Sting to Sink

The forest was currently experiencing monsoon seasons, its rivers were overflowing onto embankments and many land animals were fearful. One such animal was Stingy the Scorpion. Standing atop of the muddle bank, Stingy stared at the rushing water. He needed to get to the other side, but he did not know how to swim. 

As he looked around, hoping to find a way across, he spotted Ribbit the Frog, happily hopping along the edge of the water, clearly enjoying the rainy weather. Stingy yelled, “Ribbit! Could you give me a lift across the river? I can’t swim!”

Ribbit gave Stingy a suspicious look. “Seriously? You’re a scorpion. If I carry you on my back, what’s stopping you from stinging me? I’d drown!”

Stingy laughed. “Why would I do that? If I stung you, we would both be doomed. I just need a safe ride across, and you’re my only hope. Please trust me, I won’t sting you.”

Ribbit thought it over. Stingy's reasoning seemed pretty solid. Why would he do something that would mess it up for both of them? “Alright,” Ribbit said. “Hop on, and let’s get this over with.”

So, Stingy climbed onto Ribbit’s back, and the two set off. Ribbit swam steadily, his legs kicking smoothly through the water. Everything seemed to be going fine, and Ribbit started to feel good about helping out. But just as they reached the middle of the river, Ribbit felt a sharp, burning pain on his back. Stingy had stung him.

Ribbit’s limbs began to go numb, and he struggled to stay afloat. “Why?” Ribbit gasped, barely able to speak. “Why would you do that? Now we’re both going to drown!”

Stingy's eyes were sad, but his voice was calm, almost like he had accepted what was happening. “I know, Ribbit. But I couldn’t help it. It’s in my nature.”

As Ribbit’s strength faded, they both began to sink. The last thing they left behind were a few small ripples, quickly swallowed by the river’s flow.

Similar to the last one, I feel like the moral of this story is pretty clear, in life you need to notice when someone's actions keep causing trouble. Sometimes people promise to change but you should note that some behaviors are especially hard to change. So... think twice before trusting someone!