Once upon a time in God’s own land, lived a simple dhobi with a loyal donkey. The good man had a devil’s own handiwork for his wife. The poor man was constantly pecked by her though he toiled hard to keep her happy.
Once a cantankerous customer after a rough day dirtied his clothes and wanted them clean in double quick time. The harassed dhobi after much labour put the clothes on the donkey’s back and was setting off. His wife’s high-pitched angry call stopped him on his track. The man hastily patted the donkey and bid it to go on its own and deliver the clothes. The donkey trotted off. As it stood patiently at the door of the customer, that squanderer rudely yanked the clothes off from the back of the dutiful donkey that had brought them with care and gave it a good thrashing too for no fault of it. In fact all the faults were with that wayward wastrel himself. He knew it but thought that by thrashing the donkey he could hide it from others’ eyes.
The poor donkey scampered home sadly. The dhobi was in a bad mood because his wife had just given him earfuls of painful pecks. He forgot himself and spanked the donkey because its standing there with a gloomy face pained his conscience.
The donkey with rage caged within went resentfully to its favourite haunt near an old temple wall and kicked it.
A brick from the wall gave way and fell with a thud.
The old man with the short beard who seemed to be dozing, glanced up with a sly smile.
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