22 Important Completing Stories for HSC Examination

 

 

22 Important Completing Stories for HSC Examination

01.A Happy Cobbler and His Money

Once there lived a happy cobbler who passed his days in working and singing. A rich neighbour of his was a banker who one day said to him, “How much a year do you earn?” The cobbler answered loughly. “I never count in this way but what I can tell you now is that I can somehow maintain my family.” The banker said, “I am going to end your poverty. Take these gold coins and remove your poverty.” The cobbler took the bag full of coin and went to his house. He had never seen so much as a gold coin.

He told his wife about the gold coin. His wife was very wise and she kept it as confidential. After a few days, the cobbler sold those gold coins and started to build a palace. Then he left his hut and lived in that palace with his wife. He left his former job and spent his days in leisure. He appointed some servants to take care of his daily chores. But it was a matter of regret that both he and his wife were in trouble. Their happiness faded somehow. They were not mentally happy as they always remained idle. They did not have a sound sleep. They often thought about their wealth and were very tensed to save their wealth.

At last the cobbler went to the banker and told him about their present condition. The banker understood him well and advised him to take his former profession. The cobbler decided to do his former job and started doing that. Then he was able to regain his happiness. In fact, happiness is a relative factor which varies  from person to person. It can’t be possessed in spite of having vast properties.  

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Happiness lies in contentment.”

02.A Poor Man And His Magic Goose

Once there lived a poor man in a village. He had a peculiar goose which laid a golden egg every day. The poor man earned his livelihood by selling the golden eggs in the nearby market.

The man was very greedy. He thought that, the goose laid only one egg a day. so it would take much time for him to be rich. He thought if he cut the goose, he would get all the eggs at a time. And by this way he would be rich overnight. So he told his plan to his wife. His was a wise woman and she was not greedy. So she requested her husband not to do so. But the man did not pay heed to his wife.

Finally he cut its stomach with a sharp knife. But alas! There was no egg in it.

The man was sorry. His wife also scolded him. She said, “You are foolish but greedy. So you have lost all.”

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “ Grasp all, lose all.”

03.A Dog And  A Piece Of Stolen Meat

Once a dog stole a piece of meat from a shop. Holding it in his mouth, he was running beside a stream. When the dog was crossing a bridge over the stream, it discovered an image in the water.

He saw another dog carrying a piece of meat in its mouth. The dog stopped on the bridge and looked down very carefully. He became greedy to get the other piece of meat. In fact, he saw his own image in the clear water of the stream and he took it for another dog. So he barked and jumped into water to have the piece of meat. But alas! When he opened his mouth, instantly the piece of meat fell into the water. The dog jumped after the piece of meat.

Alas! the current swept it away and  he failed to get it. He somehow swam to the other bank of the stream and remained unfed. So we should be satisfied what he have.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Greed loses all.”

 

04. A Farmer And His Quarrelling Sons

There was an old farmer. He had four sons. They were all grown up. But they had no good relation with one another. They were disobedient and always quarreled. So there was no peace in the house and this made the old man extremely anxious. He tried to bring them to their senses but failed. At last he hit upon a plan. He called all his sons and asked them to bring a bundle of sticks.

Each of them told his father “It is quite impossible to break it beacause the bundle is very strong.” The farmer was an intelligent and exprienced man. He said to them, “All right. Now I will do one thing for you and you will please do it.” The sons readily agreed to do that.

Then he untied the bundle. He then gave one stick to each of them and he asked them to break it. This time each son easily broke his stick.

The sons got curious to know the reason of these activities. They all said to their father, “Why have you made us do these thing, dear father? What good will come of it?” 

