One day the birds decided to clean the lake. It became very shallow, covered with mud and became very dirty.
All the birds have gathered, but there is no cuckoo. They sent her a messenger.
“I’ll get my clean feet dirty in your dirty lake,” answered the cuckoo. “I have a lot of clean puddles on the rocks, go away.”
- Do as you please. “Just don’t even think about coming close to our lake,” the messenger warned her.
And so the birds cleared the water of dirt and mud, sprinkled the bottom with large pebbles, and the lake became deep and clean.
Meanwhile, the heat began, the puddles on the rocks dried up, and dark days came for the cuckoo. There was no water nearby, and the chicks squeaked pitifully and demanded to drink. And the cuckoo itself suffered greatly from thirst.
One night she took a jug, made her way to the lake and drew water. But then the birds flew in and began to beat the cuckoo, saying: “Don’t get your clean feet dirty in our dirt!”
- Let me go for the sake of the little chicks! - the cuckoo begged. - Let my feet always be covered with mud, but next time I will fly first to clean the lake.
The birds took pity on her, and since then the cuckoo is the first to come to clean the ponds.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru