brahmin was away. Gowri decided to go to the river to fetch a pot of
water. She looked around and saw her son sound asleep in his cradle. The mongoose
was also asleep on the floor at the foot of the cradle. This should take only a few
moments I hope I can trust that mongoose not to harm my little son," she said to herself
and after a final look at them both she hurried down to the river.

Suddenly, the mongoose woke up with a start. He had heard a very faint noise. Looking
up, the mongoose saw a large black snake crawling in through a hole in the wall.

“The snake will harm my brother. Mother and father are away. I will have to protect my
little brother," thought the mongoose, as the snake came slithering towards the cradle.

The brave little mongoose pounced on the huge black snake. After a long, ferocious
fight, the little mongoose finally managed to kill the snake.

Just then, he heard the Brahmin’s wife returning. Joyfully, he ran out to meet his mother
and tried telling her through his little animal signs that he had protected his little brother
from a dreadful snake.

But as soon as Gowri saw blood on the mongoose’s mouth and paws, she thought, “This
wretched animal has killed my little son." In a fit of anger the Brahmin’s wife threw the
pot full of water on the mongoose killing him instantly.

Entering the house with a heavy heart, she was amazed to see her little son lying in his
cradle still deep in sleep. On the floor was a huge black snake with its ugly head bitten
off.
“Oh what have I done," cried the Brahmin’s wife. “I killed that faithful little mongoose
who saved the life of my precious son."