Hello, we are providing here “The Cunning Crane and the Clever Crab” bedtime story. you can read it free to your kids online at the sleeping time as short story, moral story or animal story….
In a small lake, there once lived many aquatic animals. An old crane resided on the shores of this lake. Being old and weak, the poor crane had no strength to catch any prey to feed himself.
One day, the frustrated old crane stood on the bank of the lake and began to wail.
A crab saw the crane crying inconsolably. So, he called all the other aquatic animals and together they went to comfort the crane.
“Friend,” said the crab softly, “Why haven’t you eaten anything today?
Why are you crying? What ails you?”
“You are right, friend,” said the crane, still sobbing. “I will fast unto death.
I will not even look at fish now.”
The crab said, “But why do you want to fast?”
Looking at the sky, the crane said, “It is not going to rain for twelve years from now. This lake will dry up. And then what will happen to you all? This worries me a lot.”
Saying this, the crane began to wail again.
The fish and the tortoises went a little closer to the crane and said, “Friend, do you know how we can save ourselves from this calamity?”
The crane said, “Not very far from here, there is a big lake. According to legend, the waters of the lake are eternal and will never run dry. I will carry you, one by one, in my beak and take you there. You can then live peacefully in that lake.”
“Then take me first,” said an aquatic animal.
“No, I’ll go first,” screamed another.
“No, it’s my turn first,” said yet another.
All the aquatic animals surrounded the old crane.
There was a hillock near the lake. It was full of rocks, big and small. Initially, the crane caught a fish in its beak. When he reached the hillock, he killed it by banging it against a rock and ate it up. He then returned to the lake and told the others about the beautiful big lake.
In this way, every day, the crane took a fish in his beak. On reaching the hillock, he would bang it against a rock and eat it.
One day, the carb said to the crane, “Friend, you take a fish every day. When will you take me?”
The crane thought, “I am tired of eating fish every day. So let me taste this crab today.”
The crane carried the crab in his beak. And started flying towards the hillock.
As the crane approached the hillock, he began to fly low.
The crab saw bones of fish lying on a rock on the hillock.
“Friend,” said the carb, “how far is the big lake?”
The crane thought, “An aquatic animal is helpless on the land.”
Thinking thus, the crane began to laugh. Observing the crane’s laughter, the crab became aware of its malevolent intentions.
He cut the crane’s long neck with his sharp pincers. The crane began to bleed profusely. But the crab was so angry that he bit even more fiercely.
At last, the crane and the crab both fell down on the ground. Bleeding profusely and writhing in pain, the crane was soon dead.
Meanwhile, the other aquatic animals were waiting for the crane to take them to the big lake.
Just then they saw the crab coming slowly towards them.
When the crab came close, they said, “Where is the crane?
Why have you come back? Didn’t you like the new big lake?”
The crab narrated the whole story to the other animals.
On hearing this story, all the animals decided,
“Never trust anyone blindly.”
Moral of the cunning crane and the clever crab bedtime story
- Do not follow a crowd blindly, use your own mind to analyze the situation.
- Do not believe any one blindly.
- Evil deeds result is always bad.
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