Fables for the Present Time: what is old is new again.

The owl and the mole

A distinguished owl made his home at the top of a tall tree. The house was spacious and furnished elegantly, and he received many visitors who consistently acknowledged his wisdom. Underneath the tree lived a mole, and he was a restless sort, always digging and scurrying about. His busy movements irritated the owl. “Hey you down there,” he said to the mole, “stop moving about. You’re disturbing my contemplation and even affecting my property values.” “With apologies,” said the mole, “but I must do what I must do.” The owl however would have none of this and threatened to eat the mole if he persisted in his perambulations. The mole took counsel with his neighbors and they took a saw to the tree and felled it, ruining the owl’s house.

Moral: don’t look down on those you consider below you, for they can bring you low.

The beaver who knew too much

            There was a beaver named Benny who was an amazing engineer. Even as a pup, he bested his elders with his ingenuity in making dams. Benny could build a dam broader and deeper than anyone in his den. There was always another stick he could find, le branche juste, which made the dam more secure and effective. His fellow beavers marveled at Benny’s skill and he became a leader in the community. Even his rivals acknowledged his ability, albeit grudgingly. At the peak of his powers he designed his biggest project that bridged the stream at its widest point. The entire den swam around it in admiration; it became a wonder of beaverdom. The dam, however, flooded the fields of a farmer. The farmer sent his son to the dam with a stick of dynamite. He blew up the dam and Benny was killed when a big log fell on his head.

Moral: you may know a lot but you are no match for a kid with dynamite.