Fairy Tale Spotlight: Interview with a Demon

T.K. Wade: Well, it's been a while, but the time finally came.

Demon: Yes, not since April. I'll admit that I have been looking forward to this.

TK: Oh, good. I'll admit that I haven't really been looking forward to it at all. I already postponed it once.

D: Any reason why?

TK: It wasn't really you. I just went through some hard things in my life and I couldn't make the time or emotional effort to arrange a meeting with you.

D: You did seem upset when you called to apologize.

TK: Well, I really was sorry. I wanted to do this much earlier. But now you are here.

D: Indeed.

TK: So I'd like to welcome you back to my home.

D: Thank you.

TK: As you can see, I am recording this on my phone to be transcribed later. And like last time, I'll be redacting as needed.

D: I'm sure you will. I read through the transcript of what you called the preliminary interview. It was rather curious what you chose to show and what you chose to redact.

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: Very well, I won't bring it up again. And just so you know, I really am pleased to be here.

TK: It means a lot to me that you feel that way. Now, I wanted to go over some things you mentioned in the preliminary.

D: Very well.

TK: You seemed to align yourself, to a degree, with humans in that each has value in their own way and is capable of being used. You also seemed to insinuate that humans as well as demons are meant to operate as a collective like the cogs in a machine rather than blatantly as individuals.

[The power went off right about here. We waited patiently for it to come back on, which it did in about a minute. There was a storm outside at the time. We only muttered about it a little, and after I listened to the recording, I decided to keep it off the record as irrelevant. We picked back up as if nothing has happened.]

D: You are skewing what I said a bit.

TK: It's really what I got from it.

D: Let me explain it to you fact by fact. Living things serve a purpose. If they did not serve a purpose, then there would hardly be a reason to have them around. Can you imagine what would happen in the world if everyone simply stopped working? It would be chaos. Human beings as pure individuals are chaotic and unpredictable. That may be fine on a deserted island, but other people do not deserve to put up with such chaos. Unpredictability is chaos. Am I making any sense to you?

TK: I'm trying to understand your definition of chaos.

D: I'll try and paint a picture for you. Have you ever seen an explosion?

TK: Yes.

D: An explosion does not really care what it destroys and what it does not destroy. It just tears a gaping hole in reality and leaves everyone to deal with the consequences. A individualist may, perhaps, be a benign thing, but that which cannot be controlled is a liability. It has the potential to be much like the explosion. The only correction to this problem is to push everyone into being the same. You have to force them into it or else their problematic and chaotic individualism could cause an explosion of a sort.

TK: I appreciate you dumbing it down for me.

D: Oh, it is my pleasure.

TK: I do see what you mean. I really do. But what about the demons?

D: What about them?

TK: Are they treated the same way?

D: We do not have a problem with individuality or chaos. Your problems are not ours. We are superior. Yes, we do, at times, work as a collective but not because we are being forced to. We simply do it because we know that it is the correct way of doing things. Certain tasks need to be accomplished, and we know how to do it without suffering the unfortunate ills of humanity.

TK: And I am sure we often give you trouble.

D: All the time.

TK: You do understand that I don't agree with any of this.

D: I am well aware of where you stand on the matter.

TK: And you could consider my standing on this to be that... chaos you mentioned.

D: Perhaps. It seems a bit more like ignorance to me. I am interested in your work. I don't despise you.

TK: But do you think I would be better off if I adapted to your way of thinking?

D: I think you would do better if you applied yourself to better instruction.

TK: Your instruction?

D: Oh, I don't think so, but I am very good at referrals.

TK: No, thank you.

D: Continue.

TK: Some of my readers were interested in who you are. They may not understand that, from my perspective, you look like a human being.

D: Physically, I am.

TK: But you have no soul.

D: I do not have a soul.

TK: Do you want a soul?

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: I'm not bringing that up again.

D: Try not to get too upset with me. I really am happy to be here.

TK: I'll try. Sorry, if I offended you.

D: I'm not offended.

TK: Could you please tell my readers what you do for a living.

