THE OWL Long, long ago the Owl was a painter. He was a very good worker- not lazy, quick and nice to those for whom he worked. All the birds went to the Owl and asked him to paint their feathers. He painted them in different beautiful colours just as the birds wanted it. They were all greatly pleased with the Owl, all but the Raven. The Raven did not like the colours or the way the Owl painted the birds’ feathers.
All the birds changed the colour of their feathers from time to time, only the Raven did not change his colour. His feathers were snow-white and he liked their colour very much. He often showed his wings to all the birds and said,” My white feathers are wonderful, aren’t they?”
But time passed and soon the Raven began to like other colours and was not happy about his white feathers any more. One day he came to the Owl and said:
“Very well, you may paint my feathers too, but they must have a colour no one other bird has.”
The owl thought and thought what colour to paint the Raven’s feathers; he showed the raven one colour after another, but the Raven did not like them. In the end he painted them black and said, “Now you have a colour that no one other bird has.”
The raven looked at himself in the mirror and saw that his feathers were black as night. He did not like the colour. But it was too late to change the colour now.
And from that day on all ravens wear black clothes. But they do not make friends wiyh the owl. When they see him, they fly to him and want to give it him hot. And the Owl understands that if he meets the ravens face to face it can be the end of him. That is why the owl does not fly by day. He flies only at night when all the ravens sleep.