The Short Story
The short story serves as a narrative encompassing real or fictional events, which can be expressed in poetry or prose. It is crafted with the intention of capturing the interest of listeners and readers while entertaining and educating them. In this article, we will explore a collection of short stories that convey valuable lessons, insights, and wisdom.
Enlightening Short Stories
A man approached a doctor complaining of stomach pain. The doctor inquired, “What did you eat?” The patient replied, “I consumed spoiled food.” The doctor then called for some eye ointment to treat the patient’s eyes. The patient, puzzled, exclaimed, “I have a stomach ache, not an eye issue!” The doctor explained, “I know, but I want you to see the spoiled food clearly so you won’t eat it again!”
The Two Doves and the Turtle
Once, two lovely doves decided to leave the pond where they had lived for a long time due to the scarcity of water. Their friend, the turtle, was saddened and pleaded with them to take her along. The doves explained that she couldn’t fly. The turtle cried and begged them to find a way to help her. After contemplating, the doves agreed to carry her. They found a sturdy stick for the turtle to hold onto while they flew. They warned her not to open her mouth, for doing so would cause her to fall.
The turtle agreed and promised to follow their instructions. As the doves soared over the forest, some onlookers spotted the unusual sight of two doves flying with a turtle. In disbelief, they remarked, “How astonishing! Two doves carrying a turtle!” Unable to contain herself, the turtle shouted, “Mind your own business!” Consequently, she lost her grip on the stick and fell, breaking her shell. In tears, she lamented, “This is the result of excessive talking and not keeping a promise.”
Gandhi and the One Shoe
It is said that Mahatma Gandhi was rushing to catch a train that had begun to depart when he accidentally lost one of his shoes. In a moment of practicality, he removed the other shoe and tossed it near the first. His friends were surprised and asked, “Why did you throw your other shoe away?” Gandhi replied, “I wanted the less fortunate person who finds it to have a complete pair, as a single shoe is of no use to them, just as it is for me!”
The Envious and the Stingy
Once, a stingy man stood before a king, who offered them both a request: “Ask for anything, and the second will receive double what the first asks for.” Each man, unwilling to let the other gain more, began to argue over who should go first. The king threatened, “If you do not comply, I shall take your heads!” The envious man declared, “Then, O King, take out one of my eyes!”
The King’s Sandal
It is said that a king, ruling a vast and prosperous land, decided to embark on a long journey. Unfortunately, his feet began to swell and ache from walking on the rugged paths. In response, he decreed that all the roads in his kingdom should be paved with leather. However, one of his wise advisors suggested a more practical solution: “What if we simply make a pair of sandals for the king?” Thus, this marked the inception of footwear.
The Fool and the Boy
A foolish man once went outside carrying a boy clad in a red shirt on his shoulder. He soon forgot about the boy and began asking everyone he encountered, “Have you seen a boy in a red shirt?” A passerby remarked, “Is it not the boy you are carrying on your shoulder?” The man looked up angrily and scolded the boy, “Did I not tell you not to leave me?”
A Coin in the Desert
A man stumbled upon another man digging in the desert and asked, “What are you doing?” The man replied, “I buried some money here and can’t find the spot.” The other man advised, “You should have marked the spot.” The man responded, “I did”. Curious, the man inquired, “What was your marker?” The man described, “A cloud was shadowing it, but I no longer see the cloud.”
The Blind Man and the Sign
A blind man sat on a sidewalk with his hat in front of him and a sign that read, “I am a blind man, please help me.” A passerby noticed the hat contained only a few coins, so he dropped some money in and then took the sign to write a new message before replacing it. The blind man soon felt his hat fill with coins and asked a passerby what the sign now said. The passerby replied, “It’s spring, but I can’t see its beauty!”
The Eagle’s Tale
Once, a female eagle resided atop a mountain and built her nest in one of the trees. One day, she laid four eggs, but a violent earthquake shook the mountain, causing one egg to fall from the nest. It rolled down until it landed in a chicken coop, where a hen took it in and incubated it until it hatched into a chick. The chicks raised the eagle as one of their own, and the young eagle grew up believing it was a chicken.
One day, while playing with the chicks in the yard, the young eagle observed a group of eagles soaring high in the sky, wishing to fly like them. The hens mocked him, insisting, “You are a chicken, and you cannot fly like eagles.” Disheartened, the young eagle accepted this fate and forgot his dream of flying, eventually passing away content as a mere chicken.
Contentment is an Endless Treasure
According to ancient tales, a king sought to reward one of his subjects by announcing, “You may claim all the land that you can walk on.” The man was overjoyed and set off at a swift pace, running until he was exhausted. He considered returning to the king to claim the land he had covered but changed his mind, ambitious to claim more. As he pressed on, driven by greed, he lost track of his initial route and was never seen again, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion, never enjoying the treasure of contentment—indeed, contentment is a treasure that never fades away.
The Snare of Ambition
One day, two fishermen set out to catch fish. One caught a large fish and decided to head home. His companion asked, “Where are you going?” The man replied, “I have caught a big fish, it’s time to go home.” The other fisherman persisted, “But shouldn’t you catch more fish?” When asked why, he answered, “So you can sell them in the market.” The first fisherman pressed further, “Why sell the fish?” The response was, “To earn more money.” When asked why he would need more money, the man answered, “So you can save it and increase your bank balance.” The questioning continued until the wise fisherman concluded, “So that one day you can enjoy life with your wife and children.” To which the wise friend declared, “I am doing that right now; I won’t postpone it and let my life waste away!”
The Fruits of Honesty
There was once a young prince who sought to marry a woman of high moral character. He issued a royal decree inviting all young ladies interested in marrying him to come to the magnificent palace the next day at eight in the morning. On the designated day, the courtyard was filled with young women dressed to impress. The prince announced a competition, stating that he would provide each girl with a pot containing a seed, asking them to care for it and return in a month.
Among the girls was Maria, who diligently cared for her seed, yet it failed to grow. Dejected, she initially decided against attending the palace but was persuaded by her aunt Diana to show up, given the effort she had put into nurturing her seed.
Arriving at the palace with her empty pot, Maria felt embarrassed as she compared it to the vibrant plants in the hands of her competitors. On the verge of leaving, the minister spotted her and invited her to meet the prince. Shocked, she followed him to the podium where the prince greeted her and revealed that he had given all the young women a defective seed to gauge their honesty. While others had replaced their seeds with better ones, Maria had remained true to her word and brought her empty pot, leading the prince to choose her as the winner, to the astonishment of all the deceitful girls.
Join the Discussion: A Conversation Starter 🤔
Do you think daydreaming is genuinely harmful? I’ve reached a point where I create stories in my mind involving people I encounter on my way to work. How can I break this habit?