In a lush, green forest, all the animals lived in harmony, except for two. Gajju the elephant and Pip the little blue bird were constantly at war. Whenever Gajju tried to take a nap under the shade of a large tree, Pip would fly near his ears and chirp loudly, waking him up. In retaliation, Gajju would swing his heavy trunk, shaking the branches and sending Pip tumbling to the ground. This daily quarrel made the other forest animals very uneasy.
An old, wise monkey named Kapi watched this every day with a heavy heart. He knew that if this hostility continued, they might not be there to help each other during a real crisis. Kapi decided to use a little bit of cleverness to bring peace to the forest.
First, Kapi approached Gajju. "Gajju, why are you so angry with little Pip? Don't you realize how much he cares for you?" Kapi asked softly. Gajju trumpeted loudly, "That tiny bird is a nuisance! He always wakes me up when I am resting!" Kapi replied with a serious face, "Actually, Gajju, when you were sleeping yesterday, a swarm of biting flies was trying to sting you. Pip wasn't being noisy for fun; he was chirping loudly to wake you up so you could shake them off!" Gajju paused, looking thoughtful and a bit embarrassed.
Next, Kapi went to Pip. "Pip, why do you pick fights with Gajju?" he asked. Pip chirped sadly, "He is too big and clumsy. He always shakes the branches and makes me fall!" Kapi whispered, "Pip, did you know that last week, while you were sleeping on that branch, a hungry snake was slowly crawling toward you? Gajju saw it and shook the tree with his trunk just to wake you up and save your life!"
When Pip heard this, his tiny heart swelled with gratitude. He realized that the giant elephant he thought was a bully was actually his protector. Both Gajju and Pip realized they had misunderstood each other's intentions. From that day on, the fighting stopped. Instead of angry trumpets and loud chirps, the forest was filled with the sight of the elephant and the bird sharing the same space in peace. Kapi watched from a distance, smiling, knowing his little lie had brought a great truth to light.
Moral
Misunderstandings can create enemies, but kindness often works behind the scenes.
