High in the branches of an old banyan tree lived two clever crows. One sunny morning, they began to argue about who was the stronger and wiser flier.
At last, one crow said, “Let’s have a challenge! We’ll each carry a sack of the same size and see who can fly the highest.”
The other crow agreed at once.
The Plan
Each crow flew down to the ground to fill his sack.
The first crow thought himself very clever. He filled his sack with cotton, a soft, fluffy material.
“Ha!” he chuckled to himself. “Cotton is light! I’ll fly so high the other crow won’t even see me!”
The second crow, however, filled his sack with salt, the same salt we use in cooking. It was much heavier, and he seemed to struggle just lifting it.
The first crow laughed. “You’ll never even leave the ground with that heavy load!”
The Twist
The challenge began. Both crows beat their wings and rose into the sky.
But far above, dark clouds gathered. Soon, raindrops began to fall.
The second crow smiled quietly to himself. He had expected this.
As the rain soaked through, the cotton in the first crow’s sack began to drink up the water. Cotton can absorb, or soak in, water like a sponge, and soon the sack grew heavier and heavier.
Meanwhile, the salt in the second crow’s sack began to dissolve, melting away into the water. His sack became lighter and lighter with every drop of rain.
The Result
The first crow flapped his wings desperately, but the heavy wet cotton dragged him down. He could barely stay in the air. Finally, exhausted, he sank to the ground, unable to fly at all.
The second crow soared higher, his sack almost empty now. He called down gently, “Sometimes, being clever is not enough. You must also think ahead.”
And so, little one, remember this: planning for what might happen matters just as much as strength or speed.
The End.