In a peaceful valley lived a hardworking farmer named Somu. His farm produced a wonderful variety of vegetables, but carrying them to the market was a heavy task. To make his work easier, he decided to buy a strong, reliable donkey. With his new companion, Somu set off on the long journey home through the forest path.
Watching from behind the thick bushes were three cunning thieves. They had been watching Somu for a while, hoping for an easy target. 'That donkey is perfect,' whispered the leader. They knew the King's guards were very strict about theft, so they came up with a plan: if they could trick the farmer into thinking no theft had occurred, they could escape without trouble.
As the afternoon sun grew hot, Somu decided to rest under the shade of a large banyan tree. Seeing an opportunity, the first thief approached Somu, pretending to be a weary traveler. 'Sir, you should be careful,' the thief said with a fake serious face. 'They say a shapeshifting monster lives in these woods. It looks just like a human, but it is a beast in disguise!' Somu smiled, thinking it was just a tall tale, and soon drifted into a light sleep.
While Somu napped, the second thief quietly crept up and unhooked the donkey's rope, looping it around his own neck to look like a traveler. The third thief prepared to lead the donkey away. When Somu finally woke up, he saw a man standing where his donkey should have been. 'Wait! Where is my donkey? Why is there a stranger here?' Somu cried out in confusion.
Immediately, the first thief shouted, 'Look! It's the shapeshifting monster! It has taken a human form to trick us! Run for your lives!' The thief bolted into the woods. The other two thieves, caught in their own lie and panicking, tripped over the rope and lost their chance. Somu, terrified, ran in the opposite direction. The thieves' plan to use fear to escape backfired, leaving them with nothing but their own foolishness.
Moral
Deception may create a temporary escape, but it eventually leads to one's own downfall.
