The Widow and Her Little Maidens

Summary

This story is a fable about unintended consequences and problem-solving gone wrong. A widow, who wakes up with the crowing of the rooster, relies on two young maidens to assist her with household chores. The maidens, tired of being woken up so early, decide to kill the rooster, thinking this will grant them more sleep. However, the opposite occurs, as without the rooster's morning call, the widow begins waking them even earlier, in the middle of the night. This tale highlights how sometimes, attempts to fix a problem without fully understanding the situation can lead to worse outcomes, teaching a lesson about the importance of considering potential consequences before taking action.

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A Widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, aggravated by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the hour from the cock, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.