The Donkey and the Mule
Aesop | Greece
A man, an Donkey, and a Mule went on a trip with heavy bags; the Mule refuses to help the tired Donkey, but regrets it later.
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Once upon a time, a man got ready to go on a long, tiring trip. He had two friends to help him, an Donkey and a Mule. Both of them were carrying big, heavy bags.
The trip started, and soon they were walking in the hot sun, crossing huge fields and tall hills. The Donkey, who was not as strong as the Mule, began to feel very tired. His legs shook under the heavy bags, and he had a hard time keeping up.
Seeing this, the Donkey asked the Mule, "Can you help me carry some of my bags?" He was out of breath from the effort.
The Mule, who was much stronger and didn't have trouble carrying his bags, didn't answer. He just wiggled his ears and kept walking at his usual pace.
Since the Mule didn't help him, the Donkey became more and more tired. His steps got slower and slower until he was so exhausted that he fell down and couldn't get up again.
The man had no choice but to take the bags from the Donkey and put them on the Mule. Now, the Mule had to carry twice as many bags. The man even put the Donkey's skin, which he had removed, on the Mule's back.
The Mule groaned under all the weight. He realized his mistake and thought to himself, "If I had helped the Donkey when he asked me, I wouldn't have to carry all these bags and the Donkey's skin too."
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