Best Friends Forever

Best Friends Forever

Once upon a time, there lived a king. He was very fond of his royal elephant. The king provided his elephant with the best food and a large tent to live in. The elephant was happy and content.

A dog lived in the same kingdom. All day it would roam in the streets in search of food but rarely got anything to eat. It was weak and its bones used to show through its skin.

One day the dog was looking for food around the elephant’s tent. When it peaked in the tent it was amazed to find all the food that the king had arranged for the elephant. Tempted it got inside the tent when the mahaout was not looking and began eating the food.

From that day on, the dog began to live with the elephant and feed on the food that the elephant did not eat. The elephant too did not seem to mind. In fact he had found a friend in the dog. With time their friendship grew. Together they began to live happily in the tent.

The dog’s health improved and he began to look very cute.

One day a man came to visit the mahaout. He liked the dog very much and asked the mahaout if he could have the dog. Since the dog was of no use to him or the king, the mahaout agreed and the man took the dog with him.

The elephant was very sad to have his friend taken away from him. He began to miss the dog very much. He stopped eating and fell sick. The best animal doctors were called to look at the elephant but they failed to make him better. Then one day the mahaout remembered the dog. He realized he had done a mistake. He went to the king and told him everything about the dog. At once, a messenger was asked to announce in the city for anyone who had the dog.

“Anyone who has the dog which lived in the royal elephant’s tent must return the dog to the king immediately. He shall be paid by the king for it,” the messenger announced while beating his drum.

The man who had taken the dog did not lose any time in returning the dog. The elephant gained its health again, when he got his friend back and they spent the rest of their lives in each other’s company.

Moral: "To lose a friend is the greatest of all loses."