Short Stories » Aesop’s Fables

Aesop’s Fables - The Wolf and the Lamb

Once, a lamb strayed away from the fold, by chance. He was alone and scared. He tried to find a way home but could not.

A wolf saw the unfortunate lamp. He decided that he would eat up the creature only after some argument with him, to justify his attack on him.

“Hey, last year you insulted me badly,” he said to the lamb.

“Oh dear! I was not even born last year,” said the lamb, trembling with fear.

“You eat up all the grass on my pasture,” accused the wolf.

The lamb cried, “Good sir, I have not even started eating grass.”

The wolf did not give up. “You drink up all the water in my well.”

“I have not even started drinking water,” the lamb cried again, “My mother’s milk is all the food and water I need.”

The wolf, angry and at a loss for further words, seized the lamb and ate him up, saying, “Even if you prove all my imputations wrong, I will not go supper-less.”

Moral: The tyrant does not need a reason for his tyranny.

Aesop’s fables - The Bat and the Weasels

Once, a bat fell on the ground from a tall tree. He was caught by a weasel.

The bat pleaded with the weasel to spare his life. The weasel refused and said, “Why do you think I will spare your life? I am the enemy of all birds by nature.”

The bat quickly assured him that he was not at all a bird. “I am actually a mouse,” he said brightly.

“Oh, really,” said the weasel, “In that case I set you free.”

Thus the bat was set free.

Unfortunately, the bat fell from the tree again. This time, he was caught by another weasel.

“Please spare my life,” the bat pleaded.

“How can I spare your life? I eat all the mice I can find. I am especially hostile to mice,” said the weasel.

“Oh, sir. You are much mistaken. I am actually a bat, not a mouse,” cried the bat.

Thus he escaped a second time.

Moral: It is wise to turn circumstances to good use.

Aesop’s fables - The Ass and the Grasshopper

Once, an ass was walking along a meadow. He heard some grasshoppers merrily chirping, and was quite impressed.

“I wish I could sing like them,” he said to himself. “Perhaps they can sing like this because they are eating some special food. If I eat the same food, I can also sing like them.”

So, he asked the grasshoppers what kind of food they ate.

“We eat the dew,” replied the grasshoppers.

The ass decided that he would eat only dew from then on. Within a couple of weeks, he died of hunger and starvation.

Moral: Fools blindly follow others.