The Wolf and the Crane
Vishnu Sharma | India
A wolf tricks a helpful crane who removes a bone from his throat in exchange for a promised reward.
Once upon a time in a big forest, a smart wolf lived. One day, while eating his food, a small bone got stuck in his throat. The wolf was in a lot of pain and could not eat, drink, or even breathe well. He wanted to find a way to fix his problem.
The wolf started looking for help from other animals, but they were all scared of him. Then, he found a crane, who was fishing near a pond. The wolf asked the crane for help.
"Dear friend," said the wolf, "I have a bone stuck in my throat, and it hurts a lot. I cannot eat, drink, or breathe well. If you can help me take it out with your long beak, I will be very thankful and give you a big reward."
The crane was scared at first, thinking the wolf might eat him once the bone was out. But he chose to help the wolf, hoping for the reward.
The crane carefully put his long beak into the wolf's throat and took out the bone. The wolf felt better and thanked the crane. The crane then asked for his reward.
But the tricky wolf laughed and said, "You should be happy I did not bite your head when it was in my mouth. That is your reward."
The wolf walked away, and the crane was left feeling sad and cheated.
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