Then the wise father told the sons, “Wait a bit, dear sons, I’m making it clear to you.” Now the father drew their attention to the tied bundle and the separate sticks. He clearly explained to them saying “When the sticks are tied in a bundle, it is impossible for you to break the sticks. But when the sticks are separate, it is very easy for you to break them.”Then famer told his sons, “If you all remain united and  live together, nobody can harm you and if you are separate, anybody will break you like the single broken sticks.” So unity is streangth. We can do any hard task unitedly.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “United we stand , divided we fall”/ “Unity is strength.”

05. A Liar Cowboy

There was a naughty cowboy who grazed his cows beside a forest. He used to make fun with the people crying “Tiger!” The people looked up and saw the cowboy motioning wildly to them and pointing towards his cows. They threw down their sickles and ran to the cows. But they found the cows quietly grazing and there was no tiger to be seen.

“Where is the tiger?” They asked.

“ I didn’t say the tiger was here,” here replied the cowboy, and he laughed aloud and long as he saw the look of surprise in the men’s faces . They got very angry and left the place. Not many days after, these same men heard the cry, “Tiger! Tiger!”

Hearing the cry the kind-hearted men left their work and hurried toward the cows’ pasture.

When they came to the pasture, they knew that he had been playing another trick on them.    

They looked for him, but could not find him. He hid himself in some bushes where he could look on and enjoy the surprise and anger.

Once day a tiger really came. The was very much frightened. He ran to the men for help “Oh, you have fooled us twice,” they said. “You shall not have another chance.”

But the tiger is surely there, cried the boy. It is killing my cows. Do come and help! But the men kept on with their work and did not even look at him. The tiger fell upon his cows and killed many. At last it fell upon the boy and tore and him into pieces.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is“Falsehood brings destruction.”

06. The  Selfish  Giant

Once there was a selfish giant who had a beautiful garden. The garden was full of soft green grass. Here and there all over the grass stood many colorful flowers like stars. The was a nice playground for the beautiful children.

The giant was away staying at his friend place. When he came back he scared the children away from the garden. Bow the children had no place to play and were sad. hat year spring came all over the country but not in the giant’s garden. It remained covered  bloomed neither did the birds sing.

One morning he found flowers in the garden, the birds singing and found children on the branches of the trees. But there was still winter in one corner of the garden. There was a little boy in that corner who could not climb the trees. The giant came out and helped him to climb the tree. He also played with the children. The little child kissed the giant. This melted the giant’s heart. The children played everyday in the garden after school. One afternoon the little child was missing. The giant looked for him daily but couldn’t find him. Years passed. The giant grew old and weak.

One winter morning that very child was again seen in the garden. The giant ran to him and found that the child had prints of nails on his palms and feet. The child had said that they were the wounds of love. He said he wanted to take him to his garden ,which is the Paradise.

That afternoon the children found the giant lying dead and covered with flowers in the garden.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “God lives with the children.”

07. Shaikh Sadi And His Dress

Shaikh Sadi was a great poet. He used to put on simple dress. Once he took shelter in the house of a nobleman. The nobleman could not recognize him and treated him a s an ordinary man.

Without disclosing identity, the great poet left the house in the next morning. The nobleman did not know who he was though about the greatness and name and fame of Shaikh Sadi. After a couple of months, Shaikh Sadi came to the same house to spend a night on the way back home from the court. But he was then dressed in royal suit. When he reached the nobleman’s house he was accorded warm reception. The nobleman entertained him in a different manner. He treated the poet as a great man though he was still unknown about his identity.

“Why am I respected in this manner?”thought  the poet. He understood that the dress that he wore was the root cause of the variation of entertainment. So he wanted to teach the nobleman a good lesson. The poet took the foods given him to eat and began to put them into his pocket. The noble man and all his companions became surprised at this. What are you doing, sir? asked the nobleman. “These foods are made for my dress,” replied the poet. The nobleman understood his fault and sought pardon from the royal guest.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Dress doesn’t make a man great.”

08. Robert Bruce And His Perseverance

Once there lived a good king in Scotland. His name was Robert Bruce. He loved hi country and his subjects very dearly. His subjects had a great love and respect for him. One day his enemies attacked his country and drove him away from his kingdom.

