The Wolf and the Lamb
Once upon a time, in a peaceful meadow, a young lamb wandered away from her flock to drink from a cool, clear brook. The sun was shining, and the gentle flow of the water made it the perfect spot for a quiet drink.
Unbeknownst to the lamb, a hungry wolf had been watching her from the shadows of the nearby forest, waiting for the right moment to strike.
The wolf, cunning and sly, saw his opportunity and approached the lamb, intending to make her his meal. But rather than attack outright, he decided to toy with the lamb first, masking his intentions behind a false accusation.
“How dare you muddy the water I’m about to drink!” the wolf snarled, baring his teeth.
The lamb, startled by the sudden accusation, lifted her head and saw the wolf standing before her. She was frightened, but she quickly realized that her only chance of survival lay in outwitting the wolf.
“Please, sir,” the lamb said with a calm voice, though her heart raced. “How could I possibly muddy the water? I am standing downstream from you. The water flows from your direction to mine.”
The wolf, taken aback by the lamb’s clever response, frowned. He hadn’t expected her to reason so quickly. But he was determined to catch her.
“Well, if it wasn’t you this time, then it must have been your father last year. You and your kind are always causing trouble!”
The lamb thought quickly. “But sir, I wasn’t even born last year, and my father was a kind and peaceful creature who never harmed anyone. If you let me go, I can lead you to a place where there are many sheep who might be more to your liking.”
The wolf’s eyes narrowed. He was becoming frustrated, but he wasn’t willing to give up just yet. “You may have an answer for everything, little one, but I am hungry, and I won’t be fooled by your clever words. I’ll have you for my meal regardless.”
But the lamb was not done yet. She noticed a large beehive hanging from a nearby tree and got an idea. “I understand, sir,” she said, pretending to submit. “But before you eat me, I’d like to offer you a last meal better than a small lamb like me. There’s a hive full of sweet honey in that tree. If you knock it down, you can feast on the honey before enjoying your meal.”
The wolf, whose greed was even greater than his hunger, glanced at the beehive. His mouth watered at the thought of sweet honey.
He approached the tree, but as soon as he struck the hive with his paw, angry bees swarmed out and attacked him.
The wolf yelped in pain as the bees stung him all over. He ran off into the forest, howling and snapping at the bees, forgetting all about the lamb.
The lamb, now safe, quickly ran back to her flock. She had outwitted the wolf, proving that sometimes, intelligence and quick thinking are the best defenses against brute strength.
The moral of the story: Cleverness and quick thinking can help you escape even the most dangerous situations, where strength alone might fail.
