A Pit of Panic

Hey everybody, how are y'all doing today?

I want to share a story that takes on some challenging themes, as you read along see if you can identify such themes before we get into the moral. 

In a lush forest, there was a fox named Willy who was always up to something. Willy thought he was a pretty smart fox. One day, while thinking about his next mischievous prank, he lost footing and fell into a deep well.  He tried everything he could think of to climb out, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t make it out.

As he sat at the bottom of the well, Willy heard the sound of a group of animals passing by above. There was an elephant, a lion, a deer, and a few snakes nearby. Willy called out to them for help, but none of them wanted to get too close, fearing they might fall in too. They started to move along the path and Willy started getting scared. 

But Willy wasn’t about to give up. Being the clever fox he was, he quickly came up with a plan. He called out to the animals again and said, “Hey, friends! I’m down here because I just found out that the world is about to end. If you want to survive, you should join me down here!”

The animals were frightened by the thought of the world ending and didn’t want to pass up the offer of staying safe. So, one by one, they all jumped down into the well to join Willy. Then Willy added slyly, “Oh, and just so you know, if anyone sneezes, they’ll have to leave and fend for themselves.” 

Suddenly, Willy let out a big “Achoo!” Right away, the animals remembered the rule and threw Willy out of the well. He landed outside, and before anyone could realize what had happened, Willy took off running, leaving the other animals behind.

After hours of waiting in the well, the animals finally realized they had been tricked. Embarrassed, they helped each other climb out, one by one, and returned to the forest with a valuable lesson.

What is your interpretation of this story's moral? I believe it has something to do along the lines of critical thinking: a lack of it can leave an individual vulnerable to deception. As a result, one should always question and view things objectively to avoid being misled. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and see you next month!