Aesop | Greece
The Rooster and The Jewel
A hardworking Rooster finds a valuable jewel in the ground but prioritizes his family's survival over its worth, leaving the jewel behind.
On a quiet farm, there lived a rooster. Every day, he worked hard, scratching the ground to find food for his family.
One sunny day, as the rooster was digging, he hit something hard with his foot. He looked down and saw something shiny in the dirt. With a flap of his wings, he cleaned the dirt away and found a bright jewel.
The rooster tilted his head and looked closely at the gem. It was beautiful, shining in the sunlight. Someone must have lost it, and it was probably very important to them.
“Aha,” said the rooster, staring at the jewel. He knew it was valuable and could be sold for a lot of money. But even though it was beautiful, the jewel was useless to him.
The rooster looked at it one more time, then went back to his work. Even if the jewel was worth a lot, a grain of barley was more important to him. It was the food his family needed to survive. So, the rooster left the jewel behind and kept scratching the ground.
