Story The Deer, the Spring and the Lion: adaptation of Aesop’s fable.
Once upon a time there was a young deer who lived peacefully in the depths of a leafy forest.
The story goes that one very hot afternoon, he ate a few tender shoots that were on a bush and then went out for a walk.
The sun scorched mercilessly and he suddenly felt overwhelmed by thirst. He sniffed the air a little to locate the nearest spring and walked slowly towards it.
Once there, he drank cool water in large gulps.
– What a treat! There is nothing better than sticking your nose in cold water on summer days!
As soon as he finished cooling off, he realized that the transparent water of the spring returned to him his own image. She usually used to drink from small, not-too-clean puddles, so she had never had the chance to see her figure clearly.
He loved the feeling of seeing himself reflected in that large mirror! She looked at herself carefully from every possible angle and smiled with satisfaction. Like most deer, it was a very beautiful animal, with soft brown fur and a stylized neck.
– The truth is that I am much more handsome than I thought! And what incredible antlers I have! Without a doubt it is the most beautiful antler around.
The deer, smug, looked at his head for a long time; Then he leaned forward a little and gazed at the reflection of her legs, weak and thin as four reeds in a stream. Somewhat disappointed, he sighed:
– With how big and powerful my antlers are, how is it possible that my legs are so skinny? They look like they are going to break at any moment because they are so long and thin. Oh, if I could change them for the fat and robust legs of a lion!
He was so fascinated looking at his body that he did not realize that a lion was watching him hidden in the undergrowth until a terrifying roar echoed behind him. Without looking back, he began to run towards the plain like a soul driven by the devil.
Thanks to the fact that he perfectly mastered the race in the open field and his legs were long and agile, he managed to gain a great advantage over the feline. When he was far enough away, he ran back into the forest at full speed.
What a big mistake the deer made! What seemed like a safe area became a big trap for him. Do you know why? Well, because without realizing it he passed under a very dense grove of trees and his enormous antlers got caught in the lowest branches.
Distraught, he began to move like crazy to be able to disengage himself. His intuition told him that the lion was not far away and his desperation increased.
– Oh it can not be! Either I can let go or I have no salvation!
He was not wrong at all: from his right, the lion was approaching unceremoniously. He thought he had only one chance and he had to take advantage of it.
– Now or never!
He took a deep breath and shook his head sharply. He could have broken his neck from the pull, but luckily, the plan worked: the branches broke and he was free.
– I got it! I got it! Now I have to get out of this forest no matter what!
He ran again towards the plain, where there were no trees, and this time he did get lost in the distance. When the lion emerged from the forest and appeared in the clearing, the only trace left of the deer was the whitish dust raised during the flight. The lion growled and returned to the herd;
Meanwhile, the deer, very far away, felt very happy. He had escaped by a hair’s breadth! Panting and dying of thirst, he looked for another spring of fresh water and found it. When he finished drinking, he stared at her face and his body, but now, after what had happened, his thoughts were very different.
– How wrong I was! I complained about my spindly and skinny legs but thanks to them I was able to save my skin; On the other hand, my beautiful antlers, of which I was so proud, almost led me to death.
Then, with humility, he admitted something he had never considered.
– Today I have learned a great lesson: in life, many times, we value the least important things. From today onwards, I will not be fooled by appearances.
Moral: Sometimes we give our hearts to people who dazzle us but who when push comes to shove are not so great and fail us; On the contrary, it happens that sometimes we ignore others that go more unnoticed but are fantastic and worth knowing.
In life we must avoid falling into the trap of valuing things or people by appearance, since as you have seen in this story, appearances can be deceiving.