Additional fables for the present time: old stories with new meaning. 

The Bridge

A bridge complained that it suffered every day from people walking on it. “They pay me little regard and no respect,” it lamented. “How they should miss my services were I not here.” “Why yes,” replied the clouds, “you might gain recognition when you no longer exist.”

The Dog and the Squirrel

Every day at 8 a.m. the dog went into the yard and chased the squirrel. “Why,” said the squirrel,” do you have to chase me every morning?” “And why,” replied the dog, ” do you have to be here at 8 a.m.?”

The Monkey and the Fly-swatter

Flies buzzed around a monkey’s head. He leapt to and fro to catch them, but they evaded his grasp. A fly-swatter said to him, “Why don’t you use me? I could rid you of these annoying flies.” “Thank you, but no,” said the monkey. “For then I would miss my exercise.”

The Book and the Pen

A book and a pen were arguing over who was nobler. “Look,” said the book, “I am nicely turned out, with many pages. I sit on a shelf, and people consult me for knowledge.” “Perhaps,” replied the pen, “but your completion is your limit, while I hold in myself pages and pages of new possibilities.”

The Square and the Circle

A square and a circle went on a date and found they could not agree on many things. “I like you,” said the square, “but my world is more ordered than yours, where everything has a place. That is the way my parents raised me: to maintain right angles.” “I see that,” said the circle. “My parents, the point and the radius, were not so strict.”

For other fables, see here.