The Pigeon and the Crow

The Pigeon and the Crow

In a large house there was a spacious kitchen. Beneath the roof, in a little woven basket, lived a gray pigeon. The cook knew him well and every day left a bowl of clean water and a few grains nearby.

The pigeon was calm and polite. In the morning he flew into the yard to search for seeds, and in the evening he returned to his basket.

One day, a black crow flashed past the kitchen window.

She looked inside and saw so many delicious things on the tables that her wings trembled with excitement.

“If only I could live here for a day,” she whispered.

But the crow knew the cook would not simply invite her into the kitchen.

The next morning, she waited for the pigeon and flew after him.

The pigeon looked back.

“Why are you following me?”

“Because I like you,” said the crow sweetly. “Let’s be friends and look for food together.”

“But we eat different things,” said the pigeon.

“That doesn’t matter. Good company is what counts.”

The pigeon saw no harm in that and agreed.

They flew together all day. The pigeon patiently gathered seeds, while the crow wandered off and returned, pretending to be very busy searching too.

That evening they flew to the kitchen.

The cook saw the new guest.

“If she is your friend, Pigeon, she may have a place to sleep too.”

He hung a second little basket beside the first.

The crow was delighted.

“Wonderful,” she thought. “Now I only have to wait for the right moment.”

A few days later, the kitchen was preparing a festive dinner. Bowls covered the table, spices filled the air, and the cook arranged food on plates.

The crow could barely sit still.

The pigeon called:

“Let’s fly outside for breakfast.”

The crow clutched her stomach.

“I can’t. I don’t feel well today.”

The pigeon looked at her carefully.

“Strange. A minute ago you were staring at the kitchen table so hard you nearly fell out of your basket.”

“I was only admiring the dishes,” the crow replied quickly.

“Very well,” said the pigeon. “Just don’t take what isn’t yours. The cook will share if he wishes. Stealing is wrong.”

And he flew away.

The crow was alone.

The cook placed the finished dishes on the table and went to fetch water.

“Here is my chance!” whispered the crow.

She flew to the edge of the table and hopped closer to a large plate.

“Only one tiny bite,” she told herself.

But as she reached forward, the plate clinked.

The crow startled, flapped her wings, and struck a spoon.

Clink!

The spoon hit a bowl.

Crash!

The bowl wobbled, and a pot lid rolled across the floor.

Rrrrrr... CLANG!

The cook rushed in.

There stood the crow on the table, with a whole mountain of dishes wobbling around her.

“So you are the one trying to run my kitchen!” he cried.

The crow became so flustered that she landed straight in a bowl of flour.

Poof!

A white cloud filled the air.

When the pigeon returned, he saw an extraordinary sight: a nearly white crow peering from the black basket, with a fluffy crest of flour on her head.

“Who is this?” the pigeon asked with pretend surprise. “I left a crow here, but I see a white bird.”

The crow hung her head.

“Don’t laugh. I didn’t listen to you.”

“And what happened?”

“I wanted to take one thing without permission and ended up giving a whole concert with the pots.”

The pigeon struggled not to smile.

“Now do you understand why it is better to ask than to grab what belongs to someone else?”

The crow nodded.

The next morning, she and the pigeon brought the cook several shiny chestnuts they had found in the garden and left them beside the door. It was her way of apologizing.

The cook understood. He smiled and scattered grain for both birds.

After that, the crow still looked longingly at the kitchen treats from time to time. But whenever she did, she remembered the white cloud of flour and the crashing dishes.

Then she told herself:

“Better ask first.”

And whenever the pigeon heard that, he nodded with satisfaction.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