A TO Z IN THE WORLD

  The Foolish Friends The Foolish Friends : Once a mouse and a frog were close friends. They spent most of their time together. When the frog would go back to the pond, the mouse would miss him. In the same way, the frog grew sad every time the mouse went off in search of food. So they took a rope and tied one end of it around the frog's leg and the other to the mouse's foot. Every time they missed each other, one would pull the rope to call the other. One day, the frog went deep under water in the pond in search of food. He forgot that his foot was tied with the mouse's. He went deeper and deeper in the water. Soon the poor mouse was pulled into the water and drowned.

  The Fisherman and His Flute The Fisherman and His Flute : There was once a fisherman who was also an excellent flute player. One day he took his flute and a fish basket, jumped up on a rock and began to play his flute, convinced, the fish would be enchanted by his music and leap into the basket willingly. Unfortunately, he did not catch a single fish, so went home, collected his net and threw it into the water. He caught so many fish that his basket overflowed. 'Stupid creatures!' he exclaimed, as he watched the fish twist and jump in his net. 'You would not dance, when I played my flute, but when I'm not playing, you can not stop dancing!'

  The Fearful Hunter and The Woodcutter The Fearful Hunter and The Woodcutter : Do you know that many men are very brave while they are talking and are very scared when the time comes to act? There was once a hunter who was going through the woods in search of a bear. He met a woodcutter and asked: 'My good man, do you happen to have seen the footprints of a bear?' 'Yes, I have seen them,' said the woodcutter, setting down his axe, 'and I will take you to its den.' The hunter went pale with fear and started to shake. 'Thank you, but that won't be necessary,' he stammered. 'I am looking for tracks, not for the bears themselves!'

  The Father and His Daughters The Father and His Daughters : Aman had two daughters. One was married to a poor farmer. The other was married to a potter. Once the father went to visit each of them and asked: 'How the business is going on?' 'Very well,' replied the first daughter, 'but we could use more water to irrigate the land. We pray every night that God will send us rain!' When he asked the second daughter, she replied: 'Business is going on well, but we pray to God for dry weather to harden our pots!'

  The Faithful Mongoose The Faithful Mongoose : Indu and Lav were a young Indian couple and they had a beautiful baby boy. One day, Indu said to her husband: 'You must look after the baby, while I go down to the river.' Lav sat down beside the pram and the baby fell asleep at once. A short time later, a messenger arrived from the royal palace and ordered Lav to follow him there to speak on behalf of a friend. Lav had to entrust the baby to the pet mongoose which the young couple kept in the house. In India, people keep mongoose rather to keep cats. But where cats hunt mice, a mongoose does not hesitate to confront a snake. What is more, mongooses are more loyal than cats. The mongoose at once sat down to guard the baby. When a huge python entered by the window and approached the pram, the mongoose was ready for it and killed the python. When Lav came back and found the mongoose, mouth and paws dripping with blood, he immediately thought the worst and beat the f...

  The Eagle and The Woodcutter The Eagle and The Woodcutter : Once, a woodcutter found an eagle which was caught in a trap. He was so taken with the beauty and the majesty of the bird that he let it go free. Some time later, the woodcutter sat down on a rock on the very top of a steep hill. While he was having his lunch, the eagle dropped like lightning from the sky and flew away with his hat. The man automatically ran down the hill after the bird, just as the rock on which he had been sitting gave way with a loud crash. Thus the grateful eagle had repaid its benefactor.

  The Donkey in The Lion's Skin The Donkey in The Lion's Skin : A donkey disguised itself by dressing up as a lion and then went around spreading terror amongst the other animals. Some time later, when it encountered a fox, the donkey roared as fiercely as it could, but the fox just burst out laughing. 'If I hadn't heard you braying, I might also have been scared by that lion's skin.' There are a lot of stupid people, who, like the donkey would like to dress up in fine clothes and pretend they are important, but they betray themselves.

  The Donkey and The Grasshopper The Donkey and The Grasshopper : A poor donkey was not happy with his voice. One summer day, while grazing in a field, he was captivated by the delightful music of the grasshopper. 'What is it that you eat that allows you to give off a sound like that?' he asked one of them. 'Dew,' answered the grasshopper, joking. 'That's what I need,' thought the donkey. So he went on eating grass with great enthusiasm for the rest of his life, especially at dawn, when it was covered with dew. His voice never changed, but luckily, nature had bestowed on him a healthy appetite.

