John, a young boy, had a wonderful garden full of beautiful and colourful flowers, plants and trees. There were many colourful butterflies that fluttered from flower to flower. John loved his garden very much. He loved all the plants and trees but his favourite was a rose tree. It was the most beautiful tree in the garden.
One morning, John saw that a nightingale perched on one of the branches of the rose tree. He was very angry and drove the bird away. Next morning, John saw many torn petals of roses beneath the tree. John was furious. “I know that the nightingale did this. Now, I will catch that bird,” he said angrily and went away. He thought of a plan and laid a trap to catch the bird. The next morning, the nightingale came into the garden and was caught in the trap.
John put the nightingale into a cage and hung the cage in the balcony. The nightingale was very sad and tried to escape from the cage but could not. Finally, when she saw John coming towards her, she asked him, “Why have you put me inside the cage? What have I done?”
Then, John replied, “You destroyed my beautiful roses. So, it is your punishment to remain in this cage away from your friends.” Then, the nightingale answered, “If you punish me for this small sin, so think how greatly you will be punished if I die in this cage. Please be kind, sir, and free me.” John’s heart was touched and he opened the door of the cage. “As a token of my gratitude, I want to tell you that beneath the very spot where you are standing, lies hidden a pot of gold,” said the bird and it flew away.
