SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH/INDIAN STORIES

 

SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH

INDIAN STORIES 

THE WISE FARMER

There once lived a farmer who had two sons. One day, when he knew he was going to die, he called his sons.

He said, "My boys, I'm growing old. I'm going to divide my farm and my lands equally between the two of you, but on one condition. You are never to let them pass out of your hands. For whatever riches I possess lay buried in them somewhere."

The two boys thought at once that their father had hidden all his money in the fields. As soon as he died, they had both dug up all the fields only to find nothing. But because they had turned the ground so well, the crops they planted grew wonderfully well. In time, they had an excellent harvest and grew very rich. Only then did the sons realize what their father had meant.

MORAL 

There is no substitute for hard work.

THE GREEDY FOX

In a forest, there once lived a fox. Each day, this fox saw some shepherds leaving their lunch in a crevice in a huge rock. One day, he decided to steal their food.

The fox waited for the shepherds to go after their flocks, and squeezed into the crevice.

The fox feasted himself on the shepherds' food, and lay back drowsily. When he got up to leave, the fox found to his horror that he couldn't get out.

He had eaten so much that his stomach was the size of an enormous pumpkin. The fox was frightened. He set up a howl.

Hearing this, another fox came up but was unsympathetic. "Wait till you get thin," he snorted, and was off on his way.

When the shepherds came back at lunchtime, they beat the fox up black and blue.

MORAL

Greed can put you in a tough spot.

THE FOX AND THE HEN

There once lived a fox that had gone for days without food and was feeling very hungry. The fox noticed that in a farm by the edge of the forest lived a plump hen, the apple of the farmer's eye.

One day, the fox approached the hen, sitting safely on a perch.

"My dear hen," said the wily fox. "I heard that you've not been very well. I've come to find out how you are."

The hen was puzzled.

"Why don't you come down, and let me take your pulse for you?" asked the wily fox.

But the hen was a smart creature. She knew that if she came down, the fox would gobble her up. "Thank you for your concern," she said. "But I'm nice and warm up here. I'm afraid I'll catch cold if I come down!"

MORAL 

It's better not to trust your enemies.

THE WOOD-CUTTER AND THE TREES

A wood-cutter came into a forest and addressed the oldest trees he could see."O trees," he said. "I've come with a terrible job to do. I need to cut down one of you. I really don't want to do it but I don't have a choice. That's why I thought I would ask the permission of the older trees."

"It's good of you to consult us," said the tree elders. "You may chop down that young tree growing there."

"He has hardly lived, and it would make little difference to him.", said another tree elder.

As soon as the trees had said this, the wood-cutter chopped down the young tree.

Quickly, he made a new handle for his axe and he had chopped down almost the entire forest in no time. Only then did the old trees realize their folly in betraying a younger member of the forest.

MORAL 

It's better to stick together than trying to save your own skin.

THE BULLS AND THE LION

There once lived four bulls who were great friends. They always grazed together and slept near each other.

A lion was walking by one day, when he noticed these four plump friends. He badly wanted to feast himself on one of them. But the lion was afraid to attack them when they were together. So he decided to wait and see if he could separate them in any way.

One day, the lion noticed that one of the bulls was standing at a little distance from the others.

Approaching this bull, the lion began telling him stories about his friends. Soon enough, believing the lion's stories, the four friends quarrelled with each other out of jealousy and anger.

The bulls started keeping away from each other. So the lion was able to attack them one at a time and eat them all up.

MORAL 

United we stand, divided we fall.

THE RICH MAN AND HIS DIAMOND

There was once a rich man who had a poor neighbour. The rich man hated the other man as he'd been told by a soothsayer that all his wealth would one day be his neighbour's.

The rich man was so worried about this that he sold off everything he owned, and bought a huge diamond with the money. He then sewed up the diamond in his turban to keep it safe from his neighbour.

When the rich man was at sea one day, his turban flew off, taking the diamond with it. "Oh, oh, oh," he cried, but the turban sank without trace. "Oh, well," he thought, "at least my neighbour won't get it either."

But a few days later, the poor neighbour went to the market to buy some fish. When he came home and cut the fish up, there was the diamond!

MORAL 

Miserliness brings its own downfall.

THE JOLLY COBBLER

Long, long ago, there lived a jolly cobbler who used to work from morning till night. He had the habit of singing as he worked. But his neighbours were less than happy.

One rich man in particular found the cobbler's singing very annoying. One day, the rich man came up with a plan to stop the cobbler from singing. He visited the cobbler and asked him how much money he earned in a year.

"Not much but enough for my wants," replied the cobbler.

"Here," said the rich man,"Take this bag of coins. It's more than a year's earnings, I'm sure!"

The cobbler was delighted. But all the rest of that day, he worried and wondered how to keep the money safe. In the process, he lost his peace of mind, and quite forgot to sing.

MORAL 

Money doesn't always bring happiness.

THE SMART CROW

A hungry fox saw a crow with a piece of cheese in its beak sitting on a branch. He wondered how he could trick the bird into dropping the cheese.

"How now, my beautiful friend! I'm told you are a great singer. Why don't you oblige me with a song?"

But the crow was a clever fellow. He was not to be fooled that easily. The crow carefully put the cheese in his beak under his foot. "Shall I sing now?"he asked.

The fox realized that he had been outwitted by the crow.

MORAL 

Don't be taken in by flattery.