In desert, three thirsty animals found a bottle of water. Their neediness blinded their mind to fight over small thing. Read following short fable story:

Short Fable Story: A Bottle in Desert

Once upon a time in a desert, heat of the sun was unfriendly. The day was so hot and it dried the animal’s throat. Armadillo, Jackrabbit, and Iguana were walking weakly on the desert. They really needed to drink and thirst was the only word their mind.

“Water!” Armadillo cheered.

Iguana opened his eyes widely and he saw a Bottle of water.

“It’s for me,” Jackrabbit said in neediness.

“It’s mine,” Armadillo replied.

“No, it’s mine. I saw it first,” Iguana protested.

They fought each other over a bottle of water. They forgot that they were friends. The neediness motivated them to hurt each other. There was no friend in competition.

A vulture landed near them.

Keep fighting! The strongest one deserves this bottle of water. Fight! Fight! Fight!” Vulture provoked.

“Vulture, you want to take this water too, don’t you?” Armadillo said.

“What are you doing here? I won’t let you take this bottle from me,” Iguana said.

“Don’t worry! I’m not interested in that bottle. Just show me who the strongest animal among you is. The winner will get water,” Vulture said.

Armadillo saw Iguana touching the bottle with his hand.

“Don’t touch it!”

“Armadillo, I deserve it.”

“You are not strong animal. You should prove your strength before you get the bottle,” Jackrabbit challenged Iguana.

Jackrabbit ran to Iguana and hit him. Armadillo joined the fight and the fight of the three animals happened again.

“Let’s see! Who will die first will be my lunch,” Vulture said to himself.

Suddenly, a crane landed in the middle of the fight area. White Crane’s presence disturbed them and they stopped fighting.

“Hi, Crane! What are you doing here?” Armadillo asked.

“You want this water, too, don’t you?” Iguana said suspiciously.

White Crane only laughed, standing elegantly with one leg.

“What are you laughing at?” Jackrabbit asked.

“Your neediness blinds your mind. Those who will die in fight will became the meal for Vulture. He is waiting for your death,” White Crane said.

“Be careful! White Crane stops your fight because he wants to steal the water,” Vulture provoked.

Jackrabbit, Iguana, and Armadillo gazed Whit Crane with their judging eyes.

“I’m not interested in it. I won’t fight only for this small bottle of water. Look at that sand dune! Behind the dune, there is river. There is plenty of water there and there is enough for everyone. You don’t need to hurt other to get what you want,” White Crane said.

Then, White Crane took a stone. He was flying, holding the stone with his leg.

“Friends, look at it and listen carefully!” White Crane shouted.

He threw the stone to the river behind the dune. Fortunately, the dune was not high so Jackrabbit, Iguana, and Armadillo could hear the splash of the stone when it hit the water.

“Water!”  Those three animals cheered. They found new hope.

They ran, hiking the dune and they saw river with its beauty and plenty. Then, like a flash, they hurried to the river and drank water. They did not need to hurt each other to get what they want. They opened their mind that there were plenty for all of them and what was rightfully theirs would be theirs.

The End

This short story is written by Mas Wahyu Didik alias YW Purnomosidhi, an Indonesian blogger who loves fables.