The king fought bravely but lost the battle. He had to life from his kingdom to save his life . He took shelter in a remote cave. The king was always in a gloomy state for his unhappy condition. Once he was lying in the cave. Then he saw a spider trying hard to reach the ceiling of the cave. The spider failed again and again to succeed. But it did not give up hope.

Bruce saw the spider climbing to the ceiling after some unsuccessful attempts This dauntless spider inspired Bruce to shake of the darkness of despair . He gathered and army of strong men and attacked his enemies. The enemies courted defeat and Robert Bruce regained his kingdom.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Failure is the pillar of success.”

09. A Hare And A Tortoise

Long ago there lived a hare in a forest. A tortoise also lived nearby. The hare was proud of his speed. He always teased the tortoise. One day the hare was going back to his house and at the same time the tortoise was also returning his house. The tortoise was going without disturbing the hare. Suddenly, the hare stopped the tortoise and laughed at the tortoise and said. “You have as many legs as I have. But I am sure, you cannot run as fast as I can. “You slow coach! I feel pity for your speed’’.  Perhaps, you cannot run at all”.

The tortoise became very angry. He answered quietly, "You can run quite fast, no doubt. But I think, you can talk even faster than you can run”.

“However, I agree to run a five mile race with you.”At this the hare was much amused. So he said, “come along, let’s fixed a date for the race.” They fixed a date. A fox came to see the race. The tortoise and the hare came to the starting point. The race began. The hare began to run very fast. He jumped and jumped. He ran a mile in a few minutes. Soon he found the tortoise far behind him. Then he stopped. He said to himself. “What’s the use of going so fast? Perhaps, the tortoise has gone only a few yards by this time. So, I can very well have a good sleep before he comes up.” Saying so, the hare went to sleep in a bush. In the meantime, the tortoise walked on and on. He did not stop anywhere. When he came to bush, he saw the lazy hare lying fast asleep. He smiled and quietly passed by him.

Many hours passed. The hare woke up. He saw that it was already evening. He immediately got on him feet. He began to run very fast. But alas! The tortoise had already gone far. He came in sight of the goal. But the tortoise was already crossing the winning post. The hare felt much ashamed.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Slow and steady wins the race.”

10. An Honest Woodcutter And The Beautiful Fairy

Once there lived a poor wood cutter. But he was very honest. He earned his livelihood by selling wood in the market. One day while he was cutting wood near a river, suddenly, his axe fell into the river. The river was very deep. The woodcutter did not know how to swim or dive. So, he was sitting there sadly. Then a wonderful thing happened. A beautiful fairy appeared before the woodcutter. She asked him in a sweet voice, “Why are you so sad? Why are you not cutting wood?”

The woodcutter replied sorrowfully, “My axe has fallen into the river. I can’t cut wood now.” The fairy took pity on him. She went into the river and come back with an axe. The fairy then showed him the axe made of silver. She asked him if it was his axe. The woodcutter saw the axe and said, “It’s not my axe.”

She then again went into the water and returned with an axe. The fairy showed him another axe made of gold. She asked, “Is this the axe that you lost?” The woodcutter said, “No, it’s not. My axe is made of iron. It was old.”

Finally she brought the axe of the woodcutter from the water. She showed him the lost axe with a wooden handle. The woodcutter then said happily that it was his axe. The fairy became very pleased with the honesty of the woodcutter and gave him the gold and the silver axes as reward. Then the woodcutter became rich and began to live happily. So, we must keep in mind that honesty is always rewarded.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Honesty has its reward.”

11. King Lear, A Tragic Figure

Once upon a time was a king in England. He had three daughters. He made up his mind to divide his kingdom among them. He wanted to know firstly, how much they loved him.

