Timeless stories from around the world in basic, fun and rhyme versions to read or listen to. Provided for free, with no advertising.
There is a man. He has a donkey. The donkey works hard and helps the man. The donkey carries sacks of salt from the town to his house.
One day, the donkey falls into the river. The salt gets wet and goes away. The sacks get light. The donkey is happy. The sacks are easy to carry.
At home, the man sees the wet sacks. He knows what happens. He is not happy, but he is not mad.
The next day, the donkey falls into the river again to make the sacks light. The man sees this. He knows the donkey is being smart.
The man has an idea. The next day, he puts cotton in the sacks, not salt. The donkey falls into the river again. The sacks get heavy. The donkey is not happy. It is hard to carry.
The donkey learns a lesson. The donkey stops falling into the river. It works well. The man is happy. The donkey is happy.
Once upon a time, a hardworking donkey helped a trader carry heavy sacks of salt from the town to his home. Every day, they took the same long path. The load was heavy, but the donkey carried it without a fuss.
One afternoon, as they crossed a shallow river on their way home, the donkey slipped! He fell into the water, and the sacks of salt got soaked. The salt quickly dissolved, and when the donkey stood up, his load felt much lighter.
"Oh! This feels so much better!" the donkey thought, shaking off the water.
When they reached home, the trader saw the wet, empty sacks and muttered, “So, that’s what happened.” Though he wasn’t happy, he didn’t say anything.
The next day, as they reached the river again, the donkey remembered how easy the journey had been the day before. "If I fall again, my load will be lighter!" he thought. With a little grin, he let himself fall into the water on purpose.
Just like before, the salt disappeared, and his load became light again.
"This is much easier!" the donkey thought, feeling proud of his clever trick.
But the trader had been watching. He sighed and shook his head. "I see what you're up to," he thought. "Let’s see if you try that again tomorrow."
The next morning, before leaving town, the trader came up with a plan. Instead of filling the sacks with salt, he packed them with soft, fluffy cotton.
As they reached the river, the donkey, feeling even smarter than before, let himself fall in again.
But this time, something was different. The cotton soaked up the water and became very heavy. When the donkey stood up, his load was now twice as heavy as before!
"Oh no! What happened?" he cried, struggling to walk. His legs shook under the weight.
The trader patted the donkey’s back and smiled. "Now you've learned your lesson, my friend. Tricks don’t always work the way you expect."
The donkey had no choice but to carry the heavy load all the way home. Step by step, he regretted trying to be tricky. After that day, he stopped falling into the river on purpose and carried his load honestly.
In a small village, there lived a trader who owned a diligent donkey. This donkey was very helpful, carrying heavy sacks of salt from the town back to the trader’s house.
One day, as they were returning from the town, the donkey slipped and tumbled into the river. The sacks of salt became soaked, and the salt dissolved into the water. With the salt gone, the sacks were much lighter, and the donkey felt relieved because the load was easier to bear.
Upon reaching home, the trader noticed the wet sacks and realized what had occurred. Although he was displeased, he did not scold the donkey.
The following day, while crossing the river again, the donkey deliberately fell into the water, hoping to lighten its burden once more. The trader observed this and understood that the donkey was being clever.
Rather than becoming angry, the trader decided to teach the donkey a lesson. On their next journey, he filled the sacks with cotton instead of salt.
As expected, the donkey intentionally fell into the river again, anticipating the sacks would lighten. However, this time, the cotton absorbed the water and the sacks became even heavier. The donkey struggled with the weight and learned a lesson.
From that day onward, the donkey stopped falling into the river on purpose and performed its duties honestly.
In a town not so different from your own, there was a trader with a flair for the dramatic and his sidekick, a donkey with a penchant for mischief. They were the dynamic duo, trading goods and cracking jokes.
"You ready for another day of lifting, old chap?" the trader, adjusting his over-sized hat, asked the donkey.
The donkey just rolled his eyes. "Oh, absolutely. Carrying sacks is my dream job. Might as well ask if I'm ready for another day of carrots and hay."
