Once there lived a heron near a big lake which was full of fishes and other water creatures. He lived his life by eating fishes from the lake. Days passed away and the heron grown old. He was unable to caught fishes from the lake anymore. Day by day he became very lean and weak due to lack of food.

 After few days he made a plan he sat on the edge of the lake and began to crying. After some time a crab saw him and asked him the reason of his crying. He asked, "Uncle, Why are you crying?  What is the matter?   What happened to you?’’ The heron continue his pretending and replied, "Son, I have decided that I would not catch any fish anymore. I have decided to give up all the things of the world and want to serve my rest life for God. So I undergo a fast until my death". 

The crab asked him if you decided it then why are you crying now. The heron explained, "My child, I lived in this lake from my birth. And now I have grown old. I hear that this lake now will dry up because there will be no rains for the next twelve years". The crab was shocked to hear this and asked the heron, "Uncle, please tell me if it is true from where you have heard such thing." The heron continued to pretend and said, "I have heard this news from a wise astrologer. You see, there is already not much water in the lake. And very soon, the lake will dry up completely due to lack of rains."

The crab got shocked and wants to inform all the water creatures about this news. He went to their friends and narrated the entire story. On hearing this everybody got worried. They went to the heron and asked please help us to save us from this calamity.” The heron thought that my plan got work and pretending, “Surely I help you. There is a lake nearby and it is full of water. There is lot of water that I would not dry until many years. I can take you all there if you want to sit on my back. The heron had already gained their confidence. They all gathered around him and requested to carry them one by one to the other lake and save their lives.

The heron got succeeded in his plan. Every day, he would carry one of them on his back and flying a little away from the lake so nobody saw him. Then he killed them and eat them up. He would then return after sometime to the lake and tell them how they are happy in the other lake. Day by day the heron killed many of the creatures in this way.

The crab said to heron, "Uncle, you take all others to the lake but it is me who is your first friend. Please take me to the other lake to save my life." The heron got very happy to hear this all. He thought he eat fish daily it has became very monotonous. It is good to eat a crab today. Then the crab is carrying the crab to the same rock where he killed all others. The crab looked down the rock and saw the heap of bones and skeletons there. He understood what the heron done with all his friends. But he remains calm so the heron cannot understand. He said to the heron, "Uncle, the lake seems too far away and I am quite heavy. You got tired, so let us stop, you should need some rest". 

The heron was so confident that he would not understand why the crab said all this. He thought the crab cannot escape from him. So he confessed all his bad deeds and said to the crab, "There is no lake here in real for real. I did all for my own meal. As I do every day, I will smash you against a rock and killed you to make you my meal for today. "

After listening this crab got hold the heron’s neck with its strong claws and got him to dead. The crab start laughing at himself that he saved himself and other water creatures from the heron. He took the heron to the lake. The other water creatures in the lake were surprised to see him back. They became curious, and asked all sort of questions. The crabbed narrated the entire story and said the heron was a fraud and whatever he told about the lake was all false. He was taking one of us every day far away to kill them and made them his meal." 

He said, "I understood what he was done with all our friends up to, and have killed the heron. There is no need to worry now; we are safe in this lake. It is not going to dry up at all."

The wise indeed say:

When things go wrong, use your brain to overcome the situation.