The Clever Buffalo Story
Far, far away in a forest, there lived a herd of wild buffalo. They roamed freely, eating grass and playing together, always moving as a group, and living a happy life.
One day, while they were walking on a grassy patch in the forest, a mailman dressed in green suddenly appeared and delivered a letter. The buffalo who received the letter looked at the envelope and happily exclaimed, “Our relatives living in the city have sent us a letter!”
Hearing this, the other buffaloes immediately gathered around and excitedly said, “Hurry, open it and read it!”
The buffalo who had the letter opened it and began to read aloud in a deep voice:
“Although we’ve never met, we know through our ancestors that our relatives, you, live far away. We often think of you and wish that one day we could all be together. Just think, we enjoy spending time with animals like long-bearded goats and pot-bellied pigs, even though they’re not our kind. How much more should we enjoy being with you, our true kin!
Life is great here. We live comfortably in houses with tiled roofs, and the food is delicious, fresh grass. We hope you’ll come join us and enjoy these good things together. You live in the forest, and it must be hard when it rains. You probably only have some thin, small grass to eat, which can’t fill you up! Come, join us and enjoy these blessings with us.
Now everything is convenient, so don’t worry about the distance. You can take the train, and it only takes three days to get here. You’ve never ridden a train, have you? It’s quite comfortable—the carriage has wooden boards, and there’s a gap between them for fresh air, and you can even see the scenery outside. You should experience it. You must take the train!
We’re preparing to welcome you here.
Your relatives living in the city.”
Hearing the letter, all the buffaloes were thrilled. They hadn’t expected their distant relatives to be so welcoming, inviting them to share in all the good things. But a problem arose: Should they all go immediately, or wait a few days and discuss it further?
One buffalo said, “We could go, but we’ve never ridden a train. I’m not sure if it’s easy to travel that way. Didn’t the letter say it’s convenient but still takes three days?”
Another buffalo added, “They mentioned houses with tiled roofs, but I wonder if we could get used to living in them. I imagine it would feel stifling inside, not being able to see the sky or our surroundings.”
A third buffalo said, “They said the grass is tender and fresh, but I’m afraid it won’t fill us up. We need tough, hearty grass that we can chew on.” As he finished speaking, he bent down, took a bite of grass, and chewed it with great satisfaction.
The fourth buffalo said, “We shouldn’t disappoint their kindness. We need to come up with a proper plan.”
Then, a clever buffalo raised his head, wagged his tail, and said, “They welcome us, and we also want to go. Our worry is that the journey might not be easy and that we might not adapt well once we’re there. My suggestion is that we send someone ahead to check the situation and thank them for their hospitality. If everything is truly good, then the rest of us can follow.”
“That’s a great idea!” all the buffaloes shouted in unison, wagging their tails in approval.
One buffalo said, “Let’s send you; you’re the smartest.”
“Agreed! Agreed!” everyone shouted, wagging their tails again.
So, the clever buffalo set off, representing the whole herd, to visit their relatives in the city and observe their way of life.
Upon arriving in the city, the clever buffalo stepped off the train. He found the train ride rather interesting, watching trees whiz by and the plains spin in front of him—things he’d never seen before. But the carriage was too cramped; there were passengers on both sides, leaving no room to move. If living in the city meant riding this often, it would be very uncomfortable.
Thinking this, he began looking around. Soon, a large group of buffaloes spotted him and rushed over, shouting, “Welcome! Welcome!” They greeted him by rubbing their faces together, then led him to their home.
Once there, they showed him their houses and offered him grass from a trough, saying, “All of this is prepared by humans, so we don’t have to worry. If we don’t want to go out, we can stay here all year without a care.”
The clever buffalo was puzzled and asked, “Why do humans prepare houses and grass for you?”
“Well, they have a bond with us, so they take care of these things.”
“It’s not that simple,” the clever buffalo thought. “I need to look more carefully to understand.”
“Go ahead and see for yourself,” the city buffaloes laughed. “Stay here for a few days, and you’ll see how comfortable our life is and how well humans treat us.”
The clever buffalo stayed for a few days and found the houses suffocating, completely lacking the fresh breeze of the forest. The grass, though tender, didn’t have the chewiness or flavor of wild grass. But these were minor concerns. What he really wanted to understand was the relationship between the buffaloes and humans.
One day, while out playing with the city buffaloes, the clever buffalo observed something. When they returned home, he kindly warned them, “You’ve misunderstood. From what I see, there’s no real bond between humans and you. Otherwise, why would they hit you with whips?”
“You have a point,” one of them replied. “But that’s because we sometimes take the wrong path. When they can’t guide us with words, they use the whip to point us in the right direction. It’s not really hitting us.”
The clever buffalo warned them, “You’ve been fooled. Worse things are waiting for you. That human is actually a butcher! When I got close to him earlier, I smelled the scent of blood—our relatives’ blood! Why do you think he provides houses and food for you? Can’t you figure it out?”
The city buffaloes started to feel scared. They looked at each other, half-believing and half-doubting, “Could that really be true?”
“Could it be true?!” the clever buffalo said. “Just wait until he ties you up and pulls out a knife—then you’ll regret it.”
“What should we do?” a few buffaloes asked, lowering their heads in despair.
The clever buffalo said, “Listen to me. You need to leave here immediately.”
“Leave? Where would we live? What would we eat?”
The clever buffalo replied, “The world is vast. As long as you start running, there’s nowhere you can’t go! Do you really need houses? Life in the forest is far more enjoyable. Do you really need to eat from a trough? Roam freely, and the grass you find will taste much better. Don’t think that you can only survive here. The world is full of places for us to live. We wild buffalo have understood this all along, which is why we’ve never faced danger. But you are living in constant danger. Open your eyes before it’s too late!”
A mother buffalo asked, “But if we leave, what if humans chase after us? If we don’t return, they have whips.”
The clever buffalo laughed and said, “Have you tried it? How do you know it won’t work? If you all run in different directions, how will they chase you? Once they give up, you can gather again.”
“We have no choice but to try, for the sake of our lives. But living a wandering life sounds scary.”
The next day, the city buffaloes were walking in an open field, with the clever buffalo among them.
From a nearby house came the sharp sound of a knife being sharpened.
The clever buffalo warned, “Do you hear that? The time has come. You can’t wait any longer!”
The city buffaloes shivered in fear, looking at each other, unable to speak.
The clever buffalo shouted courageously, “If you want to live, you need to have courage! Have you forgotten? Lift your legs and run! Run in all directions!”
His voice seemed to fill them with courage, and they immediately bolted, running in all directions. In no time, the familiar houses and fields were far behind them.
The butcher, completely caught off guard, put down his knife and rushed out to chase them. But which one should he go after? As he stood there in confusion, the field was empty—there wasn’t a single buffalo left.
After running for a while, many buffaloes gathered together from different directions. They said, “Leaving our old place wasn’t so hard after all.”
The clever buffalo said, “Come with me, and experience the freedom of life in the wild.”
So, they followed him back to the forest where the wild buffalo lived and lived peacefully ever after.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
