The Bremen town musicians

On a lonely farm lived an old, tired donkey. He had worked hard for many years, but his owner decided he was no longer useful and planned to send him to the slaughterhouse. When the donkey overheard, he felt sad, but he was not ready to give up on life.

“This cannot be the end of my story,” he thought. “After all that work, there must still be something I can do.”

So he escaped from the farm and set off for Bremen, hoping to become a musician.

On a dusty road he met an abandoned hunting dog, walking with his head hanging low.

“My owner says I am too old to hunt,” the dog told him sadly.

The donkey listened and had an idea.

“Why don’t you come to Bremen with me? We could start a band. Perhaps music will help us begin again.”

Encouraged by his new friend’s enthusiasm, the dog agreed.

Further along the road they met a cat who had also fled from home. His owner thought that because he was old, he was no use any more. The donkey and the dog invited him along.

“With us you’ll have friends and an adventure ahead,” they said.

Seeing a new opportunity, the cat gratefully joined them.

Finally, they met a very worried rooster. The people on his farm were planning to turn him into soup.

“I have woken everyone up for years, and now they want to eat me!” he protested.

“Then come with us,” said the donkey. “A voice like yours will be very useful in our band.”

Music to frighten the robbers

The four friends continued towards Bremen, but it was a long way and night fell before they arrived. Looking for somewhere to rest, they noticed a distant light and approached carefully. The donkey peered through a house window and saw robbers enjoying a splendid supper.

The animals put their heads together. They needed somewhere safe, and they thought of a clever plan: they would join their voices to make a noise so loud that the robbers would run away.

The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed and the rooster crowed. From inside, the terrible racket sounded like an enormous, unknown creature.

“What is that?” cried one robber.

“The house is haunted!” shouted another.

The robbers fled. The four friends went inside, shared the supper and found comfortable places to sleep. For the first time in a long while, they felt safe and among friends.

Later, one robber crept back. But the cat sprang at him and scratched, the dog bit him, the donkey kicked out and the rooster gave a thunderous crow. The robber ran away, certain he had met witches, monsters and ghosts.

When he told the others, they decided never to return. The donkey, dog, cat and rooster stayed in the house and made a new family together.

They never reached Bremen, but they found something they wanted even more: a home, friends who valued them and a life with room for music.

Their story reminds us that everyone has something to offer. Friendship and working together can open new paths even when the future seems difficult.