Once, Zeus, the god of all things, called all the birds together.
He said, “I will choose one of you with the most beautiful feathers to be the king of birds.”
The birds agreed and hurriedly flew to the river to wash their feathers and comb them smooth.
Each one was busy dressing up, hoping to become the king of birds.
The crow looked at everyone bustling about, then looked at its own black feathers.
It thought, “No matter how much I wash, I can’t get rid of these coal-black feathers. How can I become the king of birds?”
Just as the crow was about to leave, it saw some feathers on the ground, colorful and bright.
They had fallen when the other birds were grooming.
A clever idea struck the crow. It thought, “If I stick these feathers onto myself, won’t I have colorful feathers too? Then, won’t I be the most beautiful bird?”
At this moment, the crow immediately picked up the feathers on the ground and stuck them onto itself.
After sticking them on, it flew to the riverbank and looked at its reflection in the water.
Indeed, it was so beautiful that it could hardly recognize itself.
The crow chuckled, thinking to itself, “Surely, I must be the king of birds now.”
Zeus indeed noticed the crow with its colorful feathers at once.
Just as he was about to declare the crow as the king of birds, the other birds angrily exclaimed, “Those are our feathers!”
As they spoke, they plucked their feathers off the crow.
Once again, the crow turned back into its original black appearance.
A nearby sparrow sighed and said to the crow, “Though those feathers are beautiful, they were never yours to begin with. By deceiving others, once they’re taken back, you’ll return to your true form.”
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