Death is rebirth

Caw, caw.

I opened the door.

“Hello, can I help you?”

Hearing my question, the crow shrank her eyes. “I come to take my rose apple,” she said.

“Oh, sorry. I forget. Wait a minute.”

I took the fruit then gave it to her.

“Are you okay?” Crow said.

I shook my head and sighed.

“What’s the matter?” 

“Well,” I said with a sad expression, “I just heard that Robert was dispelled from the farm. He is very old. I think he cannot make it outside. So, last night I prayed for him hoping that he will be better in his next life.”

“That old dog! He is not dead yet. He is sleeping under a kapok tree in the west,” she told before she took the fruit and flew away.

Following, I hurriedly got out of the house and walked to the west.

Is dog a friend or a slave?

Today, cow, duck and twin piggies came to visit my house.

While they were sitting outside, I prepared tea for them. When I brought the tea out, I heard them talking about Robert who was a dog in the next farm of twin piggies.

“What’s going on with him?” I asked.

“He was abandoned by his master yesterday,” cow said.

I was shocked to hear that, “What did he do wrong?”

“The evening before yesterday, there was a thief trying to steal a phone from his master when he was calling outside the house. His master struggled with the thief and called for his help, but he was late,” twin piggies said.

I shrank my eyes, “How long was he late?”

“About a few seconds.”

“Just a few seconds!” I unlocked my eyes. “Then he abandoned him?”

“Did the thief get the phone?” Duck asked.

“No, he didn’t. There were some neighbors coming out to help and the thief ran away,” twin piggies replied.

“Robert was late because he is old. I heard he arrived after the neighbors. The neighbors blamed him, they said he was lazy and not faithful to his master. They asked the master to abandon him and the master agreed,” cow said.

“It’s true.” Twin piggies nodded.

“Poor Robert.” I shook my head. “When he is energetic, they keep him. When he is old, they abandon him because he can’t work for them anymore.”

“Now, where is Robert?” Duck asked.

“We don’t know.” Twin piggies shook their heads.

It was a sad story; but at that time something popped into my head.

Crow doesn’t believe in human

Caw, caw.

I got out and put a rose apple on the table. As I was about to drop my body in the lounge, the crow bit the fruit in her beak and flew.

“Hey, where are you going?” I yelled.

The crow paused her wings on a branch of the tree in front of my house. “I’m going to eat it in the forest,” she told.

“Why don’t you eat it here?”

“I don’t want the noise to bother my meal.”

Hearing it, I understood what she meant.

“They don’t argue everyday,” I said.

“I don’t believe in humans. Their minds are not stable and their feelings are always up and down.”

After saying it, she put the fruit between her beak and flew towards the wood.

Unhappy night

Tonight I didn't feel very happy without a reason. 

I couldn't sleep though I forced my eyes to close. At last, I came out sitting in my lounge in the front yard.

It was dark blue and silent. However, thanks to the fireflies, they accompanied me through this lonely night.

Pig knows about human

 

Caw, caw. 

It was the second day that I had to pay a rose apple to the crow. Like the previous day, I put the fruit on the table in my front yard and while she was eating it, I laid in the lounge next to the table. 

Suddenly, a loud voice came out from the farm next to my house. 

“What’s it?” Crow asked. 

“It’s masters of duck are quarreling,” I said. 

The crow wagged her head a few times before she continued eating. Then the loud voice happened again and along with it there was a sound of BANG, causing the crow to jump.  

“What’s that?” She yelled. 

“Maybe a pot or another object that they threw from their house,” I said. 

The crow looked at me, “You aren’t surprised, are you?” 

I shook my head. 

“Why do they quarrel?” 

“Recently, I heard from my friends that their masters are meeting financial problems. Hence, I think the money is the cause of their quarrel today. It happened before. When they were having a problem, they argued with each other, then they threw things to release their anger. However, I am happy that they threw things outside, not to each other.” 

The crow shook her head, “Human life is not happy at all.” 

Then she carried on eating. BANG… 

“Hey,” she yelled with her eyebrows knotted, “I want to have a peaceful meal.” 

I chuckled, “You can’t if you stay near humans.” 

“Then I should go to eat on a tree in the forest.” 

After saying that, she put the rose apple in her beak then flew away.

How pig earns money

“Hello everyone,” I said when I arrived at the pond.

“Hello,” they said in an unhappy voice.

“What's wrong?” 

They took a loud sigh.

“Who dies?”

“Perhaps all of us die,” they said.

I tried my eyebrows because I didn't understand.

“We heard our masters’ discussion. They said they are having financial problems. If this issue continues longer, they would probably have no ability to raise us.”

All of them sobbed.

“I see.” I wagged my head. “It's about money.”

“If I were a human, I would help my master find money,” cow said.

“Me too,” duck said.

“Us too,” twin piggies said.

“Ha ha…” I laughed. “If you were a human, why wouldn't you find money for yourself?”

“Right.” two piggies nodded.

“Let's imagine for fun,” duck said. “If we could transform to be a human, how could we find money?”

“If we don't have even a penny and we want money, there are two ways we can earn it,” I said.

“What's that?” All of them said.

“First, we go to work for the person who has money. Second, we take from nature.”

“I understand the first point, but the second point…” cow said.

“Nature includes sun, wind, land, water, trees etc. We can benefit from those things. For example, growing vegetables to sell, picking fruits to sell.”

All of them wagged their heads, “I see, I see.”

Pig protects himself

“Pig,” cow said, “I saw a dog house in your yard, but I never saw it. Is it inside?”

“Yes, he is inside,” I said. 

“Why don’t you call him to get out?” 

“I did, but he is shy, he doesn’t like to meet anyone because he is afraid of everyone mocking his body size.” 

“Is he big?” 

I nodded and told, “He isn’t big, he is so big” while my ears noticed a low pitch howling of a wolf from inside the jungle.