The jackal was very poor, but he had a soft heart. One rainy dusk — pit-pat, pit-pat — a cold, dripping goose turned up at his door. “Come in out of the rain and dry yourself,” said the jackal.
The next dawn, something glinted in the straw nest — a golden egg! “Oh my — real gold!” The goose smiled. “A little gift for your kindness, friend.” And after that, there was one golden egg every single morning.
The jackal bought a few little things and fixed up his house. But then the big mansion next door set his heart itching. "Just one egg a day? Far too slow!" And his eyes began to glint with greed.
So the jackal hatched himself a plan. “That goose must be simply stuffed full of gold! If I take it all at once, I'll be the richest jackal in the whole village!” His chest thumped, and his paws fairly itched with greed.
So that very night, the jackal rushed at the nest. “All the gold — and right now!” Terrified, the goose beat her great wings, honking honk, honk — “What in the world are you doing?!”
The goose spread her wings and flew off across the river. "Come back! Please, come back!" cried the jackal, running to the water's edge. But the goose never once looked back. And in the empty nest lay nothing but straw.
From that day on, the jackal was never greedy again. Even now, one look at that empty nest makes his chest ache — for it was his own greed that cost him both the golden eggs and his dear friend.