100.Short Story: A Clever Crow

A crow’s nest near a railway signal …….sees the trains stop and move…….. boasts to other crows ………he can make the train stop and move-becomes the king of the bird- kingdom.

Ans:- A CLEVER CROW

Once there was a crow. He lived on a tree by a railway line. By chance, there was a railway signal fixed near the same tree. The crow saw every day that when the signal was up the trains stopped and when it was down, it made the trains move and start. He saw it again and again. He read the movement of the railway signal very closely.

Now he had an idea. He called other birds of his tribe. He told them that he was very powerful as he could make the trains stop and move at will. The birds did not believe him. He invited them to his tree to see the magic with their own eyes. They came in thousands. By chance, the signal was up. The coming train saw the motion of the signal. The crow said “stop” The train stopped. Of course, it stopped because of the up signal and not by the command of the crow. The halt of the train made other crows and birds `wonder-struck’.

Now they all clamoured for the movement of the halting train. The clever crow’s eyes were constantly fixed on the working of the railway signal. He pretended to be uttering (chanting) some mantras. Actually, he was wasting time. As soon as the signal was lowered, the crow cried “Move”. The train moved. It made the crows and birds believe in the magical power of the clever crow. They were now a hundred per cent sure that the crow could move and stop all trains at will. The working of the trains was entirely in the hands of this powerful crow. They bowed before his supreme might and proclaimed him as the king of the bird kingdom. Thus a clever crow, by his little common sense, enthroned himself.

Moral: The wit works wonders.