The Wise Toad

Ribbit was a very well-known toad, and everyone admired him for his intelligence and wisdom.

In the pond where he resided, he taught other frogs and toads as if he were a professor. But exactly because he was wise, there were those who envied him and did not wish him well.

Croak was one of those. Proud and selfish, he was jealous every time his siblings, the other frogs, showed affection for Ribbit, for he did not admit that anyone could be better than him. So he decided to teach Ribbit a lesson.

Croak knew that in the trunk of a certain tree, a bit far from the pond, lived a serpent.

One day he invited Ribbit for a walk and, near the tree where the serpent lived, he stopped and said:

- There are very appetising worms in the trunk of that tree.

Ribbit jumped toward it, and what was his surprise when, coming out of the hole, a serpent with its head raised and tongue out showed up, ready to attack.

That was a big scare! He jumped to the side and narrowly escaped, then he disappeared into the woods.

Croak was very disappointed because the wise Ribbit had escaped from the serpent's bite.

A few days later, Ribbit was looking for food in the forest, when he saw some men who, armed with lanterns and nets, had come to the pond. They were toad-hunters. They were waiting for the night to fall, when without mercy they would decimate the frogs they encountered because their targets were the toads.

Quickly, Ribbit went back to the pond and, finding Croak, warned him of the imminent danger, and also notified the others of the group, warning them to hide as quickly as possible.

And so they did very well. In a short period of time the men arrived and found no toads as well as no frogs.

They searched a lot but the toads were gone, so the hunters got very angry because they could not hunt anything.

Relieved, the frogs came out of their hiding places and celebrated the victory, thanking dear Ribbit for saving their lives.

Croak was thoughtful. Approaching Ribbit, he asked why he had warned them of the danger, especially him, Croak, when it would have been easier to flee, abandoning them to their fate.

Surprised, Ribbit replied:

- Because I have learned that we should do to others what we want others to do to us!

Croak meditated on those words and was ashamed of his attitude.

He apologised to Ribbit, stating:

- You really are a great wise toad and you are very kind too. Now I understand why everyone admires you.

And from that day on, they became true friends and peace reigned in the pond.

Aunt Celia

Translation:

Johnny Silveira - silveirajohnny@yahoo.com