|
One day, a scorpion looked around at the
mountain where he lived and decided that
he wanted a change. So he set out on a
journey through the forests and hills.
He climbed over rocks and under vines
and kept going until he reached a river.
The river was wide and swift, and the
scorpion stopped to reconsider the
situation. He couldn't see any way
across. So he ran upriver and then
checked downriver, all the while
thinking that he might have to turn
back.
Suddenly, he saw a frog sitting in the
rushes by the bank of the stream on the
other side of the river. He decided to
ask the frog for help getting across the
stream.
"Hellooo Mr. Frog!" called the scorpion
across the water, "Would you be so kind
as to give me a ride on your back across
the river?"
"Well now, Mr. Scorpion! How do I know
that if I try to help you, you won't try
to kill me?" asked the frog hesitantly.
"Because," the scorpion replied, "If I
try to kill you, then I would die too,
for you see I cannot swim!"
Now this seemed to make sense to the
frog. But he asked. "What about when I
get close to the bank? You could still
try to kill me and get back to the
shore!"
"This is true," agreed the scorpion,
"But then I wouldn't be able to get to
the other side of the river!"
"Alright then... how do I know you wont
just wait till we get to the other side
and THEN kill me?" said the frog.
"Ahh...," crooned the scorpion, "Because
you see, once you've taken me to the
other side of this river, I will be so
grateful for your help, that it would
hardly be fair to reward you with death,
now would it?!"
So the frog agreed to take the scorpion
across the river. He swam over to the
bank and settled himself near the mud to
pick up his passenger. The scorpion
crawled onto the frog's back, his sharp
claws prickling into the frog's soft
hide, and the frog slid into the river.
The muddy water swirled around them, but
the frog stayed near the surface so the
scorpion would not drown. He kicked
strongly through the first half of the
stream, his flippers paddling wildly
against the current.
Halfway across the river, the frog
suddenly felt a sharp sting in his back
and, out of the corner of his eye, saw
the scorpion remove his stinger from the
frog's back. A deadening numbness began
to creep into his limbs.
"You fool!" croaked the frog, "Now we
shall both die! Why on earth did you do
that?"
The scorpion shrugged, and did a little
jig on the drowning frog's back.
"I could not help myself. It is in my
nature."
Then they both sank into the muddy
waters of the swiftly flowing river. |
