The bronze rat

The bronze rat

A bloke from the bush walked into a Sydney antique shop.

After looking around for a while, he noticed a very life-like bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but it was so striking that he decided to buy it anyway.

He took it to the owner and said: 'How much is this bronze rat?' The owner replied: 'It's $12 for the rat, and $100 for the story'

The fellow gave the owner his $12 and said: 'I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story!'

As he walked off down the street, he noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the drains and begun following him.

This was a little disconcerting, so he started to walk a little faster, but within a couple of blocks the swarm of rats had grown to hundreds, and they were all squealing and screeching in a very menacing way.

He increased his speed and ran on towards Sydney Harbour and as he ran, he looked behind him and saw the rats now numbered in their MILLIONS, and they were running faster and faster.

By now very concerned, he ran down to the pier and threw the bronze rat as far out into the water as he could. Amazingly, the millions of real rats jumped into the water after it and were all drowned.

The man walked back to relate all this to the shop owner, who said, 'Ah, you've come back for the story then?'

'Shit no!' said the bloke, 'I came back to see if you've got a bronze Muslim, a couple of Asians, a Kiwi and an Indian spin bowler.

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This is Interesting. Have you ever though about that?

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!

Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years .

Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end .

If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals.

Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.

The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnightin almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.

Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent.

Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450F.

The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean.

The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man.

Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density.

The University of Alaska spans four time zones.

The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.

In ancient Greece , tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.

Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

A comet's tail always points away from the sun.

The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent.

Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.

The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.

If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.

When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight.

In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed.

Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside.

Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams.

The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year.

The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.

Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters.

Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy .

Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down.

Everything weighs one percent less at the equator.

For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off.

The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.

If you like the above, pass it on to others.....

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Unfaithful Friend

There was a large berry tree on the bank of a river. On this tree lived a monkey called Rhesa. He was a clever and good hearted monkey. He offered berries to all the animals and birds who came to the river to quench their thirst. In the river, there lived a crocodile named Magar. He lived with his wife in a cave at the bottom of the river. 

One day Magar the crocodile came to the river bank to catch his prey. It was a hot and sunny day and Magar had not caught any thing the whole day. Tired and hot, he dragged himself to the shade of the berry tree for some rest. He had hardly closed his eyes when he heard somebody calling out to him. “Hello friend. I am up here." 

Magar looked up to find Rhesa the monkey smiling down at him. The monkey plucked a handful of juicy berries and threw them down to Magar. 

“Eat these. They will quench your thirst." 

“Thank you," said Magar and ate the delicious berries. 

From then on, everyday, Magar would come to the river’s bank and eat the berries dropped by Rhesa. Both of them became good friends. 

One day Magar took some berries home to his wife. She found them delicious. “Mmm... If the berries are so tasty, how delicious would the monkey’s heart be that ate these berries," she said. “I want to eat the heart of this monkey." 

“How can I do that?" replied Magar. 

“He is my friend. How can I kill him?" But his wife would not accept no for an answer. “If you don’t bring me his heart, I will starve myself to death,’’she cried. 

So Magar went to meet Rhesa the monkey. “My wife liked the berries you sent her very much. She wants to meet you. She has invited you home for dinner,"said Magar to Rhesa. 

“I would surely come," said Rhesa, “but I cannot swim and you live in the river." 

“Do not worry," said Magar, “I will carry you on my back." 

Rhesa readily jumped on to Magar’s back. Magar began to swim away from the bank. On reaching the middle of the river, the crocodile began to dive under water. 

“Hey! What are you doing?" panicked Rhesa. “I told you I cannot swim." 

“Sorry my friend," replied Magar. “My wife wants to eat your heart. So I have to kill you," said Magar. 

Rhesa realised that he was in grave danger. “Is it my heart you want?" he asked in an undisturbed voice. “Why did you not say so before? I would have gladly given it to you. We will have to go back because I usually leave my heart back at home when I go out." 

The foolish crocodile immediately turned around and swam back towards the bank. 

Rhesa immediately jumped down from Magar’s back and bounced up the berry tree. “You are a fool Magar. How could I be alive if I left my heart behind? You have been an unfaithful friend. Our friendship is over," said Rhesa. 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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You can not please everyone.

This is a short story to teach you that you can not please everyone. A man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said : "You fool, what a Donkey for but to ride is upon?" 



So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men. One of whom said : "See that lazy youngster. He lets his father walk while he rides." 



So the Man ordered his Boy to get off and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women. One of whom said to the other : "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along." 



Well the Man did not know what to do. But at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said : 



"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor Donkey of yours - you and your hulking son?" 



The man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the Donkey's feet to it and raised the pole and the Donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge and his fore-feet being tied together, he was drowned. 



"That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them : 

Moral : You Can Not Please Everyone.

