(As told to Erisen of Beth by Minathiel Avicenna.)
In a land there was a river, and in the river there was an island. On the island lived Frog, Mouse, and Scorpion. They avoided each other and made no effort to interact, so they made ideal neighbors.
One rainy season, there was a flood, and the lowest parts of the island were taken by the water. As the water rose, it was obvious that their little island would soon be swept away. Neither Mouse nor Scorpion could swim.
Scorpion said to Frog, “Friend and neighbor Frog, will you please carry me away to high ground? If I stay here, I will perish.”
“I would like to,” Frog replied. “But how can I trust you not to sting me?”
“I want to sting you,” Scorpion said. “Very much. But if I sting you, I will drown. So you can see, you have nothing to fear.”
Still, Frog was careful, because Scorpion had stung many of Frog’s friends.
“I will carry you,” Frog said, “if you agree to let Mouse hold your tail so that you can’t sting me. If Mouse keeps you from stinging me, we can all reach safety together.”
Scorpion did not like this, but agreed to it.
Frog called to Mouse, who was doing nothing a short distance away. “Mouse! Come hold Scorpion’s tail, and we will all escape to safety!”
But Mouse was too busy doing nothing, and refused the request.
“Besides,” said Mouse. “Either Scorpion will sting me or Frog will drown me. No, thank you! Leave me out of it: you are both the same.”
“I feel I must point out,” Scorpion said to Frog, as Mouse left in a huff, “that all our agreement required of me was to allow Mouse to hold my tail, which I have agreed to do. What Mouse actually does or does not do was never part of our agreement. It is not fair to penalize me for something beyond my control.”
Frog considered this.
“We had an agreement, and I will honor it,” Frog said. “I will carry you. No stinging.”
“I promise,” Scorpion vowed.
The flood waters made swimming difficult, but Frog was strong and determined. Frog and Scorpion were halfway to safety when Frog felt the burning stab of Scorpion’s stinger.
“Why?” cried Frog, writhing in pain and trying to stay afloat. “Now we will both perish!”
“I can’t help it,” Scorpion said sadly. “It’s my nature.”
This was no comfort to Frog.
“I am sorry that it has ended this way,” Scorpion said, tumbling into the water from dying Frog’s back. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I would do it again, I think,” Frog said.
“Why?” Scorpion asked, arms thrashing uselessly in the water. “Look what it brought you.”
“I can’t help it,” Frog said sadly. “It’s my nature.”
As Frog perished from venom and Scorpion drowned, Mouse watched from the shrinking island, but did nothing.
“They were both the same,” Mouse declared in triumph. “And I am much too smart to fall for that.” Because that was their nature.
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Blackmoor Vituperative
