The Deceitful Crane and the Wise Crab

Once upon a time, an old crane lived on the banks of a large pond. Due to his age, he could no longer catch fish with his former agility. He often went hungry for days. Finally, he devised a cunning plan to satisfy his hunger. He stood by the pond with a very sad expression. Seeing him, the fish, frogs, and a large crab approached him. They asked, 'Uncle Crane, why aren't you hunting today? And why do you look so sad?' The crane shed fake tears and said, 'My friends, I have heard from an astrologer that there will be no rain in this region for the next twelve years. This pond will soon dry up. I am worried about all of you.' Hearing this, all the water creatures were terrified. They asked the crane, 'What should we do now?' The crane replied, 'I know of a large and deep lake nearby that has plenty of water. If you trust me, I can take you there one by one.' The fish agreed. Every day, the crane would pick up a fish in his beak and fly away. But instead of taking them to another lake, he would take them to a large rock and eat them. After a few days, the crab asked, 'Uncle, please take me today.' The crane thought he was bored of eating fish every day and decided to try the crab. He flew off with the crab. While flying, the crab saw a pile of fish bones on the ground below. He immediately realized that the crane was deceiving and killing them. The crab tightened his sharp claws around the crane's neck and killed him. The crab returned to the pond and told everyone about the crane's deceit. Everyone thanked the wise crab for saving their lives.