Barnaby the dog was having a wonderful day. The kind butcher at the shop gave Barnaby a big, juicy bone. "Oh boy, oh boy!" thought Barnaby, his tail wagging very fast. He decided to take his bone home to enjoy it in peace.

He trotted happily, holding his precious bone carefully in his mouth. Soon, he came to a little wooden bridge that crossed over a clear, still stream. As Barnaby walked onto the bridge, he happened to look down into the water.

And what did he see? Another dog looking back at him! And guess what? That dog also had a bone in its mouth! Barnaby squinted. "Hmm," he thought, "that dog's bone looks even bigger and juicier than mine!"

Barnaby was a bit of a greedy dog. He wanted that other, bigger bone too. "I'll just bark loudly," he decided, "and that other dog will get scared and drop his bone. Then I'll have two bones!"

So, Barnaby opened his mouth wide to let out a loud "WOOF!"

But as soon as he opened his mouth, plop! Splash! His own wonderful, juicy bone fell out, right into the stream. It sank quickly to the bottom. And the other dog? Poof! It disappeared too, because, of course, it was only his reflection in the water.

Barnaby stood on the bridge, feeling very silly and very hungry. He had tried to get two bones, and now he had none at all. He learned that day that being greedy doesn't always get you more; sometimes, it means you lose what you already have.

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