• The Crab and Its Mother

    Aesop's Fables
    On a bright, sunny beach, where the waves whispered secrets to the shore, lived a Mama Crab and her Little Crabby.

    One morning, Mama Crab was watching Little Crabby scuttle along the sand. "My dear Little Crabby," she said, her voice a bit fussy, "why do you always walk sideways like that? It looks so... wobbly! Can't you walk straight ahead, like a proper crab should?"

    Little Crabby stopped his sideways shuffle. He looked up at his mother with his big, round eyes. "Straight ahead, Mama?" he asked. "I'm not sure how. Could you show me, please?"

    Mama Crab puffed out her chest a little. "Of course, dear," she said. "Watch me carefully." She took a deep breath, focused very hard, and tried to take a step forward. But... plink, plonk, scuttle, scuttle... she moved sideways! She tried again, even harder. Wiggle, wobble, scuttle, scuttle... still sideways!

    Little Crabby giggled a tiny bit. "Mama," he said, "you're walking sideways too! Just like me!"

    Mama Crab looked down at her own feet. She wiggled her legs, trying once more, but nope, still sideways. A little blush crept up her shell. "Oh dear," she mumbled. "It seems... it seems walking straight is trickier than I thought."

    Little Crabby smiled. "That's okay, Mama! Sideways is fun!"

    And so, Mama Crab and Little Crabby scuttled off together, side by side, enjoying their perfectly crabby, sideways walk along the sunny beach.

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