Aesop | Greece

The Rivers and The Sea

Three Rivers confront the Sea for turning their fresh water salty, but realize it's their nature to flow into it.

The Rivers and The Sea
Text Version

Once upon a time, there were three happy rivers. They flowed through the land, giving fresh water to all the animals and plants nearby.

But one day, the rivers started to feel upset. Their water, which was always fresh and sweet, turned salty when they reached a big sea.

The rivers decided to talk to the sea. "Why are you making our water salty?" they asked angrily. "We want our water to stay fresh and nice."

The sea listened to the rivers quietly. After they finished speaking, the sea said, "If you don't want your water to become salty, you just need to stop flowing into me."

The rivers thought about this. They knew they couldn't stop flowing because that was what rivers do. They understood that it wasn't the sea's fault their water became salty. It was just the way things were.

In the end, the rivers accepted that their water would always turn salty when it mixed with the sea. They learned to live happily with this, knowing it was part of the natural world.

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The Rivers and The Sea