Once upon a time an old crane lived on the rim of a large lake in the middle of a jungle. Because of age, it was not able to prey on fish and other insects. Unable to suffer hunger, the crane stood on the edge of the lake and began crying pitiably. Moved at the sight, a crab passing by asked the crane:

"Friend, what is the matter? Why are you not hunting for food today?"

"Son, you have correctly guessed. I am feeling guilty because I have swallowed too many fish. I have decided to fast unto death and am not harming even the fish that are within my reach," said the crane.

"But why are you so philosophical today," asked the crab.

"What shall I tell you? I have heard that there will be no rains for the coming twelve years. Astrologers have forecast an evil conjunction of the planets. As a result, there won't be rains on this earth for another twelve years. All these years we have all played and lived together. I am now worried about the fate waiting for these poor fish and other creatures in the lake. They will die and I will be alone and without them."

"Is there no way we can save ourselves?"

"At present, fish and other water creatures in other lakes are migrating to bigger lakes with the help of their relatives. Here, nobody seems to worry about the dark future. At this rate, there won't be any kind of fish left."

The crab carried this information to all the fish and other water creatures in the lake. Alarmed, all of them came to the crane and pleaded with him to show them the way to overcome this danger and the crane promised to ferry them all one by one to a lake far away which does not dry evenif there is no rain for twenty four years.

The poor fish and other water creatures at once put all the trust in the crane and agreed to be ferried. Every day, the crane would take one of them at a time to a lonely place, smash them against a stone and eat them. He would return to the lake and repeat the trick every day.

One day the crab asked the crane to carry him also. Tired with eating fish every day, the crane too was happy to carry the crab to the lake that did not exist. As the crane was flying close to the spot where he ate all the fish, the crab saw a heap of fish bones and understood everything. The crafty crab at once caught the neck of the crane in his claws and tore through it to death. On returning back, he told the truth to his friends and thereafter they lived happily.

Moral
We must keep our senses alive in trouble.