In a sunny field, there was a happy donkey, munching on some fresh, green grass. She was enjoying her peaceful day when suddenly, she heard a scary snarl.
“Oh my, what’s that noise?” the donkey wondered, her ears perking up.
When she looked around, she saw a wolf, with his eyes fixed on her. “I’m very hungry,” the wolf growled, “I’m going to eat that donkey.”
The donkey knew she couldn’t outrun the wolf. “It’s too late to run,” she thought. “I can see his mouth watering. I need to think of something fast!”
As the wolf came closer, ready to pounce, the donkey had an idea. “Ouch, my poor hoof!” she cried out.
The wolf, puzzled, stopped and asked, “Whatever is the matter?”
“There’s a thorn in my hoof. It hurts so much,” the donkey explained. “Can you help me get it out?”
The wolf was confused. “I’m going to eat you. Why would a thorn in your foot matter?”
The donkey replied, “Well, if you’re going to eat me, you should help me first. If you don’t remove the thorn, it might get stuck in your throat!”
The wolf, thinking about it, said, “How thoughtful of you, Donkey. I do like a considerate lunch. Let me have a look.”
The donkey told him, “It’s very small. You’ll need to come closer to see it.”
The wolf squinted and said, “I can’t see it.”
“It’s buried deep in my foot,” the donkey added.
The wolf still couldn’t find it. “I don’t see anything,” he said.
“Donkey, you’ll need to come even closer,” the donkey insisted.
The wolf moved closer and closer, and just as his nose was about to touch the donkey’s foot, the donkey asked, “Wolf, do you know why you can’t see the thorn?”
“No, why?” the wolf wondered.
“Because there isn’t one!” the donkey exclaimed.
With a swift move, the donkey kicked the wolf as hard as she could, sending him flying backwards.
“That hurt, Donkey,” the wolf groaned, rubbing his sore nose.
“Hee haw, hee haw! I do like a considerate wolf,” the donkey laughed.
Feeling a bit embarrassed and not so hungry anymore, the wolf said, “I guess I’m not that hungry after all.” He hung his head in shame and walked away, leaving the donkey to continue grazing in peace.
The moral of the story, as the storytellers remind us, is to always think before you act. The donkey’s quick thinking saved her, and the wolf learned a valuable lesson that day.
aesopsfablesforchildren.com 
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