Once there was a dog in a village. He stole a piece of meat from a butcher's shop and ran off with it. He wanted to eat it at home. On his way home he came to a narrow bridge over a stream. As he was crossing the bridge, he looked down and saw his own shadow in the water. He thought it another dog with a larger piece of meat than his. He tried to get that piece, too. He opened his mouth and barked at the shadow. But the dog in the water was not a real dog, but his own shadow. So he dropped his own piece of meat into the water, and lost all. |