The Hungry Dog
Aesop's Fables
Barnaby the dog woke up one day feeling extra, extra hungry. His tummy made a little rumbly sound, like a tiny drum. "I need food!" he thought, and off he went, sniffing the ground with his wet nose.
After a bit of searching, luck smiled on Barnaby! He found a wonderful, juicy piece of meat near the butcher's shop. "Hooray!" he barked quietly to himself, his tail wagging like a happy flag. He picked up the meat carefully in his mouth, wanting to find a quiet spot to enjoy his treat.
He trotted along until he came to a little wooden bridge that crossed over a clear, still stream. As Barnaby started to walk across, he looked down into the water. And what did he see? Another dog looking back up at him! This other dog also had a piece of meat in its mouth, and to Barnaby, it looked even bigger and juicier than his own!
"Wow!" thought Barnaby. "That dog has an even better piece of meat! I want that one too!" He didn't realize he was just looking at his own reflection in the water.
Greedy Barnaby decided he would scare the other dog and take its meat. So, he opened his mouth wide to let out a big, loud "WOOF!"
But the moment he opened his mouth, *plop!* His own juicy piece of meat fell out, right into the stream. It sank quickly to the bottom. And just like that, the other dog in the water, and its meat, disappeared too – because, of course, it was only his reflection.
Barnaby stared into the water. His meat was gone. The other dog was gone. He was left with nothing. His tummy rumbled again, even louder this time. He felt a little bit silly and a lot hungry, and he learned that being too greedy can mean you lose what you already have.
1366 Views