The Bremen Musicians

An old donkey could no longer carry heavy sacks. He decided to walk towards Bremen and become a musician. His legs were tired, but his cheerful voice was still wonderfully loud.

Beside the road lay a brown dog who could not run as quickly as before. The donkey invited him along. A bark and a bray might make an interesting song together.

Next they met a tabby cat resting under a hedge. She wanted a warm place and kinder company. The two travellers offered both friendship and a place in their unusual band.

A red rooster joined them at a farm gate. His sunrise songs deserved an audience, he said. Now four friends walked together, trying their voices whenever the winding road felt long.

Night arrived before Bremen did. The friends rested beneath a tall tree. From a high branch, the rooster spotted a yellow window glowing through the forest and called the others closer.

At the cottage, the donkey looked through the window. Robbers sat around a table piled with stolen food. The hungry travellers whispered together and decided to give one very surprising concert.

They stood close to the open window and sang at once: bray, bark, meow and crow! The startled robbers imagined an enormous forest creature and hurried away, leaving the cottage empty.

The friends found supper and comfortable resting places. The donkey chose clean straw, the dog a soft bed, the cat the warm hearth, and the rooster a strong beam above the door.

One robber crept back, but the cat hissed, the dog barked, and the rooster called from above. He rushed away again. The friends had kept their new shelter without chasing anyone.

They never reached Bremen. Instead, they stayed in the forest cottage and made music whenever they pleased. Nobody's voice was perfect, but together they had found something better: a home.