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Once upon a time, there was a farmer who had a faithful old donkey. The donkey had worked hard for many years, carrying heavy sacks to the mill and helping with farm chores. But as the years passed, the donkey grew old and weak. His strength was fading, and he could no longer carry heavy loads like before. The farmer, seeing that the donkey was no longer useful, began to think about getting rid of him. The donkey, realizing this, decided to run away before that could happen. He thought to himself that he could go to the town of Bremen and become a musician there.
The donkey started his journey toward Bremen early the next morning. He walked slowly but determinedly, imagining a new life where no one would force him to work in the fields again. As he walked along the road, he heard someone crying. Following the sound, he found a dog lying by the roadside, panting and looking very sad. “Why are you so upset, my friend?” asked the donkey. The dog sighed deeply and said, “I’m old and tired. My master wanted to kill me because I can no longer run fast enough to hunt. So, I ran away. But now, I don’t know what to do.” The donkey smiled and said, “Come with me to Bremen! We can become musicians together. I will play the lute, and you can beat the drum.” The dog’s tail wagged, and he agreed happily.
They continued their journey together until they came to a farmyard. There, they saw a cat sitting on a fence, looking as gloomy as could be. “What’s wrong with you, old whiskers?” asked the donkey. The cat replied, “I’m getting old and my teeth are dull. I can’t catch mice anymore, so my mistress tried to drown me. I ran away, but now I’m hungry and don’t know where to go.” “Come with us to Bremen,” said the donkey. “You have a good voice for night music. You can join our band.” The cat liked the idea and joined the donkey and the dog.
As the three animals traveled farther, they passed by a farmyard gate and saw a rooster perched on top, crowing as loudly as he could. “Why are you shouting so much?” asked the donkey. The rooster replied, “Tomorrow is Sunday, and the farmer’s wife is planning to cook me for dinner! I’m crowing today while I still can.” “Oh, dear friend,” said the donkey, “you’d better come with us. We’re going to Bremen to start a musicians’ band. You have a strong voice that will fit perfectly.” The rooster thought that was a fine idea and joined them right away.
The four new friends—donkey, dog, cat, and rooster—walked together through the forest, dreaming of their bright future. As night began to fall, they grew tired and hungry. They decided to stop for the night under a large tree. The rooster flew up to the top branch to keep watch and suddenly called down, “I see a light shining in the distance!” The donkey said, “Then let’s go and find it. Perhaps it’s a house where we can rest and eat something.” So they began walking toward the light.
After walking for a while, they came to a little house in the woods. The donkey peeked through the window and saw a table full of delicious food and drink. But around the table sat a band of robbers, eating and laughing loudly. The donkey said to the others, “That’s the kind of place we need, with food and warmth. We must find a way to get rid of those robbers.” The animals whispered together and came up with a plan. The donkey stood by the window, the dog climbed onto his back, the cat climbed on top of the dog, and the rooster perched on the cat’s head. Then, at the signal, they all began their music—the donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed as loud as he could.
The noise was terrible! The robbers jumped up in fear, thinking ghosts or monsters had come to attack them. They ran out of the house into the dark forest, leaving everything behind. The four friends laughed, climbed into the house, and sat down at the table. They ate the delicious food and drank until they were full. Then they put out the light and each found a place to sleep. The donkey lay down on a heap of straw, the dog behind the door, the cat near the fireplace, and the rooster on the roof beam. Soon, they were all fast asleep.
Around midnight, one of the robbers crept back to the house to see what had happened. Everything was dark and quiet. He sneaked inside carefully. He wanted to light a candle, so he went to the fireplace, where he thought the glowing coals were still warm. But the cat’s bright eyes were shining in the dark, and he mistook them for live coals. When he tried to light his match near them, the cat jumped up and scratched him across the face. The robber screamed and stumbled backward, right into the dog, who bit his leg. Then, frightened and howling, he ran toward the door, but the donkey gave him a mighty kick with his hind legs. Finally, the rooster, awakened by the noise, crowed loudly from the beam, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” The robber ran out of the house as fast as he could.
Panting and terrified, the robber ran back to his gang in the forest. “There’s a horrible witch in that house!” he shouted. “She scratched my face with her long claws. Then a man with a knife cut my leg, and there was a black monster that hit me with a club. And the judge on the roof shouted, ‘Bring that villain to me!’” The robbers were so frightened that they never dared to return to the house again.
The four animals were very pleased the next morning. They decided they liked the place so much that they would stay there forever. The donkey said, “This house suits us perfectly. We don’t need to go to Bremen now.” The others agreed happily. Each animal found his favorite spot. The donkey stayed in the yard where he could enjoy the sunshine. The dog lay beside the door, guarding the house. The cat rested near the warm fireplace, and the rooster climbed up to the roof to sing every morning.
Days passed peacefully. The animals were happy together and had plenty to eat. The cat caught the occasional mouse, the rooster found grain in the yard, the dog discovered bones nearby, and the donkey enjoyed the fresh hay. They no longer had to serve cruel masters or fear hunger. Each day, they would sing and make music together, just as they had planned. Their music filled the forest with cheerful sounds that even travelers could hear from far away.
Sometimes, travelers passing through the woods saw the house and heard strange sounds. Some believed that musicians really lived there and played music every evening. Others whispered that the house was haunted by magical creatures. But the animals didn’t mind the rumors. They were content to live their days in peace and friendship.
As the seasons changed, their friendship grew stronger. The donkey, though old, still had strength to carry small loads. The dog protected them from strangers. The cat became the queen of the kitchen, keeping it clean and warm. And the rooster, who always rose before dawn, kept everyone’s spirits high with his cheerful crowing. They looked after each other and shared everything they had.
Sometimes, they would remember their old lives and laugh about how things had turned out. “Imagine,” said the donkey once, “we were all about to be thrown away by our masters, and now we have a fine home of our own.” The dog nodded, “We were unlucky, but we found each other, and that changed everything.” The cat purred, “That’s what friends do—they turn bad days into good ones.” And the rooster proudly added, “And we never even needed to go to Bremen to become musicians. Our song already fills the forest!”
The animals continued to live in their cozy home for many happy years. The forest became their stage, and the wind carried their songs far and wide. No one ever tried to chase them away again, for the robbers never returned, and people avoided the forest after hearing the robber’s frightening tale.
Even as they grew older, the animals remained cheerful and thankful. Every evening, when the sun set and the sky turned golden, they would gather by the window. The donkey would begin braying softly, the dog would join in with gentle barks, the cat would meow like a violin, and the rooster would crow proudly at the end. Their music echoed through the trees, a song of freedom, friendship, and joy.
And so, the donkey, the dog, the cat, and the rooster—four unlikely friends—lived out their days in harmony, proving that even those who are cast aside can find new purpose when they stay brave and kind. They never made it to Bremen, but they became famous in their own way, as the forest’s happiest musicians, living together forever in laughter and song.