Stories For Kids | A Fool Becomes A King

 Once Upon a time, there lived a donkey in a forest. He was young and strong. However, everyone in the forest humiliated the donkey where they met him. They used all the bad words they could use to call him a 'a fool'. But the donkey never quarreled with them. Instead, he took every effort to keep away from the others. 

This behaviour helped the donkey to focus more on food. Before long, the donkey grew into a strong and healthy animal. 

A very cruel lion ruled this forest. Everyday, some animal fell a prey to him. So, everyone in the forest lived in great fear. 

One day, the lion king saw the donkey grazing on the bank of the river. He was delighted to see the hefty donkey. The lion hid behind a bush and waited for the donkey to get closer. The lion at once pounced upon the donkey. The panicked donkey kicked the lion so hard that it fell dead at the spot. 

The animals heard the deadly roar of their king and watched as to what was going on at a distance. They saw their king lying dead beside the donkey, and the donkey was grazing beside the dead king as if nothing had happened. 

Meanwhile, the animals immediately called a meeting to select a new king. Everyone in the forest attended that meeting. The wise old owl chaired the meeting. Most of the animals suggested to elect the donkey as their new king. The owl also supported the idea. However, some said, "The donkeys are foolish. How can a donkey become our king? Our king has to be wise?"

The owl listened to everyone and finally said, "Does anyone here know of any foolish thing the donkey has done? Please tell." Everyone looked at each other. There was silence for sometime. "Also, someone who has never done any silly thing in life can come forward now", the owl said. There was pin-drop silence. 

"Well, you call him a fool merely because some foolish work some donkey had done generations ago. There is no proof to say that all the donkeys are foolish. Think of this donkey. Even when you make mockery of him, has he ever quarrelled with you? He has proved his intelligence, patience and good heartedness by being silent. He also has showed his bravery by killing the lion. Aren't they qualities of a good leader?", asked the owl. 

Everyone was so happy that the donkey was able to save their lives. So, at last , all the animals in the forest unanimously agreed to make the donkey their king. 

                - A story written by Sajendra Kumara