The Lazy Donkey
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Once upon a sunny morning on Greenhill Farm, there lived a donkey named Danny.
Danny was very friendly… but very lazy.
While the cows mooed and the hens clucked busily, Danny preferred lying under the old apple tree, daydreaming about giant hay sandwiches.
“Danny, time to carry sacks of grain to the mill!” called Farmer Ben one day.
Danny yawned loudly. “Oh, Farmer Ben, I’d love to help, but I think I caught a case of donkey dizziness!”
Farmer Ben chuckled. “Really? You look perfectly healthy to me.”
Danny nodded seriously. “Exactly! That’s the tricky part of donkey dizziness—you can’t see it!”
The other animals rolled their eyes. Danny’s excuses were becoming as long as his ears.
The Trick That Backfired
The next morning, Farmer Ben loaded a cart full of salt bags and called, “Danny, it’s your turn to pull!”
Danny groaned dramatically. “But it’s too hot! My hooves might melt!”
“Just one short trip,” said Farmer Ben kindly.
As they crossed a stream, Danny had a lazy idea.
“If I pretend to slip, the salt will wash away, and the cart will be lighter! Then I can finish faster and nap longer!”
So, Danny pretended to trip—SPLASH! The cart toppled, and all the salt dissolved in the water.
When they reached home, Farmer Ben scratched his head. “The load felt too light. I guess we’ll have to do it again tomorrow.”
Danny grinned secretly. “Perfect! I’ll ‘accidentally slip’ again tomorrow, too!”
The Farmer’s Clever Plan
The next day, Farmer Ben loaded the cart with sponges instead of salt.
Danny, ready to repeat his trick, stepped into the stream and shouted, “Oops! Slippery me!”
SPLASH!
But this time, something strange happened: the cart felt heavier! The wet sponges soaked up all the water.
Danny huffed and puffed, his lazy tail drooping. “Why does this feel like I’m carrying a mountain?”
Farmer Ben laughed kindly. “Sometimes, Danny, when we try to avoid work, we end up doing more!”
Danny brayed in disbelief. “No fair! Even water betrayed me!”
A Donkey Turned Diligent
From that day on, Danny decided maybe naps were best after work, not instead of it.
He carried grain, helped the hens, and even raced the sheep for fun.
Farmer Ben rewarded him with extra carrots. “See, Danny? Work first, rest later; that’s the secret.”
Danny grinned, munching his carrots proudly. “Lesson learned! But just in case… I’ll still keep my nap schedule flexible.”
All the animals laughed, and Danny’s legend as the formerly lazy but now hilarious donkey spread across the farm.
And every time he passed the stream, he winked and said, “No more tricks, water and I are officially even!”
The End !
