Once upon a time, there lived a hardworking merchant who made his living by selling goods in a distant town. Every day, he would load his donkey with bags of items and travel to the market. His donkey was loyal but had grown tired from the endless days of carrying heavy loads. Despite the donkey’s exhaustion, the merchant continued to demand more work from him, wanting to maximize his profits.

One morning, the merchant loaded the donkey with heavy sacks of salt, ready for the day’s journey. The path to the market passed through a shallow river, which the donkey had crossed many times before. However, this day was different. As the donkey carefully stepped into the water, his legs, weary from the weight and strain, buckled under him. With a loud splash, the donkey fell into the river, soaking both himself and the sacks of salt.

The merchant was furious. “You clumsy creature! Look what you’ve done!” he shouted, shaking his head in frustration. But no matter how much the merchant yelled, the damage had already been done. The sacks of salt were thoroughly drenched, and the merchant could do nothing to save them. Defeated, he watched as the donkey slowly stood up from the water.

To the donkey’s surprise, something strange had happened. As he got back onto his feet, he noticed that his load felt much lighter than before. Puzzled, the donkey took a few steps forward and realized that the heavy burden he had been carrying was now easy to bear. Unbeknownst to him, the salt in the sacks had dissolved in the water, making the load almost weightless. The donkey, feeling a great sense of relief, happily continued the journey with his much lighter load.

When they finally arrived home, the donkey was overjoyed. He had accidentally discovered a way to lighten his burdens. "That wasn't so bad!" thought the donkey. "I could make my work easier if I just fall into the river again!"

The next morning, the merchant once again loaded his donkey with bags of salt for another trip to the market. The donkey, eager to repeat his trick, walked towards the river with a plan in mind. As soon as they entered the shallow water, the donkey deliberately stumbled and fell into the river, soaking himself and the salt-filled sacks again. Just like the day before, the salt dissolved, and the load became much lighter. The donkey stood up with a smile, pleased with his cleverness. The merchant, however, began to grow suspicious. He wondered if his donkey’s clumsiness was truly accidental.

Over the next few days, the same pattern repeated. The donkey, thrilled with his newfound strategy, fell into the river every time they crossed it, making his journey more comfortable. The merchant, who had initially thought it was just bad luck, soon realized that his donkey was playing a trick on him. “Ah, I see what you’re doing,” the merchant said to himself, shaking his head. “But two can play this game.”

Determined to outsmart the donkey, the merchant decided to teach him a lesson. A few days later, he prepared for another journey but this time, instead of loading the donkey with sacks of salt, he filled the bags with dry sponges. The donkey, oblivious to the change, felt the usual weight on his back and assumed it was the same as before. 

As they approached the river, the donkey once again hatched his plan. “This will be easy,” he thought, smiling to himself. As they entered the water, the donkey purposely let his legs buckle and fell into the river, expecting his load to lighten as it had before. But when he stood up, something was different. Instead of feeling lighter, the load on his back felt much heavier than before!

The donkey was confused and shocked. He tried to shake off the weight, but it only seemed to grow. Little did the donkey know, the sponges in the sacks had absorbed the water and swelled, making the load much heavier than the dry salt ever had been.

The donkey struggled to finish the journey, feeling the weight drag him down with every step. By the time they reached their destination, the donkey was exhausted, and his legs were trembling under the heavy burden. It was a far cry from the light, carefree load he had once carried.

At that moment, the donkey realized his mistake. His trick of falling into the river had worked for a while, but it had ultimately backfired. He had tried to escape his work through dishonesty, but it only led to greater hardship in the end.

The merchant looked at his donkey with a knowing smile. “You see now?” he said. “A single trick may work once or twice, but it won’t save you forever. Hard work and honesty are the only ways to get through life.”

From that day on, the donkey no longer tried to avoid his work. He accepted his duties without complaint, understanding that clever tricks could not always lighten the load.

**Moral:** A single trick does not help every time; honesty and hard work are the true paths to success.