Story | The Enemy's Advice

Long ago, crabs and herons were known to be enemies. But sometimes, when someone is sad or has suffered a loss, they may not think wisely. This happened to a heron one day.

The heron was standing by a lake with a sad and serious face. From a distance, a crab had been watching the heron for a long time. So the crab asked, "Dear Uncle, why are you so sad and full of grief today?"

"Oh, my dear, what can I say?" cried the heron. "We have been happily living on the nearby tree for years. All our previous generations have grown up there. But now, there will be no more herons on this tree."

"Why is that, Uncle?" asked the crab.

"It's because a snake has come to live in the tree hole, and it eats our chicks every time they hatch. I have no way to get rid of this terrible snake," explained the heron.

"Uncle, I have a solution for you," suggested the crab. "There is a mongoose that lives in a hole on a nearby tree. All you have to do is create a trail of fresh fish from the mongoose's hole to the snake's tree hole. The mongoose will follow the trail, eating the fish. And when it reaches the snake's hole, they will surely fight. The mongoose will kill the snake, and you will be free from all your troubles."

The heron thanked the crab very much for the advice and quickly set out to carry out the plan. The plan did work, and the snake was killed by the mongoose. However, after killing the snake, the mongoose also ate the heron's chicks.

The moral of the story is: Think before you act.