One day a little street pup found a big juicy bone! His tail wagged with joy — wag, wag! Bone in his mouth, he trotted off to a quiet spot to gnaw it all by himself. “Ahh, what a treat today's going to be!”
On the way home lay a narrow bamboo bridge across the canal. Gripping the bone tight in his mouth, the pup stepped onto it, tip-tap, tip-tap. Below, the canal water rippled and gleamed. Just a little farther — then home!
Halfway across, he glanced down. Hey! There was another dog in the water! And it had a bone in its mouth too! The little pup had no idea — that was only his own reflection. Puzzled, he thought, “Now who's this?”
Looking closer, the pup's eyes lit up greedily. “Why, that bone's much bigger than mine! If only I had that one too…” His mouth watered with greed. Forgetting his own, he started scheming how to snatch the other.
Lunging to grab that other bone, the pup opened his mouth — “Woof!” — and at once his own bone dropped into the canal — sploosh! Down it sank! And just like that, the water-dog vanished too! Empty mouth, startled eyes — oh no!
Staring at the rippling water, the pup understood — oh my! There had never been another dog at all! It was only his own reflection. By being greedy, he'd lost his very own bone. Crestfallen, he sat quiet at the edge of the bridge.
At dusk the pup headed home, low in spirits. His little friend shared a piece of bread with him. It wasn't much — but oh, how good it tasted, the two of them together! That's why the elders say — be happy with what you have.