The Shepherd and the Sea
Once upon a time, a cheerful shepherd lived in a small village by the blue sea. Every day he walked his sheep on the green hills and watched the sea. The blue water always looked very calm and very beautiful. The wind blew softly and the waves touched the shore slowly. The shepherd always admired this peaceful sea.
One day he decided to become a sailor and get rich. He sold all his sheep and bought sweet, tasty dates. He loaded the dates onto a big ship and sailed away.
But suddenly black and terrible clouds covered the sky. A strong storm came and huge waves shook the ship. The shepherd was very afraid of drowning and decided at once. To save his life, he threw all the sacks of dates into the sea. His ship became lighter and he reached the land with great difficulty.
Later the shepherd walked by the shore and looked at the sea for a long time. That day the sea again looked very still and deep blue. A traveller on the road said, "How calm the sea is today!" The shepherd smiled and answered the man carefully. "The sea looks calm because it wants sweet dates again!" he said.
We must not trust looks and take big risks without thinking. Beware of still water.