Do you know what the name of the king was? His name was King Lear. He was a powerful king of England. When became old he wanted to hand over his responsibilities to his druthers. He loved his youngest daughter, Cordelia very much. He cherished to offer her the best part of the kingdom. So he called his daughters in the court. He asked them one after another how much they loved their father.

At first Goneril, the  eldest daughter was asked about the depth of her love to her father. She declared before the court: “Sir, I love you more than I can say. You are dearer than my life itself. I love you with all my heart and I’ll always love you.” The king was quite satisfied with her statement.

He then turned to the second daughter Regan. She said, “I love you as much as my elder sister. Indeed I love you more. My love for you will never change. My happiness is only in loving you.” The king became satisfied more than before.

He then turned the youngest and dearest one. What can you say to draw a third more opulent than your sisters? “Speak,”asked the king.

Cordelia : “Nothing , my lord.”

Lear          : “Nothing ?”

Cordelia  : “Nothing .”

Lear     : “ Nothing will come of nothing , speak again .”

Cordelia  : “Unhappy that I am . I cannot have My heart into my mouth; I love your Majesty. According to my bond-no more nor less.”

The king could not be satisfied with this, rather he expected  more than this . Out of emotion, he disclaimed all his kinship and blood relationship with Cordelia . She was deprived of the share of the share of the kingdom.

Elder sisters became the tragic figure when he could not adjust himself with his elder daughters and went to the jungle . Then only Cordelia, who stood beside him, was the saviour of the king .

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Nothing will come of nothing.”

12. Two Friends And The Bear

Once two friends were passing through a dense forest. They were very intimate friends. All on a sudden, they saw a bear coming towards them. Both of them got afraid. One of them knew how to climb up a tree but the other did not. He thus climbed a tree nearby without considering what would happen to his friend.

The other friend became very afraid. He, however, had courage. Soon he could remember that the bear does not touch any deadbody. So, he lay flat on the ground like a dead man.

The bear came and smelt his nose, ears and mouth. He thought that the man was dead and thus left the place quietly. Now the friend who climbed the tree got down. He went to his friend and asked him “what it is the bear has whispered in your ear?”

In reply, he told “The bear has given me some good advice. The bear warned me to be aware of any false friend. He also advised me not to rely on a person who can leave his friend in danger.”

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is“A Friend in need is a friend indeed.”

13. Who will Bell the Cat?

There was old house in a village. A number of mice lived in that house. They were doing a lot of mischief there. The master of the house was very annoyed and made a plan.

He brought a cat to drive the rats away. The rats were deprived of their precious facilities. Besides, they failed to run the risk of their own lives. They were being suddenly and frequently killed by the cat. Finding no alternative of saving themselves, all the mice sat together in a conference.

Most of them present in the conference argued and contrived in many ways. Towards the uncompromised finishing of the conference a young rat vigorously stood up and said that a bell might be tied round the neck of the cat so that they could be easily aware of the sudden appearance of the cat to escape themselves then and there. All clapped merrily seconding him.

But soon after this, an old mouse said, “The proposal of the young lad is good and very good, I support. But who will bell the cat?”

At this all were stone still. There was a pin drop silence in the conference. The meeting ended with no decision and the mice virtually migrated to save their own lives.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is“It is easy to say but difficult to do.”

14. A Cunning Fox and a Foolish Crow

One day a crow stole a piece of meat. It flew away and sat on the branch of a tree. Suddenly a fox came along and stopped under the tree. He sniffed something good to eat. Looking about, he saw the meat in the crow’s mouth and wanted it.

How could he get meat? The crow would fly away when she saw him coming. He could not coax the crow to come down to the ground.

At last the fox had a crafty thought. He said to himself, “A crow is one of the proudest birds I ever know. I will flatter her and she will forget about the meat.”

So he called out in his sweetest voice, “ Good day, my pretty bird.” But the crow did not reply. She only stepped about proudly on the branch.

“I wish I had such a beautiful appearance as you have,” said the fox.

