The Donkey and the Load of Salt

A merchant once owned a donkey, a sturdy but stubborn creature who was tasked with carrying heavy loads of salt to the market every day. The path to the market crossed a shallow, winding stream that they had to wade through each morning. One fateful day, as the donkey stepped into the middle of the water, he stumbled and fell. As he struggled to regain his footing, the water dissolved a significant portion of the salt he was carrying. When he finally stood up, he felt remarkably light, his burden having been cut in half by the dissolving salt.

Delighted by this unexpected relief, the donkey began to think he was quite clever. The next day, when they reached the same spot in the stream, he deliberately lay down in the water again. Once more, the salt melted away, and he emerged feeling feather-light. The merchant, though initially patient, began to suspect that something was amiss. He grew weary of losing his valuable cargo and decided it was time to teach his stubborn companion a lesson about honesty and hard work.

On the third day, the merchant loaded the donkey with a heavy sack of sponges instead of salt. The donkey, still convinced of his own genius, waded into the stream and lay down with great satisfaction, expecting the load to vanish as it had before. However, as the sponges soaked up the water, they became heavy, sodden, and cumbersome. The donkey struggled to stand, groaning under the immense weight that now pressed against his back, far heavier than the original load of salt had ever been. He was forced to carry the dripping, heavy burden all the way to the market, learning a very difficult lesson that day. From then on, he walked carefully and dutifully, having realized that his attempts to shirk his responsibilities had only brought him greater hardship.