The Frog in the Well and the Fish from the River

The Frog in the Well and the Fish from the River

by Umairai Anwari

Once upon a time, the summer sun blazed mercilessly over the land. The rainy season had passed without a single drop of rain. The ponds and lakes that once shimmered with water began to dry up, their beds cracking under the heat. Fish gasped and struggled helplessly in the shrinking puddles until, one by one, they died.

Flocks of cranes, who once lived by those ponds, now took flight toward the great river, where the water still ran deep and fresh. One such crane caught a fat, glistening fish in its beak. Proud of his prize, he thought, “I’ll take this to a tall tree and enjoy it in peace.”

But the fish was strong and unwilling to surrender her life so easily. She twisted and flapped her fins with all her might. Startled, the crane loosened his grip for a moment. The fish wriggled free—and by sheer coincidence, she fell straight down into a deep old well below.

Inside that well lived many frogs—some young, some old. They had spent their entire lives in the darkness of that damp stone world, knowing nothing beyond its mossy walls. When the fish splashed into their home, the frogs leapt back in fright. They had never seen a creature like her before.

After a moment of silence, a large, curious frog hopped forward and asked politely,
“Who are you? And where did you come from?”

The fish, still catching her breath, replied,
“I am a fish—a creature of the water. I came from the river. That river is my home.”

The frog tilted his head. “River? What is that?”

The fish smiled. “The river is vast. It’s long and wide, and its water flows endlessly. The waves rise and fall, carrying us gently as we swim. It’s full of life, always moving.”

The frog frowned thoughtfully, then swam to one side of the well. From there, he called out,
“Is the river as wide as this?”

The fish laughed softly. “Oh no, dear frog. Your well is nothing compared to the river. The river stretches farther than you can imagine.”

The frog, not convinced, leapt to the other side of the well and returned.
“Then,” he said proudly, “perhaps the river is as long as this well?”

The fish giggled again. “Not at all! The river runs for miles and miles. It’s much, much longer than this.”

The frog’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Miles? Impossible! You must be joking. Nothing could be larger than our well. It has water, it has walls, and we all live here happily. What more could there be? Either you are teasing me, or you’ve dreamed up this so-called ‘river.’”

The fish sighed. “Dear frog, the problem is that you’ve never left this well. How can you know what lies beyond these walls? The world outside is far bigger than you can imagine. If you ever leave this well, you’ll see how small it really is.”

The frog blinked. He didn’t know what to say. He had never imagined a world larger than his own.

Just then, fate intervened.

A group of boys, wandering in search of water, approached the well. They carried a bucket tied to a long rope. One of the boys lowered it carefully into the well. When they pulled it up, to their surprise, the bucket held not only water—but also a fish and a frog!

“Hey, look!” cried one boy. “We dropped the bucket to get water, but it brought us a fish and a frog too!”

Another boy said, “Poor fish! How did she end up here? Let’s take her back to the river where she belongs. We can fill our buckets there too.”

The boys, kind-hearted and gentle, ran toward the nearby river. When they reached its banks, they released both the fish and the frog into the wide, flowing water.

The frog floated for a moment, stunned by the sight before him. The water stretched as far as his eyes could see. The current moved with a gentle power, glimmering under the sunlight. Schools of fish darted through the water, and the sound of the flowing river filled his ears.

He turned to the fish, his voice trembling with awe. “You were right. Everything you said was true. I never believed you, but now I see it with my own eyes.”

The fish smiled kindly. “Sometimes, we must leave our small world to understand how vast life truly is.”

The frog nodded. “I’ll go back to the well and tell everyone what I’ve seen. They won’t believe me—but I’ll tell them anyway. The world outside is real. The river is real.”

The fish said softly, “Perhaps one day, they’ll find the courage to leave the well too.”

And with that, the fish swam away, gliding gracefully into the shimmering blue water, while the frog sat on a smooth stone, gazing in wonder at the endless river.

For the first time in his life, he realized how small his world had been—and how much more there was to discover beyond it.


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Moral:

The story reminds us that narrow thinking limits our understanding. Like the frog in the well, those who never look beyond their small world cannot imagine the vastness of life outside their comfort zone. Only by exploring and being open to new experiences can we truly understand how big the world—and our possibilities—really are.