• The Trader and the Clever Donkey

Honesty outweighs shortcuts.

Once upon a time, there was a trader who owned a hardworking and loyal donkey. This donkey faithfully helped the trader by carrying heavy sacks of salt from the bustling town back to their home each day. Though the load was heavy, the donkey did his work diligently, earning the trader’s gratitude and care.

One afternoon, as they were making their way home from town, they had to cross a shallow river. As the donkey stepped carefully through the water, he suddenly slipped on the wet stones beneath his feet and tumbled into the river. The sacks of salt he was carrying also fell in and got soaked. The salt, dissolved by the water, washed away, making the load much lighter. The donkey was pleased to find his burden so much easier to carry as he trotted the rest of the way home.

When the trader noticed the damp sacks and realized that the salt had been lost in the river, he was not pleased. However, he understood it had been an accident and chose not to scold the donkey.

The next day, as they were returning from town and crossing the river once more, the donkey remembered how the load had become so much lighter after falling into the water. This time, he decided to try slipping into the river on purpose to lighten his load again. Just as he had hoped, the sacks of salt dissolved, making his journey back home much easier.

The trader noticed his clever donkey’s little trick and saw that he had done it on purpose. Although he wasn’t angry, he realized he needed to teach the donkey that this cunning shortcut wouldn’t always benefit him.

The following day, the trader filled the donkey’s sacks not with salt but with fluffy, dry cotton. As they crossed the river, the donkey, thinking he’d lighten his load again, repeated his trick, letting himself fall into the water. But to his surprise, the cotton soaked up the river water and became extremely heavy. Now, burdened with the soaking wet sacks, the donkey found himself struggling under a weight far greater than any he had carried before.

The donkey labored and strained all the way back to the trader’s house. This lesson left him understanding that his little trick could backfire. From that day forward, the donkey worked honestly, faithfully carrying whatever load the trader placed on his back without trying to lighten it.

And so, the trader and his donkey continued their journeys together, each having learned a valuable lesson in their own way.