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Swans and The Turtle

There was a lake at the outskirts of a small village. Two swans and a turtle who were good friends lived in the lake. They would play with each other and pass time telling stories. 

One year, there were no rains and the lake started drying up. 

“The lake is almost dry. We have to find some other place to live," said the turtle to the swans. “We will fly around and look for a suitable place," said the swans. Both the swans flew in different directions in search of a better place to live. A little distance away, one of the swans spotted a large lake. It had plenty of water and there were many fishes in it. He flew back to tell the others. 

The three of them were very excited with the find. “Wow! Now we won’t have any problem," said the turtle. 

“There is only one problem," replied one swan. “The two of us can fly there in no time. But you crawl very slowly. And it is some distance away. You will never reach there." 

The turtle thought for some time. Suddenly his face lit up. “I have an idea," he said. “You bring me a stick. I will hold the center of the stick in my mouth. Both of you can hold the stick on either side. That way you can fly me with you to our new home." 

“It is a very good idea, but you have to make sure you do not open your mouth for any reason. If you do, you will fall to your death," warned one of the swans. 

The turtle agreed. 

“Remember what we told you," reminded the swans as they got ready to fly. Soon they were flying high in the sky. They had to fly over the village to get to the lake. As they flew over the village, people ran out into the streets to look at this amazing sight. 

“What clever birds. They are carrying a turtle on a stick!" exclaimed one man. Every one was excited to see such an amazing sight. 

“It was my idea. I am the clever one. I need to let them know," thought the turtle. He opened his mouth to explain, but before the foolish turtle could say anything, he fell with a thud and died. 

The swans looked down at their dead friend and shook their heads bitterly at his foolishness. “If he had kept his mouth shut, he would be alive and happy with us," said one swan to the other as they landed at the big lake which would be their home from then on. 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Sun and The Wind

Once The Sun and The Wind happened to have a quarrel. Both of them claimed to be stronger. At last they agreed to have a trial of strength. 



"Here comes a traveller. Let us see who can strip him of his cloak?" said the Sun. 



The Wind agreed and did choose to have the first turn. 



He blew in the hardest possible way. 



As a result, the traveller wrapped his cloak even more tightly around him. 



Then it was the turn of the Sun. At first he shone very gently. The sun went on shining brighter and brighter. The traveller felt hot. 

Before long he took off his cloak and put it in his bag. 



The Wind accepted his defeat. 


Moral : Fury or force cuts no ice where gentleness does the job.

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A friend in need is a friend indeed

Once upon a time there lived a lion in a forest. One day after a heavy meal. It was sleeping under a tree. After a while, there came a mouse and it started to play on the lion. Suddenly the lion got up with anger and looked for those who disturbed its nice sleep. Then it saw a small mouse standing trembling with fear. The lion jumped on it and started to kill it. The mouse requested the lion to forgive it. The lion felt pity and left it. The mouse ran away. 



On another day, the lion was caught in a net by a hunter. The mouse came there and cut the net. Thus it escaped. There after, the mouse and the lion became friends. They lived happily in the forest afterwards. 

Moral : A friend in need is a friend indeed.

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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A Town Mouse and A Country Mouse

A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were friends. The Country Mouse one day invited his friend to come and see him at his home in the fields. The Town Mouse came and they sat down to a dinner of barleycorns and roots the latter of which had a distinctly earthy flavour. 



The flavour was not much to the taste of the guest and presently he broke out with “My poor dear friend, you live here no better than the ants. Now, you should just see how I fare! My larder is a regular horn of plenty. You must come and stay with me and I promise you shall live on the fat of the land." 



So when he returned to town he took the Country Mouse with him and showed him into a larder containing flour and oatmeal and figs and honey and dates. 



The Country Mouse had never seen anything like it and sat down to enjoy the luxuries his friend provided. But before they had well begun, the door of the larder opened and some one came in. The two Mice scampered off and hid themselves in a narrow and exceedingly uncomfortable hole. Presently, when all was quiet, they ventured out again. But some one else came in, and off they scuttled again. This was too much for the visitor. "Good bye," said he, "I'm off. You live in the lap of luxury, I can see, but you are surrounded by dangers whereas at home I can enjoy my simple dinner of roots and corn in peace." 


Moral : Safety is the first importance.

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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Elephant and Friends

One day an elephant wandered into a forest in search of friends. 

He saw a monkey on a tree. 

“Will you be my friend?" asked the elephant. 

Replied the monkey, “You are too big. You can not swing from trees like me." 

Next, the elephant met a rabbit. He asked him to be his friends. 

But the rabbit said, “You are too big to play in my burrow!" 

Then the elephant met a frog. 

“Will you be my friend? He asked. 

“How can I?" asked the frog. 

“You are too big to leap about like me." 

The elephant was upset. He met a fox next. 

