The Crab’s Revenge
One day a heron was standing on a tree stump in the middle of a pond. He looked at the fish swimming in the clear water.
A fish appeared and asked the heron, “Hello Heron! Why are you standing on the stump? You have been here for a several days.”
The heron looked very sad.
“I am thinking of your life,” replied the heron.
Meanwhile other fish appeared.
“Why are you worried about us?” the fish asked. “We have an easy life in this pond. There is plenty of food, and we can swim anywhere we please. We are very happy here.”
“Oh, don’t you know what’s going to happen?” asked the heron. “I’ve heard that this pond will dry up soon. None of you will able to swim anymore and you will all die.”
“We have been living here for a long time,” said the fish. “The pond has never dried up before.”
The heron stood still. He looked very, very sad.
“I have been to many places,” he told the fish, “and I have seen many ponds drying up. This pond too, will dry up very soon. You and your families will all die.”
The fish began to believe him because they knew the heron had indeed flown to many places.
They said,”If this pond dries up, where can we go? We cannot fly like you. Also, we don’t know of any other ponds except this one.”
“Hah!” cried the heron. “That’s what I’ve been waiting to tell all of you. I know of another place with a beautiful, big pond. That pond will never dry up. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you there. After you’ve seen the pond, I’ll bring you back here.”
The fish agreed to see the pond. The heron lowered its beak and picked up one of the fish. Then he flew away to a big pond and released it into the water.
The fish said, “But how are the others in my family going to come over here?”
“Oh, that’s simple,” said the heron. “I’ll carry them here one by one before the ponds dried up.”
The heron went back to the first pond. But he did really take the rest of the fish to the new pond?
No, he didn’t. He took the fish one by one to a big tree and ate them up. Very soon, all the fish in the pond had been eaten up by the heron. Not even a tiny fish was left.
On another day, as the heron was standing on the tree stump, a crab appeared.
“Haah, Mr Crab!” said the heron, “I see you are still here. Oh, what a pity! All the fish have gone to another pond. This pond will dry up soon.”
“If the pond dries up,” said the crab, “I will live in the mud.”
“The mud will also dried up,” said the heron.
“The mud will harden and you will not be able to live in it.”
The heron was becoming very hungry.
“But where can I go?” asked the crab.
The heron was going to do to the crab exactly what he had done to the fish.
“Let me take you to another pond,” said the heron. “All the fish live there now. That pond wil never dry up.”
The crab agreed.
The heron lowered his beak to pick up the crab.
“Oh!” said the crab. “Don’t hold me with your beak. My skin is hard and I’m very heavy.”
The crab was afraid of being eaten by the heron.
“But how can I carry you away?” said the heron.
“Let me cling to your neck,” replied the crab. “It’s easier for you to fly.”
The heron lowered his neck to the crab. The crab hung on the heron’s neck with his claws.
Then the heron flew up the big tree, as he did before with the fish. The heron perched itself on a big branch.
“Why have you stopped here?” asked the crab.
“Ha!” said the heron. “You’re stupid. Do you think I am going to take you to the new pond? Look over there! Look at the fis bones! I want to eat you up. I have already eaten all the fish.”
The heron was very proud of himself.
On hearing that, the crab pinched the heron’s neck. The heron has forgotten that the crab had a pair of strong claws.
The crab continued to pinch the heron’s neck with his claws as hard as he could.
Soon the heron was dead.
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