I had a book of Aesop's fables as a kid that I loved. Here's one that old Aesop missed.
A cobra was sunning himself on a wide rock next to a pool at the base of a waterfall. The cobra stretched and sighed, enjoying the warmth of the rock against his belly while his scales were kept cool and moist by the waterfall's mist. It was heaven.
Suddenly a shadow blocked the sun. He looked up to see a unicorn with a coat so white that it hurt the serpent's eyes to look at it. A spiraled. gold horn jutted from its forehead and it had crystal blue eyes.
"Pardon me," said the Cobra, "but do you mind moving? The sun was warming my rock."
"It's my rock now," said the Unicorn, who immediately turned and sat down. The cobra barely escaped being crushed.
If it had been any other creature, the cobra would have simply bitten the unicorn and let its venom take care of the whole mess. Unfortunately for the cobra, unicorns are immune to poison, and so he had to slither away in disgust, muttering and griping to himself.
Not paying attention to where the trail was leading, the cobra found himself at the top of the waterfall. He peaked over the edge and saw the unicorn below, rolling back and forth on the cobra's rock. The cobra was so angry that he spat venom.
Then he spotted the small boulder perched precariously on the edge of the cliff.
While not possessing arms or legs, the cobra was well versed in simple machines. He found a thick branch that he could use as a lever and carried it back to the boulder in his mouth. He wedged the lever under the boulder, wrapped his coils around it, and began to pull.
With a crack, the boulder broke free. It thundered down the mountside, knocking other boulders and trees free. The storm of rubble cascaded downwards.
The unicorn looked up in horror. "Landsli-" it shouted before being buried under a ton of rock.
The cobra smiled, which was hard for an animal incapable of facial expressions. Then the cobra noticed an even nicer sunning rock at the top of the waterfall, and that the mist was even more soothing. He settled himself down to enjoy a nap.
The moral of the story: Never piss off a cobra.
The End
Copyright 2012 John Lance
A cobra was sunning himself on a wide rock next to a pool at the base of a waterfall. The cobra stretched and sighed, enjoying the warmth of the rock against his belly while his scales were kept cool and moist by the waterfall's mist. It was heaven.
Suddenly a shadow blocked the sun. He looked up to see a unicorn with a coat so white that it hurt the serpent's eyes to look at it. A spiraled. gold horn jutted from its forehead and it had crystal blue eyes.
"Pardon me," said the Cobra, "but do you mind moving? The sun was warming my rock."
"It's my rock now," said the Unicorn, who immediately turned and sat down. The cobra barely escaped being crushed.
If it had been any other creature, the cobra would have simply bitten the unicorn and let its venom take care of the whole mess. Unfortunately for the cobra, unicorns are immune to poison, and so he had to slither away in disgust, muttering and griping to himself.
Not paying attention to where the trail was leading, the cobra found himself at the top of the waterfall. He peaked over the edge and saw the unicorn below, rolling back and forth on the cobra's rock. The cobra was so angry that he spat venom.
Then he spotted the small boulder perched precariously on the edge of the cliff.
While not possessing arms or legs, the cobra was well versed in simple machines. He found a thick branch that he could use as a lever and carried it back to the boulder in his mouth. He wedged the lever under the boulder, wrapped his coils around it, and began to pull.
With a crack, the boulder broke free. It thundered down the mountside, knocking other boulders and trees free. The storm of rubble cascaded downwards.
The unicorn looked up in horror. "Landsli-" it shouted before being buried under a ton of rock.
The cobra smiled, which was hard for an animal incapable of facial expressions. Then the cobra noticed an even nicer sunning rock at the top of the waterfall, and that the mist was even more soothing. He settled himself down to enjoy a nap.
The moral of the story: Never piss off a cobra.
The End
Copyright 2012 John Lance
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