The Dog and His Reflection

A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow footbridge over a stream, he happened to look down and saw his own reflection in the water beneath.

Thinking it was another dog with a piece of meat twice as large as his own, he let go of his bone and sprang upon the other dog to take his piece. But when he opened his jaws to grab the bigger bone, his own bone fell into the water and was swept away by the current.

The dog stood on the bank, dripping and empty-handed, watching his prize disappear downstream. He had lost what he had by grasping at what was never there.