One sunny day, after their usual shopping spree, the donkey, weighed down with sacks of salt, tried some fancy dance steps near the river. Oops! Splash! He found himself wet, but the salt dissolved making his burden much lighter.
Emerging from the river, the donkey smirked, "Ever heard of a salt bath? Very refreshing. Also, ten points to me for a cool magic trick!"
The trader raised an eyebrow. "Interesting dive you took there." But he kept his suspicions to himself.
The next day, as they neared the river, the donkey thought, "Why not have another 'refreshing' dip?" And, of course, he dived right in.
The trader, shaking his head and grinning said, "Going for another swim, eh? Practicing your dives?"
The donkey, looking innocent, blinked. "Who, me? Noooo."
But the trader had a playful idea for a prank. The next day, he filled the sacks with fluffy cotton. "A change in product," he winked at the donkey.
Sure enough, at the river, the donkey dived in, expecting another magical lightening of his load. But surprise! The cotton soaked up all the water, making the load super heavy.
Struggling, the donkey groaned. "Alright, alright, I get it! No more splashy shortcuts."
The trader laughed, "Remember, my friend, being honest is always lighter than wet cotton!"
And from then on, the donkey only danced on dry land, especially when he thought no one was watching.
In a bustling town and sunlit dunes,
A trader hummed his merry tunes.
With his loyal donkey, strong and true,
Together they worked, under skies so blue.
Sacks full of salt, oh so dense,
Donkey bore them, without any pretense.
But fate had a twist, on that sunny day,
Into the river, the donkey did sway.
Water washed salt, away it flew,
Sacks felt light as a feather, it's true!
Donkey smiled, a clever thought he had,
"River tricks are not so bad!"
Home they went, the trader did spy,
The river trick and the donkey's sly try.
No anger shown, he planned instead,
A clever lesson, for the days ahead.
Morning came, river's song so clear,
Donkey's plan, the trader could hear.
Splash! In water, donkey did dive,
Hoping his sacks would again take a dive.
But this time, a surprise in tow,
Sacks were filled with cotton, soft and snow.
They soaked up water, heavy they grew,
Donkey realized, he'd been out of the cue.
A lesson learned, the hard way it came,
No more tricks, no more games.
From then onwards, come sun or rain,
With honesty, by the trader's side, he'd remain.
A big animal that helps carry things.
Big bags to carry things like salt or cotton.
A white thing you put on food.
Soft, white stuff used to make clothes.
A big, flowing water that moves to the sea.
When something has water on it.
Easy to lift or carry, not heavy.
Feeling good and smiling.
Feeling very angry.
Clever or quick to think of good ideas.
A person who buys and sells things.
Big bags for carrying things like salt.
Melted away in liquid and disappeared.
Spoke in a low, unclear voice.
A big, happy smile.
Feeling happy about something you did.
An idea about what to do next.
Soft, light, and full of air.
Very wet with lots of water.
Felt bad about something done before.
Person who buys and sells goods for profit.
Hardworking and careful in completing tasks.
Fell suddenly and clumsily from somewhere.
Mixed completely with a liquid to disappear.
Feeling happy because something difficult ended.
Not happy or satisfied with something.
Doing something on purpose, not by accident.
A heavy load that someone has to carry.
Watched carefully to understand what is happening.
Expecting or predicting something will happen.
Special ability or talent in something.
A strong liking for something.
Playful or annoying behavior causing trouble.
Always active or changing.
A feeling of doubt or mistrust.
Coming into view or becoming known.
Smiled in a self-satisfied or sly way.
A playful trick or joke.
Not guilty of wrongdoing or free from blame.
Made a low sound in pain or discontent.
Very busy and full of people.
Hills of sand formed by the wind.
Someone who buys and sells goods.
Always supportive and faithful.
Closely packed together; not easy to move through.
Pretending or making something seem true.
To move back and forth or side to side.
To see or notice someone or something.
Clever and tricky, often sneakily.
A signal or hint for something to happen.
What does the donkey carry from the town?
What happens when the donkey falls into the river the first time?
How does the donkey feel when the sacks get light?
What does the man put in the sacks instead of salt?
What does the donkey do after learning the lesson?
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