Original: A fable is a         succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates  a moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.
Simplified: A fable is a type of short story which teaches a lesson or has a moral, which is usually stated at the end.