The Little Horse and the River
One day a little horse was asked to mill flour by his mother. He carried two bags of wheat and left home. He was walking happily when he came to a river. The mill was on the other side of the river. Looking at the flowing water, he got confused. Then he saw an old cow eating grass on the bank.
So he asked him, “Uncle Cow, is the water deep? And can I walk across it?”
“Not at all.” Said the cow. “It’s just as high as my lower legs. You can go across it. It’s safe.”
Then the little horse was ready to go across the water. Just then a squirrel in the tree shouted to him, “Little horse. Little horse. Don’t go in the water. It’s too deep. You’ll get drowned. One of my friends got drowned in it a few days ago.”
So the little horse drew back his legs quickly. He had to go back home to ask his mother what to do.
When his mother heard the story, she laughed and said to him, “My child, it’s not enough just listen to others. You must try it by yourself. Then you’ll find the truth.”
The little horse came back to the river again. When he put his legs into the water again, the squirrel cried out again, “Little horse. Little horse. It’s dangerous. You can’t do that.”
“Let me have a try.” The horse said. And with these words, he walked carefully across the river. The water was neither that shallow as the cow had told him nor that deep the squirrel had described. It was just OK for him.