The Deceitful Bird

Once upon a time, there was a large group of birds living near the Himalayas. The king of the birds told his flock, "Go and look for food, like seeds and grains. When you find food, come back and tell me, so we can all share it together."

All the birds flew off in different directions to search for food. One bird, who was not very honest, flew far away. This bird saw a cart carrying a lot of grain, and as the cart moved, some grains fell on the road. The bird, sitting on a tree branch, felt very happy to see all the grains.

The dishonest bird thought, “I don’t want to share this with the others. I’ll keep it all for myself!” So, he flew back to the flock and lied. He said, "I didn’t find any food. I saw a cart, but it was moving too fast, and it was too dangerous to get any grains."

The other birds believed him. They said, "Our safety is more important than food." So, they agreed to stay away from that road. The dishonest bird was pleased with himself. Every day, he went back to the road alone and ate all the grains that fell from the cart.

Because he ate so much, the dishonest bird became big and strong. The other birds, who were still hungry, began to wonder why he looked so healthy. One day, the bird king quietly followed him and saw the bird eating the grains all by himself.

While the dishonest bird was eating, he saw the cart coming closer. "I have more time to eat," he thought and kept eating. But he didn’t notice how close the cart had come. Before he could fly away, the cart hit him.

The bird king flew over to help, but it was too late. The dishonest bird, weak and hurt, said, "I’m sorry, my king," and then he died.

The bird king returned to the flock with a heavy heart and told them what had happened. He reminded them that being selfish can hurt others and ourselves.