The Farmer and the Snake
Once upon a time, there was a farmer who came across a snake that had been frozen to death by the cold winter. The snake was shivering and weak, and the farmer felt sorry for it. He picked up the snake and took it home, placing it in a warm bed of straw to help it recover.
The snake, feeling the warmth and comfort, began to revive. After a while, it felt strong enough to move around. The farmer, seeing the snake get better, decided to release it back into the wild.
As the snake was about to leave, it saw a frog that was stuck in a puddle of water. The snake, remembering its own rescue, decided to help the frog. It gently coiled around the frog and pulled it out of the water.
The frog, grateful for the help, hopped away. The snake then continued on its way, happy to have been able to help.
The farmer watched from a distance, pleased with the snake’s kindness. However, he was not aware that the snake was a venomous one, and that it had been lying dormant because of the cold.
Suddenly, the snake turned back and bit the farmer. The farmer was shocked and confused, wondering why the snake would harm him after all the kindness he had shown.
The snake replied, “You should have known better than to show kindness to a snake. I am a venomous creature, and it is in my nature to be harmful. You cannot expect a snake to change its nature just because you treat it kindly.”
The farmer, understanding the snake’s words, realized the moral of the story: “One good turn deserves another,” but it does not always apply to creatures with natures that are fundamentally different from our own.
