Long, long ago, there lived a foolish man in a village. He was such an idiot that even a school child could fool him easily. The fool had one horse and one goat, as his pets.

One day, the fool decided to sell his horse and the goat in the market. He tied a bell round the neck of the goat with the help of a thin string and tied the other end of the string to the horse’s tail. He then, mounted his horse and set out for the market place.

Some crooks who knew the fool very well, made a plan to get the horse and goat for their own use. So, one of the crooks, on the way, untied the bell from the goat’s neck and, instead, tied it with the horse’s tail. The fool didn’t ever realise what went on behind his back. The bell tied to the tail of the horse went on ringing and the fool believed that all was well.

On the way, another crook asked the fool to stop and look behind. When the fool looked behind the crook said, “Sir, how is it that you have hung a bell by your horse’s tail? What purpose does it serve?”

The fool was already shocked to find the goat missing. He became very sad and proceeded to the market place.

In the meantime, the third crook came near the fool and said, “Sir, I’ve seen a man running away with your goat. If you like, I’ll chase the thief on your horse and get back your goat?”

The fool became very happy to hear this. He immediately got down from his horse and handed it over to the third crook. The crook now mounted the horse and drove away.

The fool waited and waited for his goat and the horse to come back, but it never happened.

The crooks, thus, stole the fool’s horse and the goat leaving the fool in the middle of the road crying for help.

❖ A fool and his wealth don’t stay together for a long time.