Old Hen and Young Rooster
John Gay | England
A young rooster ignores his mother's warning and investigates a dangerous well, getting himself into trouble.
Once, an old hen led her chicks out to search for food. They scratched the ground and pecked at seeds, enjoying the day. But one little chick, while trying to stretch its wings, fluttered and fell into a well. The mother hen cried all day, worried and sad.
Later, she saw her oldest son, a strong young rooster, and said, "My dear boy, I’m happy to see how strong you’ve grown. I’ve heard you’re brave, and that’s good because roosters should be bold. But please, never go near that well. It’s a dangerous place for our family. Remember my words: stay away from it."
The young rooster thanked his mother for her advice and promised to stay away. But as days passed, he grew more and more curious. He thought to himself, "Why does Mother fear this well? Does she think I’m scared? Or maybe she’s hiding something interesting down there."
Finally, he decided to find out. He flew up to the edge of the well and looked down. To his surprise, he saw another rooster staring back at him from the water. Angry, he thought it was a challenger and fluffed his feathers to look fierce. He crowed loudly, then jumped down to fight this "enemy."
But it was only his reflection, and as he tried to fight it, he fell into the water, unable to get out. As he struggled, he remembered his mother’s warning and thought, "I should have listened to my mother."
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