“Will you be my friend?" he asked the fox. 

The fox said, “Sorry, sir, you are too big." 

The next day, the elephant saw all the animals in the forest running for their lives. 

The elephant asked them what the matter was. 

The bear replied, “There is a tier in the forest. He’s trying to gobble us all up!" 

The animals all ran away to hide. 

The elephant wondered what he could do to solve everyone in the forest. 

Meanwhile, the tiger kept eating up whoever he could find. 

The elephant walked up to the tiger and said, “Please, Mr. Tiger, do not eat up these poor animals." 

“Mind your own business!" growled the tiger. 

The elephant has a no choice but to give the tiger a hefty kick. 

The frightened tiger ran for his life. 

The elephant ambled back into the forest to announce the good news to everyone. 

All the animals thanked the elephant. 

They said, “You are just the right size to be our friend." 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Clever Crab

There lived a heron by a big lake. He used to catch fish and eat them. But he had become old and could not catch fish like before. He went without food for many days together. 

“I have to think of a plan. Otherwise I won't live for long," thought the heron. Soon he came out with a clever plan. The heron sat at the water’s edge looking depressed and thoughtful. In the same lake lived a crab who was friendly and thoughtful. As he went past, he noticed how the heron looked and asked him, “Why are you looking depressed my friend?" 

“What can I say," said the heron in a sad voice. “Something terrible is going to happen." 

“What is that?" asked the crab anxiously. 

“When I was on my way here this morning, I heard an astrologer say that there will be no rains in these parts for the next twelve years. The lake will dry up and we will all die. I am quite old. It does not matter if I die. But you all are so young. There is so much for you to see and enjoy," said the heron. 

The crab went to the fishes in the lake and told them what the heron had told him. They were all filled with fear. “O no! What do we do? We will all die." they cried. 

“There is a very big lake some distance from here. I can take you all there one by one." offered the heron. All the fishes were comforted and they agreed to be carried to the bigger lake one by one. 

Every day, the heron would fly the fishes one by one. He would hold one gingerly between his long beak and fly away. But instead of taking them to any lake, he would land on a rock some distance away and eat them. Then he would rest till evening and return to the lake. 

After some days, the crab went up to the heron. “You have been taking the fishes to the other lake. When will you take me?" he asked. 

The heron thought to himself, “I am tired of eating fish. Crab meat should be a pleasant change." 

The heron agreed to take the crab to the other lake. 

But the crab was too large for the heron to carry in his beak. So the crab climbed on to the heron’s back and they started the journey. After a while, the crab grew impatient. 

“How far is the lake?" he asked the heron. 

“You fool," laughed the heron. “I am not taking you to any lake. I am going to dash you against those rocks and eat you like I ate all those fishes." 

“I am not a fool to allow you to kill me," said the crab. 

He held the heron’s neck in his powerful claws and strangled the wicked heron to death. 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Clever Frog

The Deep inside a forest, there was a pond. Many fishes, crabs and frogs lived in the pond. Theirs was a happy and peaceful life. 

Among them lived two beautiful fishes named Sahasrabuddhi and Shatabuddhi. They were bigger than the other fishes in the pond. They were very proud of their good looks and intelligence. 

In the same pond lived a frog with his wife. His name was Ekkabuddhi. The fishes and frogs were good friends. They all led an undisturbed life. 

But one day two fishermen, returning from the river in the forest after fishing. came across the pond. It was late in the evening and as usual all the fishes and frogs were at play. Sahasrabuddhi, Shatabuddhi, Ekkabuddhi and many others joined the game. They leaped high into the air and chased each other. 

Seeing the beautiful scene the fishermen were amazed and stopped in their tracks. 

“How beautiful they look?" said one fisherman. 

“Yes. And so many of them too," replied the other. 

“The pond does not look very deep," said the first fisherman. “Let us catch some of them." 

“It is already very late and we have a heavy load to carry a long way. Let’s come back tomorrow," suggested the other fisherman. 

Ekkabuddhi turned to the others in the pond and said, “Did you not hear what the fishermen said? We must leave this pond for a safer place." 

“Just because two fishermen said they would come back to catch us tomorrow, you want us to leave our home and flee. For all we know, they might not come back," said Sahasrabuddhi. 

“Even if they come back to catch us I know a thousand tricks to get away." 

“And even if your thousand ways fail, I know another hundred ways to escape," said Shatabuddhi. “ We will not let two fishermen scare us away from our me." All the others in the pond agreed with them. 

“Well! I know only one trick," said Ekkabuddhi. “To leave the place before danger strikes." Ekkabuddhi and his wife left the pond in search of a safer place. All the fishes, crabs and frogs laughed at them as they left. 

The next day the fishermen returned to the pond and cast their net. “Ouch! This net is too thick for me to bite through," cried Sahasrabuddhi. 

