THE REWARD FROM A WOLF
















Pic.: Vincent D'Souza


Long time ago, once, a Wolf was in terrible pain... A bone was stuck in his throat. When he saw a Crane around, he pleaded before her to send her long bill down his throat and pull out the bone. The Wolf made a promise, “Trust me, my friend, I will reward you handsomely for your help.”


Convinced, the Crane quickly got into action. She placed her long bill in the mouth of the Wolf and took out the bone, quite effortlessly.


The Wolf was relieved. “Thanks for your prompt help,” he said to the Crane and began to dash off his way.


“Wait a minute, my friend,” cried out the Crane, “What about my reward?”


“What about your reward?” the Wolf turned back to answer, grinding his deadly teeth, “Well, my friend, you have won a good fortune, already. You can, now, go around boasting before the whole world, that you had the grit and the gumption to put your head in a Wolf’s mouth and yet to walk away scot-free!”


Aesop, who gave us this story, had, also, given us the story of The Lion and the Mouse. When we were kids, our parents and teachers chose to tell us the story of the Lion and the Mouse... If you show compassion to others, they will reach out to you when you need their help... People can be, sometimes, ungrateful, but do them good, anyway... Even a small creature may be of help when you are in trouble... Don’t ridicule anyone for his size... and so on...


Most of us came across Aesop’s story – The Wolf and the Crane, much later in life... Don’t trust people easily... If people show you no gratitude, don’t sulk, don’t blame, don’t be cynical, don’t lose trust in people... just move on... Yes, a Wolf and Fox will, always, remain so – a Wolf and a Fox... It’s their nature. So, if you have gone out of your way to help a Wolf – by putting your head in his mouth - as he has rightly reminded you, that, your kind act has not gone in vain... that, you have been, already, rewarded, handsomely!


Therefore, you and I can, fearlessly, go about putting our long bills into the throats of the Wolves around us... and feel proud and contented about our noble bravado...


“Grrrrr!!!!!”  Do you see his teeth? Do you hear him?


GERALD D’CUNHA

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