The Thief and the Mulberry Tree
Long ago a wicked thief lived in a faraway village. One day he stole the villagers' precious things and ran away. The angry villagers took lanterns and chased him at once. The thief ran toward a deep, dark forest to escape. The night was very dark and the forest paths were dangerous. Suddenly a wild wolf appeared in front of him.
Trembling with fear, the man climbed a big mulberry tree. He hid in the high branches until the wolf left. He finally relaxed, but then he saw a huge snake above. The snake looked at him with cold eyes and hissed. The bad man stayed in the tree and felt helpless. He said to himself, "I must leave this dangerous place now."
In fear of the snake, he jumped down from the tree. But he fell into the fast water of the deep river. Strong waves pulled the thief away and he disappeared. He escaped the villagers, but not the justice of nature. In the end he paid alone for all his bad deeds. Bad deeds and injustice always lead a person to disaster. Curses, like chickens, always come home to roost.