A Gardener and His Dog
Aesop | Greece
A dog falls into a well, and the gardener, while trying to save him, gets bitten due to a misunderstanding, leaving the dog behind.
Once upon a time, in a sunny village, a gardener lived with his dog. This dog delighted in chasing butterflies, birds, and even its own tail around the garden.
One day, during a particularly enthusiastic butterfly chase, the dog slipped and tumbled into a deep well.
Noticing the absence of his dog, the gardener began to search for him. When he heard faint whimpers, he hurried to the well and saw his dog struggling in the water. Without a second thought, he rolled up his sleeves and reached in to save him.
However, the dog, consumed by fear, misunderstood his master's intentions. Believing that the gardener was trying to push him further down, the terrified dog bit his hand. The surprise and pain shocked the gardener. He had only been trying to rescue his friend, and yet he received a painful bite in return.
Feeling hurt, not just from the bite but also from his dog's reaction, the gardener withdrew his hand. He decided to let the dog figure out his own way out of the well. With that, the gardener walked away, leaving his ungrateful friend behind in the deep, cold well.
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