There once lived a King who loved animals, and he was especially fond of elephants. He had built a huge stable to keep his favorite elephant and had ordered that every day great, nutritious meals should be prepared for the elephant. Every day the elephant was served a delicious and big meal in his stable.
One day, a stray dog sneaked into the elephant’s stable. As the elephant ate his meal, some food fell from his mouth. The dog began to eat that food, and it was enough to fill his stomach. From that day onwards, the dog would sneak into the stable every day and eat the food that he would find on the ground. Soon the elephant noticed the dog, and happily let him share his food. It wasn’t long before the two became good friends and began to enjoy each other’s company.
Since the dog had been eating well, he soon began to gain weight. He became a healthy plump dog and no longer looked weak and ugly. One day a shepherd saw the dog and asked the elephant’s caretaker how much he would sell the dog for. The caretaker thought that this was a great way to earn money. Even though he did not own the dog, he sold him off.
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But when the shepherd took the dog away, the elephant became very sad. He wouldn’t eat his food or go on his walks. Whenever he would eat he would start missing his friend dog. Soon he started to lose weight and became very weak and his health began to go down. The caretaker started getting worried seeing this because the King loved his elephant very much. He knew that the elephant had been sad since the dog left, but he chose to act indifferent towards it.
As the news reached the King, he went to the stable to see his elephant. Seeing his elephant in such a state he asked the royal vet to visit. The vet examined the elephant and at first could see no medical explanation for the elephant’s health. He told the King that the elephant was grieving and therefore refused to eat.
When the King launched an inquiry, he found out that there used to be a dog in the stable that had been missing since some days. He asked his ministers to send a message around town that anyone who brings the dog back to the palace will be rewarded. When the shepherd heard the news, he quickly brought back the dog and told the King that he had bought it from the caretaker.
The King asked the caretaker to return the shepherd’s money and the dog and the elephant were reunited. From the onwards the King ordered the caretaker to look after the dog too, and both friends lived happily ever after.
Moral: Friends are important in life.
You can read the next story: The Blue Jackal from 5 Minute Bedtime.