The Bremen Town Musicians

Once there was a gray donkey who had worked hard his whole life, carrying heavy sacks to the mill. As he grew old, his legs were stiff and his ears drooped. His master started to grumble and planned to send him away. The donkey heard and thought, “I must look after myself. I will go to the city of Bremen and become a town musician!”

He set off down the road with clip-clop steps. Soon he found a hunting dog lying by the path, panting sadly.

“Why are you so down, friend?” asked the donkey.

“I am old and cannot run fast anymore,” said the dog. “My master does not want me.”

“Come with me to Bremen,” said the donkey kindly. “We will be musicians together. I can bray, and you can bark.”

“That sounds fine!” said the dog, wagging his tail. And off they went.

After a while, they saw a cat sitting by a gate, looking gloomy.

“What troubles you, whiskered one?” asked the donkey.

“I am old,” sighed the cat. “My teeth are dull, and I do not care to chase mice. My mistress scolded me and pushed me away.”

“Come with us to Bremen,” said the donkey. “You can play the fiddle with your purr, and we will sing.”

“Me-ow, that is better than being sad,” said the cat. She joined them.

Soon they heard a loud crow from a fence. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” A rooster was calling with all his strength.

“Why are you shouting so early?” asked the donkey.

“The cook wants to put me in the soup,” whispered the rooster. “She says I’m no use now.”

“Come with us to Bremen,” said the donkey. “We will make music so grand that everyone will listen.”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo, I’m coming too!” cried the rooster, flapping his wings.

The four friends walked and walked. They planned their music: the donkey would bray, the dog would bark, the cat would meow, and the rooster would crow. By evening, they reached a dark forest. Far away, a warm light twinkled.

“Look!” said the rooster from the donkey’s back. “A house!”

They crept closer. Through the window they saw a table full of good food, and around it sat a band of robbers.

“We could use supper,” whispered the donkey. “Let us give them a little concert.”

They made a tall tower by the window. The donkey stood first. The dog climbed onto his back. The cat perched on the dog. The rooster fluttered up and settled on the cat’s head. When all were ready, the donkey gave the signal.

“Hee-haw!” brayed the donkey.

“Woof-woof!” barked the dog.

“Me-ow!” sang the cat.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” crowed the rooster.

Their music burst through the night. The window rattled, the robbers jumped to their feet, and—thump, thump—ran out into the dark woods in fright. The four musicians tumbled into the room, laughing. They ate and drank until they were full. Then they chose places to sleep. The donkey lay on the straw outside the door. The dog curled behind the door. The cat found a soft chair by the fire. The rooster flew up to a beam and tucked his head under his wing.

At midnight, one robber crept back to see who had taken their house. The room was dark. He saw two glowing dots on the hearth.

“Ah! Coals,” he whispered, and reached out to light his candle. But the glowing dots were the cat’s eyes. Scratch! The cat leaped up and clawed his face. The robber stumbled backward. The dog sprang from behind the door and bit his leg. The robber crashed toward the yard, and the donkey gave him a smart kick. “Hee-haw!”

Terrified, the robber ran past the house. From high above, the rooster shouted, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” as if to call the whole village.

The robber pelted back to his friends. “The house is full of dreadful creatures!” he gasped. “A witch scratched me, a man with a knife grabbed my leg, a big black monster hit me with a club, and on the roof the judge cried, ‘Bring the rogue here!’ I will never go back!”

The robbers never returned. The four friends liked the cozy house very much. The donkey’s legs rested. The dog watched the door with a happy growl. The cat purred by the warm fire. The rooster greeted every sunrise from his beam.

As for Bremen—well, they had meant to go there. But they played their best music right where they were, and lived together, safe and glad, all their days.