Once upon a time, in a dense forest, there lived a mighty but selfish elephant. He was the largest animal in the jungle and used his size to bully and intimidate the smaller animals. The elephant cared only for himself and never helped anyone. Whenever he came across a smaller animal, he would chase them away, trample on their food, or push them aside.
One scorching summer, the forest experienced a terrible drought. Waterholes dried up and food became scarce. All the animals in the forest were struggling to survive. One day, the elephant found a small pond with just enough water to quench his thirst. As he was drinking, a herd of deer approached, parched and weak, pleading for just a sip of water.
"Go away!" bellowed the elephant. "This water is mine and I won't share it with anyone!"
The deer, frightened and weak, had no choice but to leave. Next, a family of rabbits came hopping along, desperate for water.
"Please, Mr. Elephant," they begged, "let us have just a little water. We are so thirsty and our young ones are suffering."
But the selfish elephant trumpeted loudly and chased the rabbits away, too.
Days went by and the elephant kept all the water to himself. But soon, the small pond started to dry up, leaving less and less water. One evening, the elephant came across a group of ants struggling to find food and water. The ants asked the elephant if he could help them by letting them drink some of the water.
"Ha! Ants? You are too small and insignificant for me to care about!" scoffed the elephant. "Why should I help you?"
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The ants, disappointed but wise, warned the elephant, "One day, your selfishness will come back to haunt you."
The elephant paid no attention to the ants and continued hoarding the water. However, soon enough, the last of the pond’s water dried up and the elephant realized there was no more water for him to drink. Thirsty and desperate, the elephant roamed the forest, searching for any remaining source of water.
As luck would have it, the ants had found a hidden spring deep in the forest and were drinking water in peace. The elephant, now weak from thirst, stumbled upon them and begged, "Please, little ants, share your water with me. I am dying of thirst!"
The ants, though small, remembered how the elephant had treated them and the other animals. They spoke to him, "We may be small, but we have survived because we help one another. You, on the other hand, have been selfish and cruel. However, we believe in kindness, so we will let you drink from our spring, but only if you promise to change your ways and be kind to others."
The elephant, realizing the error of his selfishness and cruelty, promised to treat others with kindness from that day forward. The ants allowed him to drink and the elephant was grateful for their mercy.
From that day on, the elephant kept his promise. He became helpful to the other animals, shared food and water when he could and even used his strength to help those in need. The forest was peaceful once more and the elephant was respected, not for his size, but for his kindness and generosity.
Moral of the story: "Selfishness leads to loneliness, but kindness brings respect and friendship." Helping others and sharing what we have creates a better life for everyone, including ourselves.
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