Still no answer, but the crow held up her head and turned it first to one side and then to the other, showing that she was pleased.

“What a graceful neck and bright eye! said the fox. “The other birds may well be jealous of you.”

NO answer yet. She only raised her wings a little and gazed down upon the fox.

“If your voice were only as beautiful as your appearance and your dress, you would be the queen of all the birds; but it seems that you cannot talk at all. What a pity that you are dumb!”

The crow gave a loud "caw!” As she did so, the meat fell from her mouth. The fox snapped it quickly and went away.

The poor crow at last understood that the fox was only fooling her but it was too late.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Never believe a flatterer.”

15. The Wisdom of King Solomon

King Solomon was renowned as a powerful king all over the world. Everyone became charmed at his ready wit and excellent wisdom. The queen of Sheba heard that the King could answer any difficult question instantly.

She hit upon a plan to test the king and made two similar garlands one was made of real flowers and another was artificial.

She called on King Solomon and asked, “ Oh the wise king ! I have taken these two garlands for you. Both are similar to look at but only one is real. Can you choose the real one?”

The garlands were on the table which was near the window. The king looked at them at a glance and opened the window at once. There were some bees in his garden beside the window. He found a few of the bees enter the from though  the window  and sit on one of the garlands of the queen of Sheba. He instantly could understand which one the  real garland was. He then easily chose the real garland and left the artificial one.

“Long live our wise king”! cried out the Queen. “You are really the wisest king of the world, æshe added.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “A man of wisdom can easily win the heart of

everyone.”

16. Bayezid and His Devotion to Mother

Once there lived a widow in a village ‘Bostam’ in Iran. She had one child named ‘Bayezid’. He was the apple of the eye of his mother. He was also very much devoted to her . one day the mother became very ill. At the dead of night she cried out, “water! water!”

Hearing the cry, young Bayezid woke up and saw there was o water in the jug . He at once, went out in search of water. But the source of water was far away from their cottage. the boy  alone went there  and took a jug of water.

When he came back, he saw his ailing mother sleeping again deeply. Bayezid did not want to interrupt her sleep. He remained standing by her  head with a glass of water thinking that she might cry for water again . He was waiting for the moment when his mother would wake up again. He was standing still till the Ajan or the dawn prayer.

At the sound of Ajan, mother woke up, and became surprised to see her son standing by her bed with a glass of water.

“Why are you standing, my boy?” she asked.

“Because, you’re crying for water,” replied the boy.

“But why didn’t you awake me?”

‘’I didn’t want to interrupt your deep sleep’’.

‘’O Allah! include my son with your beloved ones,” She prayed.

The mother burst into tears at the devoted attitude of her young son and preyed to Allah for his bright future. So Bayezid is still respectable to us all. We remember his for him extraordinary devotion to his mother.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Heaven lies in the feet of  mother.”

17. A Scholar and a Boatman

Once a scholar was going to a place by boat. It was the beginning of the summer season. The boatman set sail and the boat was advancing smoothly. The scholar said to the boatman, “Did you read history?”

The boatman said, “No.” The scholar told him, “Without any knowledge of history one fourth of your life is spoilt.”

The scholar looked at the beautiful scenery and asked again , “Have you read geography?” As usual the reply of the boatman was “No”. This time the scholar said , “One half of your life is spoilt.”

Then they were silent for some time. It was afternoon. The scholar broke the silence and said to the boatman, “Do you know anything about science?” “No, nothing do I know of science,” was the answer of the boatman.

The scholar said to him , “Your life is of no use. Three-fourths of your life is spoilt.” Hearing this the boatman remained silent.

All on a sudden, the sky became covered with dark clouds. The ‘Kalboishakhi’ began to blow in the form of a storm. The scholar was very much frightened.

