The Nightingale and the Bat
A nightingale sat in a cage by a small window. The nightingale sang only at night. In the daytime she stayed quiet. One night a bat flew from a nearby tree. It landed on the bars of the cage. "Why do you stay quiet by day and sing at night?" it asked.
The nightingale answered in a sad voice. "Long ago I sang beautiful songs by day," she said. "A hunter heard my voice and caught me in a net," she said. "Since that day I sing only at night," she said. The bat nodded its head calmly.
"My dear friend nightingale," it said. "You became careful too late, after the cage," it said. "The right time for care was before the net," it added. The nightingale saw the truth and stayed silent.
They both saw one thing: care must come before danger.
It is too late to lock the stable door after the horse is gone.