  The Dog with The Little Bell The Dog with The Little Bell : There was once a dog which had the bad habit of biting anyone who came within its reach. For this reason, its master hung a little bell on the liar around its neck, so that everybody would be warned of the dog's approach and could take care not to get too close to its somewhat fearsome teeth and extremely powerful jaws. The dog was very proud of its little bell and liked to boast that the tinkle of it scared men away. A wise old dog, however, warned it, 'The bell resounds to your shame not to your glory. The little dog immediately removed the bell.

  The Dog, The Cockerel and The Fox The Dog, The Cockerel and The Fox : A dog and a cockerel who met while on a journey decided to travel together. Night fell. The cockerel went to sleep up in a tree and the dog settled down at the base of the trunk. Just before dawn, as was his custom, the cock crowed. He was overheard by a fox who rushed up and said, 'What a magnificent voice! Come down, I want to congratulate you.' 'I'm afraid I can't,' replied the cockerel. 'The doorman of this hotel is asleep and I can't come down until he wakes up.' 'I'll wake him up right now,' promised the fox. The dog leapt up, growled and the fox fled.

  The Distracted Astronomer The Distracted Astronomer : An astronomer was in the habit of going out every night to observe the stars. But no sooner he was outdoors, he was totally absorbed in the sights above him, that he did not look where he was putting his feet, so once he fell into a hole in the ground. A passer-by heard his shouts and ran to help him. How do you hope to discover what's up in the sky,' he said to the astronomer, 'when you're not even capable of seeing what's under your nose?' “Many men, while following their dreams, show themselves incapable of facing up to reality."

  The Clever Barber The Clever Barber : One day, a barber was going to the next village. On the way he had to pass through a forest full of wild animals. Suddenly all his worst fears came true. A fierce lion came and stood before him. But the barber gathered courage and went to the lion. The lion was surprised to see the barber acting this way. The barber said, "Ah! Here you are and I have been searching all the nearby forests to look for you." The lion was taken aback at the barber's words. With some fear in his heart, he asked the barber, "But why were you looking for me?" The barber replied, "The king had asked me to catch two lions for him. I have already caught one of them. I guess you will be the next one." And then the barber took a mirror and put it before the lion's face. The lion saw his reflection and mistook it for another lion. So the lion ran away to save his life and the clever barber went on his way.

  The Cat and The Old Mouse The Cat and The Old Mouse : A black cat happened to wander into a warehouse where mice lived. 'This is the place for me,' thought the cat. 'I'll pretend to be dead.' And the cat lay down on the ground. The younger mice ran towards it shouting, 'There's a dead cat.' But a wise old mouse stopped them and said, 'Don't you know that a cat has nine lives?' Then the old mouse climbed up above the cat and chewed opens a huge sack of flour that was resting on a large bin. The flour poured out and covered the cat which lay still for a moment. Then there came a sneeze and out of the flour came a white cat.

  The Cockerel, The Cat And The Mouse The Cockerel, The Cat And The Mouse : An inexperienced little mouse set off on a journey. He came across a cockerel. Never having seen one before, the little mouse was so afraid of the cockerel's beak, its feathers and red crest, that he ran off as fast as he could. Further on, the mouse saw a cat. What a handsome animal, he thought; what a soft fur, what striking eyes! When mouse got back home, he told his mother what he had seen. "You silly mouse,' his mother said, 'Never go by appearances. The terrible animal that you saw was a harmless cockerel while the fine looking one is our enemy, the cat.'

  The Butcher and The Thieves The Butcher and The Thieves : Two thieves went into a butcher's shop. While one was waiting to be served, the other one stole some sausages off a plate and passed them to his companion. The butcher noticed the sausages were missing and accused the pair of having stolen them. The one who had the sausages swore he had not stolen them and the one who had stolen them swore he did not have them. Both told the truth, but the butcher beat them anyway. 'Whoever took the sausages can take one of these as well,' the butcher said between blows, 'and whoever has them can have one of these as well.'

