Vishnu Sharma | India
The Cunning Mediator
One bird left his friend and returned to find a rabbit in his home; he sought resolution from a wise cat but ended up being eaten.
A long time ago, two little birds lived in a big tree in the forest. One bird made his home in the branches, while the other lived in a small hole at the bottom of the tree. These two birds were very good friends. They liked to tell each other stories and share their daily adventures.
One day, one of the birds decided to fly away to look for food with other birds. As the day turned into night, the bird didn’t come back. His friend started to worry, "Where is he? Did something happen to him?" Days went by, but the bird still didn’t return, and his friend felt sad and thought he would never come back.
One night, a rabbit saw the empty hole at the bottom of the tree and decided to move in. Since the bird didn’t think his friend would come back, he didn’t stop the rabbit.
But one day, the missing bird finally returned. He had found a place full of food and came back healthy and happy. However, when he saw the rabbit in his home, he was very angry. “Hey, rabbit! This is my home. You must leave now!”
The rabbit said, “But I found this home empty, so it’s mine now. I won’t leave.” They argued but couldn’t find a solution.
The bird then said, “Let’s ask someone who is fair and wise to decide who is right.” The rabbit agreed, and they went to look for help.
Meanwhile, a clever wild cat was listening to their argument. The cat quickly thought of a plan. Pretending to be very wise, the cat stood up tall and waited by the river.
The rabbit saw the cat and said, “He looks like someone smart who can help us.” The bird replied, “Okay, but let’s be careful because he is a cat, and cats can be dangerous to us.”
They went near the cat and asked him to help solve their problem. The cat said, “Don’t worry, I don’t hurt others anymore. I will help you.”
The bird and the rabbit felt safe and moved a bit closer. The cat added, “I can't hear you well from far away. Come closer so I can understand you better.”
When the bird and the rabbit moved close enough, the cat suddenly jumped on them. He caught both of them and ate them for dinner. The bird and the rabbit realized too late that the cat wasn’t really wise – just hungry.
