A Merchant and His Donkey: A Lesson in Cleverness and Consequences

A Merchant and His Donkey

— A Tale of Clever Tricks and a Wiser Lesson

Long ago, in a peaceful village nestled between rolling hills and flowing rivers, lived a humble merchant who made his living by selling salt. Every morning, just as the sun peeked over the horizon, the merchant would load up his loyal donkey with heavy bags of salt and set off toward the distant market to earn his daily bread.

His donkey, though strong and reliable, was not particularly fond of carrying the heavy load. Yet, he never had much choice in the matter. The path to the market was long, winding, and crossed a small but deep river. The merchant and his donkey had traveled this route countless times, and nothing unusual had ever occurred—until one spring morning.

As they approached the riverbank that day, the donkey stepped into the shallow water to cross, as usual. But suddenly, he lost his footing and slipped, landing with a splash in the cold stream. The merchant, alarmed, quickly pulled the donkey to safety. Soaked and shivering, the donkey clambered up the bank. But then something strange happened. The donkey noticed that his burden had become significantly lighter.

Unbeknownst to him at first, the salt had dissolved in the river water. What had once been a heavy and uncomfortable burden was now barely noticeable. The donkey, relieved, trotted the rest of the way cheerfully while the merchant frowned, realizing the trip had been wasted.

Still, he returned home and reloaded the donkey with fresh bags of salt the next morning. Once again, they set off. And once again, as they reached the same river, something curious happened—the donkey slipped and fell into the water again. But this time, the merchant noticed something strange: the fall did not seem accidental. The donkey, with a glimmer in his eyes, seemed to smile as he rose, now free from the heavy load once more.

The merchant was no fool. He realized the donkey had learned a trick—one that benefited only him. By falling into the river, whether by accident or on purpose, he could lighten his burden and make his journey easier. Clever as it was, it was still deceit.

Determined to teach his four-legged companion a lesson, the merchant devised a plan. The following morning, instead of loading the donkey with salt, he packed the saddlebags with sponges—dry, soft, and light. The donkey, unaware of the change, brayed cheerfully and started walking.

When they reached the river this time, the donkey, as expected, "accidentally" slipped again into the water. But the moment he rose from the riverbed, he realized something had gone terribly wrong. His load, instead of becoming lighter, had become heavier than ever before. The sponges had soaked up the river water and swelled, weighing him down with an unbearable burden.

Struggling to walk and gasping for breath, the donkey barely made it to the other side. The merchant, watching all this, could not help but laugh heartily.

“You foolish donkey,” he chuckled, patting the exhausted animal. “You thought you were outsmarting me, but now you see the result of your own cleverness. A little mischief might save you once, even twice, but tricks cannot last forever. Sooner or later, every shortcut turns into a longer path.”

The donkey, wiser and a little humbler, never again tried to fake a fall. From that day forward, he carried his loads obediently, knowing that being honest and hardworking would always pay off in the end.

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Moral of the Story:

Trickery might work once or twice, but in the end, dishonesty will always be exposed. Every action has consequences.

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