Realize the Importance of Everyone

Daisy was the name of a big brownish-red hen. She was a proud hen, often pecking at anyone without any reason. When she laid eggs, her arrogance rose too high. She would proudly strut, lifting her head high, saying, “Look, I’ve laid an egg!”

Only a few people were in her house— Mr. David Cobbler and his old wife. Mr. David used to be good at fixing shoes and earned a lot of money. But as time passed, he got older and stopped doing that work. Nowadays, most people go to the city to buy new shoes instead of getting their old ones repaired. Even Mr. David’s two sons went to work in the city’s big shoe markets. With such a large house, Mr. David and his wife felt lonely.

So, David decided to sell that big house and purchase a small piece of land near the village. David built a small house on it. With that money, he also bought a bullock cart and a horse. The horse was beautiful and lively, with a white crescent on its forehead. That’s why David affectionately called it Moon.

After shifting to a small house with a horse-drawn cart, David’s life was beginning to change. When Moon entered the house for the first time, Daisy didn’t like it at all.

Initially, David and his wife revolved around Daisy as she was the only pet at home. Now, due to the entry of the Moon horse, the big man’s mind was also occupied with new responsibilities. Sometimes, he stood by the chaff-cutting machine, cutting fodder for him. Sometimes, he soaked gram for him.

In the morning and evening, he brought water from the well, cleaned Moon’s body, and removed dirt from his hooves.

Daisy felt unhappy. She gave them a big egg daily, but they were always busy with the Moon.

One day, the big man returned with a small box from the city. Inside it was Rusty, a little puppy. Rusty was supposed to guard Moon and the house, but the big man and the big lady loved Rusty’s eyes. He also became the apple of the eyes of the home.

Whenever the old lady boiled milk, she cooled it down and poured it into a bowl; sometimes, boiled meat was placed for him. David and Rusty were hanging out together, and Daisy, feeling envious, observed them jumping inside and outside. Finally, she could not contain her jealousy, so she was frustrated one day.

With pride, Daisy sat in the corner, no longer laying eggs. If anyone attempted to touch her, she would flutter and extend her wings, making displeasure sounds. The lady announced happily. See, our Daisy is brooding.”

Daisy quietly chuckled to herself. She believed that, apart from herself, all the other animals had no benefit. But Daisy didn’t know that David knew how to get work done in every way.

One day, David brought a dozen eggs and placed them under Daisy, saying, “Now, Daisy, sit on these eggs. It’s very nice to sit and eat while laying eggs.”

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The day after, David visited a different area with some green plants. When he came back, he had a white duck with him. He called the duck Bella. Bella really liked water and happily swam in the mud the whole day. One day, David and his wife made a clean and strong pond near the well, filled it with water, and let Bella enjoy it.

Bella, the white duck, which Mr. David brings as a home pet.

Bella happily swam in the pond and laid an egg every day. When Daisy noticed that David and his wife were collecting eggs from Bella, she felt jealous and even more upset.

On the twenty-first day, when Daisy woke up, she saw cute, fluffy chicks chirping around her. Daisy was so happy that she couldn’t control herself and started making cheerful sounds. Mrs. David said, “Hey, Mr.! Look here! Our Daisy has hatched chicks. Not a single egg went to waste. Twelve adorable chicks have hatched!”

Picture of fluffy chick which old lady was showing to David.

Now, Daisy had no room for pride. She would proudly gather the fluffy chicks under her wings and go near Bella’s Pond, declaring with great humility, “Oh! Do you just lay one egg? Look at me! I have filled the house with velvety yellow chicks.”

Bella, the duck with white feathers and a short beak, made happy quacking sounds while Daisy bragged and proudly said, “Everyone in this house is extra, except me. Even little Rusty, the puppy, is only energetic, and look at how funny this horse walks.”

In the afternoon, Daisy was teaching her chicks to peck grains when a cat sneaked quietly and pounced on them. The puppy Rusty was lying near the basket, wagging his tail. Daisy screamed when she saw the cat. Cluck, cluck, clatter, she cried, “Save my chicks, save them!” In an instant, Rusty jumped up and growled at the cat.

The cat got scared and ran off. Rusty kept barking until the big lady came and didn’t keep the chicks safe under the basket.

Daisy trembled and went to the frightened cat, telling her, “Hey, sister! Rusty is amazing. Without him, it would’ve been hard for me to rescue my chicks today.”

The cat laughed with a meow and said, “Look! Not everyone is useless.” But Daisy didn’t quite get it and insisted, “But this Moon horse is still useless.”

One day, David found Moon was not looking fresh. His shiny coat looked less bright. The food he gave the night before was still there. Moon was sick, making the big man worried because Moon was crucial for his earnings and living. They went to the animal hospital in the nearby village. Daisy usually ate food from the city, but today, Moon did not go to the city, so there were no grains for Daisy.

Moon remained in the animal hospital for a week, and David couldn’t find any work. These were the last days of the month, and the house had no money. Daisy couldn’t get her grain, and her hungry chicks approached the larger lady, pecking for food.

The elderly woman said, ‘I can’t give you grain. Instead, let’s pray for the horse’s quick recovery. When the big man gets a job, there will be plenty of bread for everyone at home.’ That night, Daisy went into the coop for her chicks and prayed, ‘God, please make Moon better. He helps us a lot.’

“I’m sorry, God. I promise not to say Moon is unlucky or useless again.” The next day, Daisy and her chicks went out and saw the big man getting ready with Moon towards the city.

In the evening, the big man came back with lots of things, including Daisy’s grain. When Daisy saw the grain, she thought, ‘Maybe Bella was correct; there’s no bad luck in this world.’

David brought a lot of food that day.

Lesson: Everyone has worth. In this world, nobody is useless. Appreciate each person for who they are, and the world becomes a better place.

Thanks for reading.

Ameer

Disclaimer: The author first read this story in her native language as a child in a textbook released in 1989, but the author's identity was not sure as mostly books were published by the provincial government with publishing company only. However, to her knowledge, it was kind of folk story which is transmitted from era to other. Author now 44 but couldn't forget that narrative since it was so strong. She revised it before publishing it on Vocal, but she didn't exactly remember all the events and names.