This time the boatman said to him, “Sir, do you know how to swim?” The scholar replied in the negative in a pitiful voice. The boatman then said, “The boat is going to sink. Now I see, your whole life is spoilt. Your bookish knowledge is of no use here.”

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Practical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge.”

18. An Astrologer and a King

Once there was a king in India. He was fond of knowing his future form the astrologer. One day a clever astrologer happened to visit the capital.

The king came to learn about the name and fame of the astrologer. He at once invited the astrologer to the court. The king asked him about his future. He told the king something unpleasant. At this the king got furious and condemned him to death.

When the astrologer was being taken to the place of execution, the king asked him. “How long would you live?”

“I’ll die only week before your death” replied the astrologer with a ready wit. “I’ll receive your Majesty where you are sending me” he cleverly added.

At this reply, the king turned pale like a dead man and shouted, “Drive this wretch away and let him not come here again.”

“So goodbye” said the astrologer promptly. Thus he managed to escape from the king’s wrath.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Ready wit is a great weapon for the wise.” 

19. The Fox Without a Tail

One day a fox fell into a trap. He struggled hard to get free and managed to be free but lost his tail. Without the tail the fox looked strange. He felt sad and ashamed. He thought and thought and hit upon a plan. He called a meeting of all the foxes in the jungle.

When all the foxes came to the meeting, the fox without the tail felt pleased and said, “I’ve made a great discovery. What use are the tails of? No use at all. Moreover, it makes us ugly. That’s why I’ve cut my tail. Without my tail I feel so free, light and sportive. I can run faster than ever before. So cut off your tails as I’ve done.” 

The foxes listened to him with attention and many of them called his suggestion  a good one. Gradually almost all the foxes were moved with the new idea. Again the fox without the tail had told them about the disadvantages of having tails. They started to feel their tails like a burden. So, most of the foxes decided, “We’ll cut our tails off without any delay.”

At that very moment a wise fox said, “He fell into a trap and lost his tail. Now he looks funny. So he wants us all  to look like him. Don’t follow his suggestion.”

 Now, all the foxes started thinking over the point of the wise fox. They found sense into his speech. The wise fox then said, “Look at your tails. How nice they are!. Nature has given us this tail. And remember, everything natural to animal kingdom is beautiful and useful.”

The fox without the tail found that his trick had been spoiled. So, he ran away. Thus the wise fox frustrated the plan of the deceitful fox.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Everything natural to animal kingdom is beautiful and useful.”

20. The Pied Piper Of Hamelin

A long time ago the town of Hamelin was faced with a great problem. It became full of rats. The rats were so big and fierce that they fought the dogs, killed the cats and bit the babies in the cradles. In no way people of the town could protect their belongings and even lives from the attack of the rats. So, they were leaving the town in group.

 In this situation, the mayor of the town called a meeting of the elite persons to discuss their problems and find a way out. The meeting went on for a long time but there was no result. Nobody could suggest any solution to the problem.

At that time, a strange person with a colourful flute in his hand appeared before the meeting. He declared “I will drive the rats from the town.” "How much do you want?" asked the Mayor. "A thousand guilders", replied the pied piper. "All right", said the Mayor. "We'll pay you a thousand guilders. When will you set to work?" , asked the mayor. "Now", replied the pied piper.

The man started walking and the rats followed him. There was a stream of rats on the road. The people of the town became spell bound watching such a magical job. They even could not imagine that rats could join such a procession.

However, the pied piper walked towards the direction of the river flowing by the town. There was a strong current in the river. The pied-piper suddenly stopped by the river. But they did not stop. They jumped into the current of the river and all drowned. Thus the magical power of the piper’s flute freed the people of the town from the devastation of the rat.

But when the pied piper returned ,the mayor asked him, "Have you killed the rats?" said the Mayor. “Yes, I have," replied the piper. "Give me the money you have promised." said the pied piper. "How funny you are!" the Mayor mocked at the pied piper. "Take only fifty." said the mayor.