D: I invest with the purpose of making money.

TK: Alright, I wanted to say something about that.

D: I am eager to hear you.

TK: I have looked into investments a number of times in my life. It honestly just seems like playing the lottery. Unless you have some sort of insider knowledge, there is really no point in bothering with it. It's all chance.

D: [He chuckles.] It may be chance to the layman. To me, it is merely a puzzle that needs to be solved.

TK: A puzzle requires a pattern.

D: There is a pattern to it. It's not chance. You simply crunch the numbers and produce a solution. You then apply said solution and reap the rewards.

TK: It can't be that simple.

D: But it is. I am always surprised to hear people refer to the stock market as a game of chance. It isn't that at all.

TK: You aren't doing a very good job at making me feel very smart.

D: I wasn't really trying to.

TK: When did you first realize that you were a demon?

D: I was thirteen.

TK: Interesting number.

D: Why?

TK: Okay, before I make myself sound more like an idiot, can you tell me a bit more about what it was like to realize that you had no soul?

D: I think I need to clarify something. It was at thirteen that I was invited into this person.

TK: You were invited?

D: Yes.

TK: By a thirteen-year-old boy?

D: Yes. I was his friend. He offered and I accepted.

TK: [I was having a little trouble getting my words out at this point. I'm not going to type out all my stuttering.] But where is he now?

D: Who?

TK: The boy.

D: He is me. The boy you seem to be referring to is a memory. He allowed me to make better use of him. That was very kind of him. We were friends.

TK: So he's gone.

D: It's just a body. I am putting it to better use than he ever would have. You are doing a rather good job yourself with yours. That's all there is to it.

TK: I can't believe what I'm hearing.

D: Is this upsetting you?

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: ***REDACTED***

TK: ***REDACTED***

D: Take all the time you need. I am rather upset myself that you got upset.

TK: I'm fine. I just needed a drink. I was getting a little dehydrated.

D: I understand.

TK: I talked to my friends a little about this whole thing, and I asked them to provide me with questions that I can ask on their behalf. In the interest of time, I am not going to ask all of them but have picked my favorites out of them and narrowed them down to four.

D: Very good.

TK: I just want you to answer each of them as clearly as you can and then we will end the interview for today.

D: Go ahead then.

TK: What do you dream about?

D: As in when I am asleep or is your friend talking about personal aspirations?

TK: Honestly, I didn't even think about that. Let's go with the second.

D: I marvel at the very idea of absolute equality. A perfectly functioning world where humans and demons operate as one towards the goal of indomitable synchronicity.

TK: Just to cover both bases, do you actually dream at night?

D: I do not dream, but I believe I have heard of a demon having dreams before. Generally they are the dreams of the human who once owned the body.

TK: What are the angels to you?

D: [He smiles and chuckles.] No less than than your fathers and mothers. Elders. We listen and as do accordingly.

TK: Do you consider them greater than you?

D: I know they do. I am still more of a proponent of equality.

TK: This is more my own question but is there a difference to you between the regular angels and the fallen angels?

D: [He out right laughed.] Nobody has fallen. That's a myth. The angels are what they are, and we are what we are. We all have our places, and Heaven and Earth would be much better off if we could simply work together and establish a status quo of some sort.

TK: Do you know love, if so what is love?

D: Well, it's really the same thing as desire, isn't it? If you love something, you want it. Humans romanticize it a bit more than they need to. I hear them say they love different things so complacently that a greater meaning seems implausible to me.

TK: Um... Okay. You answered the second half of the question. So can I assume that you... know love?

D: I appreciate the qualities of love--the qualities of which I just detailed. So yes.

TK: So... uh... Okay then. My last question is this: If all your desires were fulfilled what would you do next?

D: Die, probably. If not that, I would promote the status quo. I have no interest in either stopping what I am doing or changing my plans in any way. I do nothing in the name of chaos.

TK: Thank you very much for coming. I may invite you back later on. Would you be interested in a return?

D: Yes. And I will continue to monitor your blog as well as your other works. The experience was fascinating.

