In a lush green forest, there lived a little Myna bird. She had a sweet voice, but her feathers were plain and brown. One sunny afternoon, she flew into a grand royal garden. There, she saw a group of peacocks spreading their magnificent, shimmering tails and dancing gracefully.
"Oh, how wonderful they look!" the Myna sighed with envy. "If only I had those brilliant feathers, everyone would admire me instead of just listening to my song."
As she wandered through the garden, she spotted several peacock feathers lying on the grass. Driven by her desire to look beautiful, she began picking them up and tucking them tightly between her own feathers. Soon, she looked quite colorful, though a bit messy. She strutted around, feeling very proud of her new appearance.
However, her vanity soon turned into terror. A hungry cat, hiding behind a rose bush, noticed the strange, bright movement of the feathers. The cat began to stalk the Myna. Realizing the danger, the Myna tried to flap her wings and soar into the sky. But she had made a grave mistake; the heavy feathers she had attached made her wings too weighted to lift her off the ground.
Panicked, she tried to run across the lawn, but the extra feathers hindered her movement. Before she could reach the safety of a tall tree, the cat lunged and caught her. By trying to mimic the beauty of others, the Myna had lost the very thing that kept her safe: her ability to fly.
Moral
Be content with who you are; trying to imitate others can lead to your downfall.
