Once upon a time, in a sunny meadow filled with colorful flowers, there lived a curious donkey named Gailen. Gailen loved to explore and discover new things. One warm afternoon, while he was grazing on some delicious grass, he heard the most enchanting music. He followed the sound until he found a group of tiny grasshoppers happily chirping away.

Gailen listened in awe and thought to himself, “I wish I could make such beautiful music.”

Eager to learn their secret, Gailen approached the grasshoppers and asked, “Hello, little friends! Your music is so wonderful. How do you make such lovely sounds? What do you eat to have such beautiful voices?”

The grasshoppers, pleased by Gailen’s compliment, replied, “Why, we live on the morning dew! It keeps our voices light and clear.”

Gailen was determined to have a voice as enchanting as the grasshoppers. He decided right then and there that he would eat nothing but dew. The next morning, instead of munching on his usual grass, Gailen tried to sip the dew from the leaves and flowers.

Days went by, and Gailen grew weaker and weaker. He was always hungry, and his strength began to fade. But he kept hoping that he would soon be able to sing like the grasshoppers. Finally, Gailen became so weak that he could barely stand.

Seeing Gailen in such a sad state, a wise old cricket named Theresa hopped over and asked, “Gailen, why are you not eating your usual food? You look so weak and tired.”

Gailen, with a faint voice, explained, “I wanted to sing like you grasshoppers do, so I have been living on dew, just like you do.”

Theresa shook her head and said gently, “Oh, Gailen. Grasshoppers are very different from donkeys. What works for them may not work for you. You need to eat your grass to stay strong and healthy.”

Realizing his mistake, Gailen ate some grass. He started to feel much better and it wasn’t long before he was feeling like his old self again.

And so, it’s important for all of us to remember: it’s wonderful to admire others and their talents, but it’s also important to take care of yourself and appreciate your own unique qualities. What works for someone else might not work for you, and that’s perfectly okay.

The End

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This fable has been adapted from the Aesopica. This version of the story was written by Madeline Jarboe. The author has adapted this story in order to modernize it and make it suitable for younger readers, but has attempted to keep the story as accurate to the original as possible with great respect towards the peoples and cultures who have graciously shared it with the world.

Aesop was a storyteller who lived in ancient Greece. He is famous for writing many fables.