In a field one summer's day a Poppenjay was flitting about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. A Squirrel passed by, bearing along with great toil a bunch of seeds and nuts he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Poppenjay, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way? That stuffs for lesser beings"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Squirrel, "and recommend you to do the same."
Why bother about winter?" said the Poppenjay, “we have got plenty of food at present." But the Squirrel went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Poppenjay had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the squirrels distributing, every day, nuts and seed from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Throughout the winter, the squirrels played and sang and danced, for their stomachs were full and their dens were warm, and the Poppenjay was left to the cold.
Thus do Romani children know to never think themselves so important as to not do their fair share.