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 .