“For me too," cried Shatabuddhi. “Only if I could get out, I could do something. 

“We should have listened to Ekkabuddhi," cried a fish. “Now we are all doomed." 

The fishermen caught them all and put all the fishes, frogs and crabs into a big basket and took them away. 

Ekkabuddhi, hiding behind a boulder with his wife turned to her and said, “If I had not acted in time, we would also be in that basket with the others." 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Crane and The Snake

In a forest close to the river bank mere lived a crane with his wife. They were very unhappy. Every time the wife laid eggs in their nest, a big black cobra who lived in a hollow in the tree, would eat them up. The crane had a friend the crab. He went to his friend the crab and shared his misery. "I feel so hopeless….That sneaking thief has eaten our eggs again," complained the crane angrily. 

“Don’t worry," said the crab comfortingly. “You need not be hopeless when you have a friend like me. We will come up with a solution." 

The crab sat to think of a plan. Suddenly he jumped up and rushed to the crane. 

“Friend, I have a wonderful plan," said the crab and whispered something into the crane’s car. 

The crane flew back to his nest and told his wife all about the crab’s plan. He was very excited. 

“Are you sure this will work?" asked the wife. 

“I hope we are not making a mistake. Think twice before going ahead with the plan." 

But the crane was eager to try out the plan. The crane flew down to the river bank and began to fish. He caught several little fishes and went down to the hole in which a mongoose lived. He dropped a fish at the mouth of the hole. Then he took another fish and dropped it a little further away from the first one. Repeating this, he made a trail of fishes leading to the tree where his nest was. 

The mongoose smelt the fish and came out of the hole. “Ah, a fish!" exclaimed the mongoose joyfully and quickly ate it up. He then followed the trail of fishes. As he neared the tree where the cranes and the snake lived, the trail ended. Finding no more fishes, he looked around. 

Suddenly he came across the black cobra at the foot of the tree. Seeing the mongoose, the cobra fought for his life. Both fought for a long time and in the end the mongoose killed the snake. The cranes who were watching the fight from their nest sighed with relief. 

The next day the mongoose began to follow the same trail hoping to find more food. When he came to the tree where the trail ended, he decided to climb the tree in search of food. 

The cranes who were away at the river bank returned to find the mongoose climbing down the tree. On looking in their nest, they discovered that this time, the mongoose had eaten up all their eggs. 

“Alas! We got rid of one enemy only to find another," said the crane to his wife. 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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The Tree That Spoke

In a small village, there lived two friends Papabuddhi and Dharmabuddhi. Their friendship was extraordinary. Their characters were opposite yet they were close friends. Papabuddhi was very dishonest at heart while Dharmabuddhi was a very honest man. 

One day, Papabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi, “Why don’t we start a business together?" Dharmabuddhi agreed and so the two set off together to a nearby city to set up and conduct their business. 

After a few months of running a profitable business, the two friends decided that they had made enough money. They wound up the business and started back together to their own village. On the way back, they had to pass through a forest. That night when they stopped to take rest, Papabuddhi decided to keep all the money for himself. He spent the whole night planning and at daybreak had an evil plan ready in his mind. 

When they were about to resume their journey, Papabuddhi turned to Dharmabuddhi and said. “You know, I have been thinking. We have made a lot of money. Maybe it is not wise to take all the money back to the village. Let us bury all the money here. We can come back together whenever we need money and take out as much as we need." 

“That is an excellent idea," agreed Dharmabuddhi. They buried the money at the foot of a huge banyan tree and went on to their homes in the village. That night, Papabuddhi sneaked into the forest and dug out all the money from under the banyan tree and closed up the hole again. 

The next morning, he went to Dharmabuddhi's house and said, “I need some money urgently. Let us go and bring some of our money back." 

They both went to the banyan tree and began to dig. Not finding any money, Papabudhi accused Dharmabuddhi of stealing the money. They both went to the village judge to seek justice. The judge asked them both for proof of their innocence. Papabuddhi declared that the tree god was his witness. The judge decided to go to the tree god the next day. 

That night, Papabuddhi sought the help of his father. The next day, they all went to the banyan tree. The judge turned to the banyan tree and spoke to the tree, “O god of this tree, who is the culprit?" 

To the surprise of everyone, a voice from inside the tree said, “Dharmabuddhi is the culprit. He has all the money." 

While the judge and the elders of the village were busy discussing the case, Dharmabuddhi collected some dry leafs and twigs and placed them near a hollow in the huge trunk of the banyan tree and set fire to them. As the smoke entered the hollow in the tree, out ran a figure, coughing. It was Papabuddhi's father. 

Papabuddhi was severely punished for his wickedness. 

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Translation/Tradução: Heinz Claudius (when applicable)

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