STORY ~ TELLING

Once upon a time, in a distant land, there was a hen who dreamed of having her own chicks. Every day, she gathered her eggs, nestled them beneath her soft feathers, and kept them warm and safe from harm. She poured all her love and hope into those fragile shells, believing that life would reward her devotion in kind.

Then, one fateful afternoon, a fierce storm rolled in without warning. Lightning split the sky, winds uprooted trees, and torrential rain turned fields into rivers. When it finally passed, the hen hurried back to her nest—only to find her precious eggs shattered and her dream shattered alongside them. Heartbroken, she sat beside the broken shells and wept, unable to understand why fate had stolen everything she held dear.

A wise old tortoise happened by and gently asked, “Why do you cry?”
“I gave everything I had—my love, my care—yet destiny snatched it all away. Why? Didn’t I deserve a little happiness?”
The tortoise sighed. “Do you think life is unfair? Perhaps it is simply how things are meant to be. The sun rises and sets, trees grow and fall, and storms wash away what’s most fragile. We cannot command the winds or keep leaves on the branches once autumn comes.”

The hen lowered her head. “But how can I go on when my dream is gone?”
With calm eyes, the tortoise replied, “You keep living. If the storm has taken away your hope, find the strength to build something new. When old dreams break, let new ones be born. Life doesn’t end with loss—it moves forward in the courage to begin again.”

The hen wiped her tears. Though her heart still ached, a spark of determination ignited within her. She accepted that the past could not be undone, but she could choose what came next. From that day on, she no longer feared the storms. Instead, she looked skyward, knowing that the sun always finds its way back after every storm.

Moral: Life will throw storms we can’t control. We can grieve, fight, and ask “why,” but the past won’t change. What truly matters is embracing what has been, learning from it, and moving forward with courage and hope.