by Sarah Earlene Shere, ©2024
(Aug. 2, 2024) — There once was a clever snake who had kept his eye on a most desirable piece of property for some time, but this area was inhabited by an army of frogs. He tried to coax them to give him the land at a good price; they would not. He tried to threaten them; they stood strong. Finally, he consulted a dryad who suggested he trust her with a plan.
The dryad knew that this particular army of frogs was superstitious and had been looking for a king in everything they found. So, one early morning, the dryad noisily dropped a log into the water, just outside the frogs’ home. The army came rushing out and rejoiced at the log afloat before them, certain that this was the king they had been looking for, sent down from the heavens. But, when the current began to pull the log away, the army of frogs frantically leaped onto it, afraid of losing their king. At first they tried to steer the log back home, but soon became distracted by the scenes they passed along the shore. They observed the lives of their neighbors of the earth as they drifted along. At times they laughed at and mocked the foolishness they perceived. At other times, they shouted their opinions into arguments that didn’t concern them. Then came the moments they stared and drooled at the things they saw in the possession of others and wished were in their own.
In time, their friend, the tarantula, came running along the shoreline, shouting out to them, “Stop! Come back! The Snake has deceived you into abandoning your home, and even now the log you cling to as your king is leading you toward a dangerous end!”
The army of frogs suddenly lifted their heads to see themselves approaching a waterfall. With haste, they abandoned their “king” and made their way to shore. By the time they arrived home, they found all they knew to be “home” had been taken over and repurposed by the snake.
Now, weren’t those frogs unwise, to not see the value of the freedom they had, but, instead, looked for something to rule and control them? And weren’t they silly to let problems, troubles, envy and the lives of others distract them from the dangers that lay before them?