Once upon a time, in a big forest, there lived a graceful stag with beautiful antlers. He loved to run and play in the woods with his friends. But one day, hunters came into the forest, and the stag had to run very fast to escape.
The stag ran and ran until he found a quiet barn near a farm. The door was open, so he quickly slipped inside to hide. Inside the barn, there were big, gentle oxen resting in their stalls. The stag was out of breath but felt safe for a moment.
“Why are you hiding in here?” one of the oxen asked with concern.
“The hunters are chasing me!” the stag replied. “If I hide in here, they won’t find me!”
The oxen shook their heads. “This isn’t a good place to hide. The farmer comes in here every day to take care of us. If he sees you, he will tell the hunters.”
But the stag didn’t listen. “I’ll stay hidden behind the hay. I’m sure the farmer won’t see me,” he said.
The stag lay down quietly behind the oxen and waited. Hours passed, and the farmer came to the barn to feed the oxen. At first, the farmer didn’t notice anything unusual. The stag thought he was safe.
But then, as the farmer was giving the oxen their food, he saw something strange sticking out from behind the hay—long, shiny antlers!
“What’s this?” the farmer said. He stepped closer and found the stag hiding in the corner.
“Oh no!” cried the stag. He knew he had been discovered. The farmer called the hunters, and the stag was caught.
The gentle oxen sighed. “We warned you,” they said softly. “It’s always better to face your problems than to hide from them.
Moral of the story: Even if you try to hide from your troubles, they may still find you. It’s better to be wise and careful from the start!