  The Brave Hunter The Brave Hunter : Once, a hunter lived in a village. He used to boast of his brave hunting trips to the villagers. The villagers respected him a lot. He mostly told everyone how he had fought a lion bare handed or of killing an elephant with a single bullet. He said that the tiny animals used to get scared even at the sight of him. One day, the hunter was passing through a forest. A woodcutter from the same village was busy cutting trees. The boastful hunter approached him and said, "How are you? It's a fine day, isn't it?" "Yes, Yes, indeed!" the woodcutter replied. "Well, can you tell me if you have seen some footprints of the lion nearby? It’s been months since I killed any." The woodcutter knew that the hunter only boasted. So he said, "Yes, a lion is in a nearby den. Can I take you there?" But the scared hunter said, "No... No... I only just wanted to see his footprints." And so the ...

  The Brainy Donkey The Brainy Donkey : Once, a donkey was grazing at the edge of the village. He was so lost in eating the sweet green grass that he wandered into the forest nearby. Soon it was evening and the donkey decided to go home. So he turned to take the path which led to the village. As he walked on, suddenly, he was confronted by a big fierce lion. The sight of the lion's large mane and sharp claws scared the donkey. But the donkey was very clever. He addressed the lion and said, "Oh! Your Majesty, what a pleasure to see you. I would be honoured to serve you as your dinner. But I must tell you about the proper way of eating a donkey. It is said, that one must start eating from the hind legs. That part tastes the best." The lion believed the donkey and as he went behind him, the donkey kicked the lion with great force. The lion was knocked down and fell into a thorny bush. By the time he was on his feet, the donkey had run off to the village. ...

  The Boastful Athlete The Boastful Athlete : There was once a very loud-mouthed and ambitious athlete who was not, however, very talented. One day, tired of being booed at by the crowd, he decided to leave and seek his fortune abroad. When he finally returned, he was forever telling stories of his victories. 'In London,' he would say, 'I jumped so high I was out of sight. If you don't believe me, go and ask anyone who was there.' 'There is no need,' said a listener. 'Why don't you pretend you're in London and jump out of sight right now?'

  The Bird Doctor   The Bird Doctor : Once there was a man who loved birds a lot. He made an aviary. It was a large cage in which the birds could live and even fly around inside. Everyday, the man would keep fresh grains, nuts and water for the birds. One day, in the absence of the man, a clever cat dressed up as a doctor and went to the aviary. There he called out, "Birds! My friends… open the door. I have come to check you up. Your master has sent me." The birds were intelligent enough to comprehend the tricky trap being laid by the wily cat. They said, "You are a cat and our arch enemy. We won't open the door at all." "But friends, I am a doctor. I cannot harm you. And this is a professional visit." But the birds refused to open the door of the aviary. The cat went away defeated. Then the birds chirped out loud, "Just like a leopard never changes its spots, we all know a cat never mends its ways."

  Teeth of The Elephant Teeth of The Elephant : Once a hungry mouse found a small nut. He started to bite into it but its cover was hard and thick. The mouse's tiny teeth could not cut into it. The irritated mouse prayed aloud to God, "Oh God! Why did you give me such tiny teeth? I have food here but I cannot eat." Immediately he heard God's voice, "Dear Mouse, go and look at the other animals teeth. Whosoever's teeth you like, will be given to you." So the mouse went to the forest nearby. He looked at the teeth of many animals living there. But he did not like their teeth at all. At last the mouse went to the elephant. He was much impressed by the long, white tusks of the elephant. The little mouse asked the elephant, "Sir, are you happy with your long beautiful teeth?" At this, the elephant replied, "Friend, these teeth are just for show. I cannot use them to chew food like you do. At least you don't have to bear t...

  The Sun and The Wind The Sun and The Wind : To see which was the stronger, the sun and the wind challenged each other to strip the clothes from the first passerby. The wind puffed with all the air in its lungs. But the more it blew the more the man drew his clothes tight around him and feeling a bit cold he even pulled on a cloak. The sun didn't do anything so strenuous. All it did was shine. And gradually the man grew hotter and hotter until he took off all his clothes to go for a swim. This just goes to show that gentle persuasion is more effective than violence.

  Stupid Catherine   Stupid Catherine : When Stupid Catherine went out, she often forgot to close the door behind her. One day, she had to go out of the house to take some lunch for her husband, Joseph, who was always telling her: 'Don't forget the door.' This time, Catherine thought deeply till an answer came to her. The best way not to forget to close the door was to take it with her. So, she took it off the hinges and heaved it up onto her back. Bu then, what could she do with the heavy lunch basket?" “I know," she cried, “I will hang it on the door handle, so that the door has to carry it, not me."

