The Ornament on the Camel's Neck

- Then, he had an idea: "I will use my powerful back legs. If I kick the peg, the ornament will fall right into my lap!"

- Abbas K. Nariyalwala

O nce upon a time, there lived a poor donkey. His life was a never-ending cycle of hard labor. All day long, he had to run back and forth, carrying heavy loads of mud for his master, the potter. To make matters worse, he often felt the sting of the potter's stick if he slowed down.

By the time evening arrived, the donkey was exhausted and starving. But the potter was a stingy man. As soon as the work was done, he would turn the donkey out of the house. He wouldn't offer him a single handful of grain or a blade of fresh grass. The poor donkey had to wander through the outskirts of the village all night, scavenging for whatever scraps or grass he could find just to survive.

The "Wonderful" Discovery

One evening, the donkey saw something that amazed him. A camel cart was passing by. At the front, there was a tall, majestic camel pulling the load. But what caught the donkey's eye was a glowing lantern hanging from the camel's neck.

The donkey stared in awe. He thought to himself, "I have seen many horse carriages and bullock carts, but none of them wear such a beautiful ornament. Surely, this camel must be a high-ranking official or a king among animals! Why else would he be wearing such a shining jewel?"

The simple donkey mistook the lantern for a piece of jewelry.

The Secret of the Light

In that village, there was a law: every vehicle moving at night had to carry a light so people could see it coming in the dark. Because the camel was as tall as a palm tree and the cart was high off the ground, the driver had a clever idea. He tied a rope to a lantern and hung it around the camel's neck. This way, the light was high enough for everyone to see the cart approaching from a distance.

But the donkey didn't know this. He was mesmerized. "What a beautiful ornament! It suits the camel so well," he sighed. For the next few days, every time he saw the camel cart, he wished with all his heart that he could wear such a "jewel" for just one day.

The Donkey's Plan

One day, the potter went to the big city and brought home a brand-new lantern. When evening came, he lit it to inspect his clay pots. The donkey's eyes widened. "Finally! My master has brought that same ornament for me!" he thought joyfully.

The potter hung the lantern on a high wooden peg and went inside to have dinner with his family. The donkey decided this was his chance. He tried to reach the lantern, but it was too high. He stretched his neck and jumped, but he couldn't touch it.

Then, he had an idea: "I will use my powerful back legs. If I kick the peg, the ornament will fall right into my lap!"

The donkey turned around and delivered a powerful kick. CRASH! The lantern fell right onto him. The glass shattered, and the kerosene inside spilled all over the donkey's furry body. Suddenly, the flame from the wick touched his oil-soaked fur.

WHOOSH! The donkey turned into a living torch!

A Painful Lesson

Terrified and screaming "Hee-haw! Hee-haw!", the donkey ran through the village. The potter and the villagers rushed out, caught him, and managed to put out the fire. The donkey survived, but he was badly burned. He spent a whole month in pain, covered in blisters and ointments, unable to move.

A month later, when he was finally well enough to graze again, he saw the camel cart once more. The lantern was still hanging from the camel's neck. The donkey walked up to the camel, looking at the light with a very different expression.

The camel looked down and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that, little friend?"

The donkey replied, "I am looking at that ornament around your neck. Doesn't it burn you? I tried to wear one just like it, and I nearly died!"

The camel sighed and said, "Brother, this is no ornament. This is a lamp of slavery. I have to pull this heavy cart all night, and this lantern hangs here so others don't crash into us. The heat from this 'jewel' has left permanent scars and burns on my neck. If you want it, you can take it!"

The donkey stepped back quickly. "No, thank you! I finally understand. That isn't beauty-it's a burden. Sometimes, the things that look like ornaments are actually the chains that bind us. A false show of beauty is never worth your life."