Once upon a time there was a donkey who had worked hard for his master for many years, carrying heavy sacks to the mill. But now the donkey was growing old and could not work as well as before. His master did not want him anymore, so the donkey decided to run away. 'I will go to Bremen,' thought the donkey, 'and become a town musician. I can bray very loudly!' So off he went down the road, feeling hopeful about his new adventure. Before long, he met a dog lying by the side of the road, panting heavily. 'What is the matter, friend?' asked the donkey kindly. 'Oh dear,' sighed the dog, 'I am old now and cannot hunt anymore. My master was going to get rid of me, so I ran away. But now I do not know what to do.' The donkey smiled and said, 'Come with me to Bremen! We will become musicians together. I can bray and you can bark. It will be wonderful!' The dog wagged his tail happily and agreed to join the donkey on his journey.
The donkey and the dog walked on together until they met a cat sitting in the road, looking very sad. 'Why are you so unhappy, old cat?' asked the donkey. 'I am old and my teeth are not sharp anymore,' meowed the cat sadly. 'I would rather sit by a warm fire than chase mice. My mistress wanted to get rid of me, so I ran away. Now I do not know where to go.' 'Come with us to Bremen!' said the donkey cheerfully. 'You can sing with us and become a musician too. You have a lovely meow!' The cat thought this was a fine idea and joined the two friends. Now there were three animals walking together toward Bremen, all hoping for a better life.
A little further along, the three friends passed a farmyard where a rooster was sitting on a fence, crowing as loudly as he could. 'Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!' he cried. 'What a powerful voice you have!' said the donkey. 'But why do you crow so loudly?' 'Oh, I am crowing while I still can,' said the rooster sadly. 'Tomorrow the cook is going to make me into soup because guests are coming. This may be my last day!' 'Do not be sad, Rooster!' said the donkey. 'Come with us to Bremen. With your fine voice, we will make the best music anyone has ever heard!' The rooster flapped his wings with joy and joined the group. Now there were four friends: a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, all heading to Bremen together.
Bremen was far away, and the four friends could not reach it in one day. As evening came, they found a forest where they decided to sleep. The donkey and the dog lay under a big tree. The cat climbed up into the branches. The rooster flew to the very top where he could see far and wide. From up high, the rooster spotted a light in the distance. 'Friends!' he called down. 'I can see a house with lights! Maybe we can find food and a warm place to sleep!' The four friends walked toward the light. When they reached the house, the donkey, who was the tallest, peeked through the window. 'What do you see?' asked the dog eagerly. 'I see a table full of delicious food,' said the donkey, 'and mean-looking robbers eating it all!' The friends put their heads together to think of a plan.
The clever animals came up with a wonderful plan. The donkey put his front hooves on the windowsill. The dog climbed onto the donkey's back. The cat climbed onto the dog. And the rooster flew up and perched on top of the cat's head. Then, all at once, they began to make their music! The donkey brayed, 'Hee-haw!' The dog barked, 'Woof, woof!' The cat meowed, 'Meow!' And the rooster crowed, 'Cock-a-doodle-doo!' The noise was so loud and strange that the robbers jumped up in terror. 'A monster! A ghost!' they screamed, and ran out of the house as fast as their legs could carry them, disappearing into the dark forest. The four friends laughed and laughed, then went inside to enjoy the wonderful feast the robbers had left behind.
After their delicious meal, the four friends found cozy places to sleep. The donkey lay down in the yard. The dog curled up behind the door. The cat settled by the warm fireplace. And the rooster roosted up in the rafters. Later that night, one brave robber came back to check on the house. In the dark, he saw the cat's glowing eyes and thought they were hot coals. When he got close, the cat scratched his face! The dog bit his leg! The donkey kicked him with his strong hind legs! And the rooster crowed loudly from above! The robber ran away screaming, 'There are terrible monsters in that house!' The robbers never came back again. And the four friends? They loved their new home so much that they decided to stay forever. They never did go to Bremen, but they were the happiest musicians in all the land, and they remained the best of friends for the rest of their days.
