The Vain Crow
A Festive Farewell
Once upon a time, a group of crows lived near a mango grove. Today was a day of great joy, for Mr. Cra was preparing to leave for his vacation and was saying goodbye to his friends.
— Here's my special mango pie for you, Mr. Cra. — Oh, thank you, Mrs. Cronken!
— And take this pile of kindling and pine resin. You never know when you'll need to build a nest. — Thank you, Craton! I'll miss you. I'll miss all of you.
The Journey and the Storm
And finally, with all the gifts from his friends, Mr. Cra took flight. Mr. Cra flew over mountains and rivers, and over villages and towns. He was seeing the world for the first time.
One day, there was lightning and thunder, and it looked like it was going to rain. He quickly took shelter in a tree.
— I think I'll stay here tonight. It's not a good idea to fly in the rain.
The Discovery of Peacocks
As Mr. Cra found a spot in the tree, he heard a strange noise. He peered through the branches to see where the sound was coming from.
— Look, it's raining! Hooray! — What are these creatures? Do they fly? Are they birds? But they are so, so, so beautiful!
Mr. Cra, the crow, was seeing peacocks for the first time and couldn't believe how beautiful they were. He compared his black feathers to their beautifully colored ones. Suddenly, he no longer liked being a crow.
The Desire to Be Someone Else
— Look how black and ugly I am! I want to be like them! So beautiful, so colorful!
So Mr. Cra watched the peacocks day and night. He couldn't think of anything else but becoming a peacock. But how? He started eating fruits like them, dancing like them, and one day, an idea came to him.
— A wonderful peacock feather!
Cra's Transformation
From that day on, Mr. Cra began collecting fallen peacock feathers. And when he had gathered enough, he took the pine resin that Mr. Craton had given him and glued them to his tail.
— Ah, now I have become a peacock! Finally! — Caw!
Returning Home
— It's time to go home! Woohoo!
Believing he was now a peacock, Mr. Cra flew home. Mrs. Cronken saw Mr. Cra and called the other crows, and soon they had all gathered at Mr. Cra's nest.
— Welcome back, Mr. Cra! How was your vacation? We missed you. — My vacation was good. Thank you. But now I am no longer an ugly crow. I have become a beautiful peacock!
Rejecting Friends
— But you are a crow too. How can you say crows are ugly? — I brought you my mango pie! — Thank you, but because I am a peacock, I will only eat fruits.
The crows did not like Mr. Cra's behavior. They decided to leave him alone. But still, Mr. Cra had not learned his lesson.
A New Life Among Peacocks
One day, he made a decision.
— Ah, ugly crows! Why should I stay with them? My place is actually with the peacocks!
So Mr. Cra went to live with the peacocks.
— Because I am a peacock now too, I thought I could live with you.
The peacocks consulted and allowed the strange peacock to stay.
The Truth Comes Out
But one day, it started to rain, and Mr. Cra's feathers fell off.
— Aha! But you are not a peacock! — Of course I am a peacock! I eat like you, I live with you. I even have beautiful, colorful feathers like you! — Feathers like us? You are a crow! — No, I, no, no, no! — Your black feathers make you so handsome! — What?
The peacocks admired Mr. Cra's beautiful black feathers, and he couldn't believe it.
The Lesson Learned
— Your feathers are so beautiful, and what's more, they allow you to fly high in the sky. Because of our long feathers, we cannot fly high. We wish we could touch the sky like you. But you, you left your crow family and friends and came here just to become a peacock? What a shame! Go home! Be happy with who you are!
Finally, Mr. Cra realized his mistake and went home.
— Uh, hello, Mrs. Cronken! — I know you're upset with me, and I deserve it. I tried to become something I'm not, and in doing so, I lost my family and friends. Please, forgive me! — Hmm! Would you like some of my mango pie? — Of course, please! I'm so tired of eating only fruits. I apologize to everyone. I am a crow, and no matter how many feathers I put on, I remain a crow. — Welcome back!
The Moral of the Story
If we dress like someone else or copy someone else's lifestyle, we do not become that person. The best thing is to be happy with who we are, because no matter who we are, we are special and feel better than others with our own style.
