12 The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

One day, a man and his son walked with their donkey to a market. As they walked, a man passed by. He said, “You fools!Why don't you ride the donkey? ”

So the man told his son to get on the donkey, and they walked on.

Soon, they see some other men. One said, “What a lazy boy! He rides and his father walks! ”

So the man told the boy to get off, and he got on himself.

Soon, they saw some women. One woman said, “Shame on you! You ride and your son walks! ”

The man felt ashamed.

So the man put the boy on the donkey with him and they walked on.

As they got close to the market, people began to look at them. People asked,“Why are you overloading your donkey? ”

Now, the man and the boy thought and thought. Then they took a pole and tied the donkey's legs to it. They put the pole on their shoulders and carried the donkey between them.

People laughed and laughed,and when they crossed a bridge,the pole broke and the donkey fell into the river.

An old man laughed and said, “If you try to please everyone, you will not please anyone.”