The Stork's Deception: How the Clever Crab Saved the Tank

The Stork's Deception: How the Clever Crab Saved the Tank

The Stork's Deception: How the Clever Crab Saved the Tank

Once upon a time, in a quiet and beautiful village, there was a clear and lovely water tank. The water in the tank was fresh and cool. Many fish, frogs, and crabs lived happily inside it. Green plants grew around the tank, and birds often came to visit.

Near this water tank lived a tall white stork. The stork had long legs, a long neck, and a sharp beak. He was very good at catching fish. Every day, he stood near the tank, caught fish easily, and ate them. He was strong, fast, and proud of his hunting skills.

The stork thought, “I am the best hunter here. No one can catch fish better than me.”

Time passed, and the stork became old. His legs were weak, his eyes were not sharp, and his neck often hurt. Catching fish was no longer easy for him. Sometimes he stood near the tank for hours and caught nothing.

The stork became very hungry.

“Oh no,” he said sadly. “I am hungry, but I cannot catch fish like before.”

Some days, he did not eat at all. His stomach growled, and he felt tired and angry. Slowly, a bad idea came into his mind.

One morning, the stork stood near the tank very quietly. He did not try to catch any fish. He looked sad and worried. His eyes were filled with fake tears.

The fish noticed this.

“Why is the stork so quiet today?” one fish asked.

“Yes,” said a frog. “He looks very sad.”

A crab came closer and said, “Uncle Stork, why are you unhappy today?”

The stork sighed deeply and said in a low voice, “My dear friends, I have heard bad news. Some people are planning to fill this water tank with soil. They will grow plants here. When that happens, there will be no water and no fish. All of you will die.”

The fish were shocked.

“What?” cried one fish.
“That is terrible!” said another.
“We do not want to die,” said the frogs together.

They all looked at the stork with fear in their eyes.

“Uncle Stork,” a small fish said, “please help us. What can we do?”

The stork pretended to think.

“Well,” he said slowly, “there is a big water tank far away. The water is deep and clean. Fish can live safely there.”

“That sounds good,” said the fish happily. “Can you take us there?”

The stork nodded.

“Yes, I can help you,” he said. “But I am old. I can only carry a few fish at one time. I will need to rest between trips.”

The fish trusted the stork because he had lived near them for many years.

“You are very kind, Uncle Stork,” they said. “Please save us.”

The next day, the stork picked up a few fish in his beak and flew away. The fish inside the tank waited happily.

“He is saving our friends,” they said.

But the stork did not take the fish to another tank. Instead, he flew to a big rock nearby. There were no people there. He ate the fish and left their bones on the rock.

“Ahh,” said the stork. “This plan is perfect. I get food without hunting.”

Every day, he came back and took more fish. The number of fish in the tank became smaller and smaller.

One crab was watching everything carefully. He noticed that the stork always flew in the same direction.

“This is strange,” the crab thought. “If there is a big water tank, why does he always go to that rock?”

The crab became worried.

One day, the crab said to the stork, “Uncle Stork, please take me with you next time. I also want to go to the new tank.”

The stork smiled.

“Of course,” he said. “I will take you.”

The stork picked up the crab and flew into the sky. After some time, the crab looked around. He did not see any water tank. He only saw dry land and the big rock.

“Uncle Stork,” the crab asked, “where is the big water tank?”

The stork laughed loudly and pointed to the rock below.

“Look there,” he said. “That is where I take everyone.”

The crab saw fish bones everywhere. He understood the truth.

“This stork is a liar,” the crab thought. “He will eat me too.”

The crab acted quickly. He used his sharp claws and held the stork tightly by the neck.

“Let me go!” cried the stork.

But the crab did not let go. He held tighter and tighter. Soon, the stork fell to the ground and died.

The crab cut off the stork’s head and carried it back to the water tank. All the fish, frogs, and crabs gathered around.

“What happened?” they asked.

The crab said, “The stork was cheating us. He was eating everyone. I stopped him.”

Everyone felt sad for the lost fish but happy that the danger was gone.

“Thank you, clever crab,” they said. “You saved our lives.”

They made the crab their leader. From that day on, all the animals lived safely and happily in the water tank.

THE END

Moral of the Story: Always be careful and think wisely before trusting anyone.


Story Understanding Questions and Answers (For Kids)

1. Question: Where did the stork live?

Answer: The stork lived near a clear and beautiful water tank in a quiet village.

2. Question: What animals lived in the water tank?

Answer: Fish, frogs, and crabs lived in the water tank.

3. Question: What was the stork good at when he was young?

Answer: The stork was very good at catching fish.

4. Question: Why did the stork become unhappy?

Answer: The stork became old and could not catch fish easily, so he was often hungry.

5. Question: What lie did the stork tell the fish?

Answer: He said people would fill the tank with soil and all the fish would die.

6. Question: What did the stork promise the fish?

Answer: He promised to take them to a bigger and safer water tank.

7. Question: Where did the stork really take the fish?

Answer: He took them to a big rock and ate them.

8. Question: Which animal noticed something was wrong?

Answer: The crab noticed that something was wrong.

9. Question: Why did the crab ask the stork to take him along?

Answer: The crab wanted to find out the truth and protect himself.

10. Question: What did the crab see on the rock?

Answer: The crab saw fish bones on the rock.

Thinking and Moral Questions (For Parents & Teachers)

11. Question: Was the stork honest or dishonest?

Answer: The stork was dishonest because he lied to the fish.

12. Question: Why was it dangerous to trust the stork?

Answer: It was dangerous because the stork only cared about himself and wanted to eat the fish.

13. Question: How did the crab save himself?

Answer: The crab used his sharp claws and defeated the stork.

14. Question: What lesson did the animals learn?

Answer: They learned to think carefully before trusting anyone.

15. Question: Why was the crab made the leader?

Answer: Because he was brave, smart, and saved everyone.

Value-Based Questions (Character Building)

16. Question: What good quality did the crab show?

Answer: The crab showed intelligence, courage, and quick thinking.

17. Question: What bad quality did the stork show?

Answer: The stork showed greed and dishonesty.

18. Question: What should we do if someone makes big promises?

Answer: We should think carefully and check if they are telling the truth.

19. Question: Is it good to lie to others?

Answer: No, lying hurts others and can cause big problems.

20. Question: What is the moral of the story?

Answer: Always be careful and think wisely before trusting anyone.



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