Sparrow and Dog

A dog, unable to endure the abuse from its owner, ran away from home. In the forest, he met his good friend, Sparrow.

Upon hearing that the dog hadn’t eaten properly for days, Sparrow said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take you to some delicious food. From now on, we’ll stick together.”

Sparrow led the dog to a bakery, where lots of discarded bread crusts were lying around—fresh and tasty.

After the dog had eaten, Sparrow took him to a butcher’s shop, where there were also plenty of fresh meat scraps thrown away.

The dog ate until he was full. Grateful, he thanked Sparrow and then lay down comfortably in the forest, basking in the sun and chatting with his friend—he eventually fell asleep.

Perched on a tree, Sparrow watched the dog. She felt content, happy to have helped a good friend.

Just then, a carter came through the forest, urging a horse-drawn cart filled with wine barrels.

Sparrow immediately flew over to him and said, “Stop! Please stop! My good friend, the dog, is sleeping ahead. Please go around him, or you’ll run him over.”

The carter said coldly, “I can see there’s a dog. I’m not blind. But who told him to sleep in the way?”

“This isn’t a road.”

“Wherever my cart passes, that is the road.”

The carter didn’t stop. He drove straight over the dog, crushing him.

Sparrow watched her friend die and was overwhelmed with fury. She said to the carter, “You will pay for your cruelty!”

The carter laughed out loud, “You? A tiny sparrow not even the size of my palm? I’d like to see how you make me pay.”

The carter kept going. But soon he felt something was wrong. He looked back—the wine barrels were empty. Then he noticed: they were broken, and wine had spilled all along the road.

Sparrow had pecked holes into the barrels.

“Now you’ll see how a little sparrow can make you pay—for looking down on me.”

The carter was furious. He picked up an axe and swung at Sparrow. But she flew off, and the axe cut through the rope tying the horse.

The horse bolted with the cart.

Even angrier now, the carter realized he had lost not only his wine, but also his horse and cart. He grabbed the axe and chased after the sparrow, hacking wildly.

At the riverbank, he lost his footing, fell into the water—and drowned.