  Silly Catherine Silly Catherine : One day silly little Catherine went for a walk in the woods. When she reached the lake, she decided to eat, but then grew tired and slept till night time. When she woke up, it was so dark that she could not see her own reflection in the water. 'Am I really here or not l' she asked herself. She decided to go home and ask. When she got home she called• out, 'Is Catherine there l' 'She must be in the bedroom,' replied a sleepy voice. 'If Catherine's at home,' thought Catherine, 'then I am not Catherine.' So she went away and never returned.

  Save The Green Earth   Save The Green Earth : God created this whole wonderful world. He made it beautiful, happy and green. There were large green fields with grass and colourful flowers. Then God made birds and animals to live in the meadows and the fields, the woods and the forests. After that God created Man to take care of his beautiful creations. He made Man as the most intelligent and best of all his creations. But then, God had some doubt in his mind. He wondered if Man would really take good care of his creations. So he warned Man, "You must keep earth as green and as beautiful as I have created it. Do not commit any sin when you go to Earth. Or as a punishment the earth will lose its beauty and will turn into a vast desert." Soon Man forgot God's warning. He started stealing, lying and committing other sins. So Earth turned into a vast desert. But when Man realized his mistake, then God forgave him. That is why there is still some greenery le...

  Riddle of Poppy   Riddle of Poppy : A beautiful woman had been transformed by a witch into a poppy in a field. Each evening, she returned to normal and was allowed to pass the night at home. One morning, before she went back to the field to become a poppy again, she said to her husband: 'If you succeed in picking me, the spell will be broken.' This was true, but how could the man recognise his wife amongst all the other thousands of poppies? The answer was simple: Since the woman had spent the night at home, she was the only poppy in the field that was not wet with dew.

  Redfeathers The Hen   Redfeathers The Hen : Redfeathers, the hen, was so-called because all her feathers were red. One day the fox caught sight of her in the farmyard and his mouth began to water. He ran home and told his wife to put on water for boiling a chicken and then he rushed back and before Redfeathers knew what was happening, she found herself snapped up inside a sack and was not even able to call for help. Luckily, her friend the dove saw what had happened. She fluttered on to the path in the woods and lay there, pretending to have a broken wing. The fox was delighted to find that he would have a first course as well as a main dish. He put down the sack with the hen in it and chased off after the dove who cleverly began to hop further and further away. , Redfeathers slipped out of the sack and put a stone in her place then she too ran off. When the dove saw that her friend was safe, she flew up onto a tree. The fox then went back and picked up th...

  Pot of The Friend   Pot of The Friend : A woman was asked to borrow a pot from her friend and handed it back the next morning together with a much smaller pot. 'It is the son of your pot and was born during the night,' she explained. The friend was delighted to accept this. A few days later, the woman borrowed the pot again, but this time she did not give it back. When the friend asked if she could have her pot back, the woman replied: 'It's dead.' 'A pot can't die,' her friend insisted. 'And why not?' the woman went on. 'If it can have 'a son, then it can surely die.'

  Metabo and Camille Metabo and Camille : King Metabo was a famous javelin thrower. One day he went out hunting with his young daughter, Camille. All of a sudden the king was attacked by a band of enemies. He had to flee from them until he came to a fast flowing river which he was unable to swim across because of his daughter on his back. It seemed as if he was lost until he thought of a way out. Tying his daughter to his javelin, he hurled it with all his strength to the other side of the river. Then he dived in himself and swam across to where Camille was. His enemies were so amazed that they gave up the chase.

  Man and The Wolf Man and The Wolf : The wolf boasted that he was the strongest animal. The fox disagreed. 'Man in his prime is stronger!' 'Introduce me to one and we'll soon see,' retorted the angry wolf. An old man went by. 'Is that a man?' asked the wolf. 'No, he is no longer in his prime,' replied the fox. A boy ran past. 'Is that one?' asked the wolf. 'No, he has not reached his prime,' the fox replied. Then a hunter appeared. 'That's him! That's a man!' exclaimed the fox. The wolf leapt out and was beaten by the hunter. “Do you see?' asked the fox. 'Man has strengths which even you do not possess!'