Читать книгу A Little Wisdom for Growing Up, Second and Expanded Edition - John C. Morgan - Страница 17

Most forest creatures consider the crocodile to be the meanest of all who inhabit their world.

Mothers often will tell their children never to go near the water for too long and especially not to wade too deep into rivers where the crocodiles might live or else a monster could leave teeth marks in their necks.

One day a baby bunny was told never to get too close to the water, but when he heard about the monsters he was curious, not afraid. One day he ventured close enough to the edge of the water to speak with a crocodile.

“You are an amazing creature,” said the bunny, “but I am smart and won’t get any closer because I know you would eat me.”

“A wise warning,” said the crocodile, whose eyes were peering at the bunny.

“But I am better at something than you are,” challenged the bunny.

“And what could that possibly be?” bellowed the crocodile, convinced that such a harmless creature could do little better than he could.

“I will challenge you to do something after I do,” said the bunny, “and if I win, you have to promise never to eat me.”

“You’re on,” said the crocodile.

The bunny paused and then spoke: “All you have to do is say something I say and pronounce it correctly: The thunder thrashed against the tiny tigers.”

“That’s not hard,” said the crocodile, as he tried to say the sentence. But no matter how hard or how long he tried, he just couldn’t repeat the sentence correctly.

The bunny repeated the sentence correctly.

“Tell me, bunny,” said the crocodile, “how did you know I would not be able to say this sentence?”

“Easy,” replied the bunny. “I was told by other creatures that you cannot move your tongue, and I figured you’d never be able to say ‘the thunder thrashed against the tiny tigers.’”

The crocodile laughed and swam away, but not before saying: “A deal is a deal. I won’t eat you.”

Moral: Sometimes knowledge is better than brute strength.