454- The Pig, the Colt and the Ass

The ass noticed that the colt was sad and brokenhearted so she asked him about the reason behind his sadness. “How could I be happy when the owner of the house is unjust?” He asked.

“Why do you say this, son?”

“You and I work hard all day: we carry loads and the owner rides on our backs. Sometimes his wife, children or the workers do that too. He offers us very little food while the pig doesn’t work at all, and the owner offers him a lot of food.”

“Don’t be quick my son in your judgment. Wait until tomorrow.”

The next day, while the master of the house was celebrating the feast of the god Jupiter, he made a great dinner. The butcher went into the barn, held the pig and in a few minutes, the pig was sacrificed and the blood was dripping from his neck.

The colt cried, “How brutal mother?”

The ass answered, “For this hour the master of the house was offering the pig much food, that it may be fattened and so that he may slaughter it and eat it with his family and friends.”

The colt was terrified and stopped eating, but the mother said, “No my son, we shouldn’t eat a lot but we also shouldn’t stop eating lest we fall ill and die. We need to eat to survive and work without laziness.”

The colt started to eat and work joyfully.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: الخنزير والأتان والجحش.

Thank You my God,

For You did not create us to eat,

But offered us food to live and work.

Blessed are You who created us in this life.

We praise you for giving us our daily bread,

And thank you for allowing us to work.

The Head and the Tail

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

A Young Girl Confessing