When the mayor refused to pay him one thousand guilders, he decided to take revenge by killing the children of the city and he became successful by the majical power of his flute.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Once a promise is always a promise.”

21. King Midas And His Golden Touch

There was a king named Midas. He was very rich and loved his gold more than anything else. He had a large kingdom, a good wife and a lovely little daughter. But he was not happy because he was never content with the heap of gold he had. He wanted much more.

One day, while he was counting his gold bars and coins, the only favourite pastime of him, he heard a voice. 

“Midas,” said the voice sweetly, “I have come from heaven, I can fulfil your wish. But it must be just one wish and no more.

“Oh Lord!” said Midas with folded hands, “May  I turn everything to gold with my touch?”

“So be it,” said the voice.

Next morning Midas overwhelmed with joy and wanted to test his power. He touched the bed and it turned into shining gold a once. Midas, now happy beyond measure, turned all the furniture around him into gold. He was afraid. He could not eat gold. How then was he going to live? Just then his little daughter came running to him. Midas hugged her dear daughter and then being horrified saw his daughter turn into gold. Midas in a desperate attempt shouted to her at the top of his voice and started shaking her like mad.

But everything failed to bring her back to life. The voice said, “If you want to bring back to her to life, your golden touch will then go from you. Midas agreed. “Then fill a jar with the water of the river and sprinkle the water on your daughter.” So saying, the voice faded into silence.

Midas somehow collected himself and ran to the river as fast as he could. On reaching there he washed his hands in the river-water. Then he carried water in a jar to the palace. He poured half the water of the jar on the golden statue of his daughter. The amazing thing happened again. The little girl became herself once again and started shaking off the water from her wet clothes.

Midas then hugged her daughter with all the force of filial love he had in store for his daughter. He kissed her again and again promising secretly to himself “I will never value gold more than anything.” He thus learnt a lesson which he never forgot throughout the rest of his life.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Grasp all, lose sll.”

 

22. A Lion and A Mouse

Once a little mouse, while playing, ran across a sleeping lion’s face. The lion awoke in anger, caught the mouse and was about to kill it. The mouse begged for pardon. It said to the lion, “I am very sorry, sir. I got a little off balance and ran across your face just by accident. Please spare my life. One day, perhaps I may be of use to you.”

The lion laughed and said, “Well, I feel like believing you, I don’t know why. But I know one thing, when anyone is in danger he or she makes false promises to get rid of the danger.”

The mouse became sad at heart and said, “No, sir, I am not of that type. I know how to be grateful and how to repay debts. If I do not get any chance to be useful to you, I shall at least remain grateful to you for your kindness.” The mighty beast seemed convinced. He pardoned the mouse and allowed it to go. The mouse thanked the lion and ran away in joy.

One day, the lion was strolling around as usual. Suddenly he was caught in a net set by some hunters. He roared loudly in rage, tried his best to get free but all his efforts ended in vain. No doubt the lion was very strong but he could not break the net. He went on roaring in rage. The mouse playing nearby heard the roar of the lion. It got frightened and got ready to run away at a safe distance.

Suddenly one thing flashed into its mind. It remembered the promise it made  to the lion. So the mouse instead of running away in fear went to the spot from where the roaring sound was coming. Seeing the mouse coming, the lion said, “My dear little friend, see my condition. I am in a real trouble . Will you keep your promise and help me to get rid of this trouble?”  “Of course! That’s why I am here. Don’t worry. Let me have a try at the net.” So saying, the mouse first cut one rope of the net with its sharp teeth and then another and then another and finally succeeded in setting the lion free.

 The lion now free from danger and became so happy and pleased with the mouse that he had the mouse on his back and left the place laughing. Since then the mouse and the lion became the best friend and their friendship based on mutual trust and confidence lasted till time unknown. We should be grateful to the person who helped us.

In fine, we can say in a word that the moral of the story is “Don’t underestimate the power of little one.”