The Donkey and the Crickets
Long ago a lazy donkey lived in a big green forest. He worked in the field every day, but he wanted to sing. One summer day he heard a sweet sound under a tall tree. Small crickets were singing happily in the branches above him. The donkey listened to that lovely sound and admired their voices. He lifted his head and looked at the crickets with curiosity.
"Why is your voice so beautiful and so sweet?" he asked. The crickets smiled and answered the donkey with great joy. "We only eat fresh drops of dew from the leaves," they said. These words made the donkey very happy, and he decided at once. "I will not eat grass any more, only dew," he said. From that day he left the tasty grass and looked for dew.
The days passed, but the morning dew never filled his stomach. The lazy donkey grew thinner and thinner, and at last very weak. He learned bitterly that every creature has its own voice and nature. He was very sorry, because he lost his health for a song. If we copy others and forget our nature, we lose a lot. The crow wanted to walk like the partridge and forgot its own walk.