Aesop | Greece
A Jackdaw and Peacock Feathers
Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.
A long time ago, in a faraway land, lived a simple bird called a Jackdaw. He wasn't as colorful or beautiful as some other birds in the forest, especially the pearoosters.
One sunny day, the Jackdaw found a pile of shiny feathers that a pearooster had lost. He looked around to make sure no one was watching and quickly picked them up. The feathers were bright and shiny, with colors like green, blue, and gold.
He thought, "Wouldn't it be great to look as amazing as a pearooster!"
Quickly, the Jackdaw stuck the feathers into his own, making a big, beautiful fan. Proud of his new look, he walked around the forest, showing off to the other birds. Everyone looked at him with surprise and amazement. For a while, he enjoyed all the attention.
But soon, the pearoosters saw him. They recognized their feathers right away. They noticed how strangely the feathers were arranged on the Jackdaw. They started to laugh at him. "You don't belong with us," they said. "You're a Jackdaw, not a Pearooster."
The other birds in the forest realized that the Jackdaw was pretending to be a pearooster. They began to laugh and tease him. Feeling ashamed and exposed, the Jackdaw quickly ran away. All the pearooster feathers fell off as he hurried away.
In the end, he was just a normal Jackdaw again, and his short time of pretending to be a pearooster turned into a big, embarrassing mistake.