TK: Excellent. Have a good day.

D: Goodbye.

[Thank you for reading my blog. Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com You can also visit my website at www.tkwade.com. Thank you!]

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Noble Fugitive

One of the most fascinating and fun tropes we have seen in fairy tale history is what is called the noble fugitive. To sum it up, we have a man--nearly almost always a man--who has found himself on the run from the law, yet he still does what he can to help those in need. Robin Hood is likely the most famous of these types, but there are many ways to accomplish this sort of character.

One of the common factors of the noble fugitives generally has to do with the unfortunate fallibility of present law. He is either confused with someone else's crime, or the crime he committed was justified despite being against the law. Whatever the case, the authorities want him either captured or killed. In the case of Robin Hood, it was due to the corruption of the prince and the sheriff. He stood against them to help the innocent who were being bled dry by the elites.

A similar but far more cynical version is the case of the Star Wars Jedi Master Rahm Kota. He was one of the surviving Jedi Masters after the emperor ordered all of his kind killed. He still fought the good fight for a while until a battle with a Sith apprentice left him blind. This blindness made him quite cynical. He was still good and willing to fight, but he spent much of that time getting drunk and talking about what was wrong with the universe.

The latter example is often interpreted in the form of a wandering fugitive. He wears rags and constantly scavenges for food. He could have a grand past life such as Master Kota, or he could just simply be a loner on the wrong side of the law. Nevertheless, he will act entirely by his heart with no mind for the law whatsoever. What does a fugitive have to lose anyways? Being on the wrong side of the law pretty much exempts you from having to follow it. Besides... in most fairy tales, breaking the law often just led to execution anyways. At this point, you should be free to murder and steal from those who deserve it for the sake of those you decide to help.

The main principle the noble fugitive really sets is the meaninglessness of the law itself. It's not real. It's just a set of rules pulled together by a particular group of people. Sometimes the majority of the country has no say in these laws whatsoever. And let's just be honest, if laws were truly sacred, they would be the same across the entire planet. Unwittingly becoming a fugitive can put this sort of thing into perspective. You suddenly realize that you are being hunted for merely following your conscious. It has a way of disillusioning your perception of the law.

In many tales of corrupt kings, the laws seemed really only to favor the elites. Taxes were often levied to make the king more comfortable. Meanwhile, the peasants were... well... peasants. They lived miserable lives in fear that they would be arrested for not paying their taxes on time. It is no wonder that when a noble fugitive came to stand up for them, they did what they could to protect them. After all, he's all they got!

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Also! Visit my website at www.tkwade.com and have a look at my books! Thanks!

Robin Hood

Jedi Master Kota

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Coyote and His Meal

Everyone really seemed to enjoy my own personal fable in last week's blog. I've decided to give you another and possibly even more down the line. In this spotlight, I am happy to present to you another one of my own personal fables known as "The Coyote and His Meal," written in 2011. Enjoy!

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A hungry coyote, having trapped a man in his den, was soon to slay and feast upon his flesh, however the man protested, “I forbid you to feast upon me. As a man, I possess a name, and those who are named are dominant over those who do not.” With a chuckle, the coyote replied, “Name yourself what you will, for by tomorrow, you will fill my belly.”

Moral: Pride is no saving grace.

-----

Unlike "The Fox and the Snake" which ventured away from the Aesop's formula slightly, this story follows the style of Aesop perfectly. I also included a moral with this one... per tradition.

The premise of this fable has to do with the ultimate worthlessness of false pride. People often think more highly of themselves than they really ought to. The argument the man in the story made suggests that he really had nothing worth bragging about in how he lived. Take note of that!

Why was his only argument that he was a man and had a name? What did he do as a man? Was he a carpenter? Did he paint? A sculptor? What was important about him? All he seemed to say was that he was a man and had a name, and those alone meant that he would be exempt from being killed and devoured by a hungry coyote.

Even though it is possible that the coyote would have just as easily eaten someone who lived a better life, this particular man seemed to have lived up to a point where he deserved his ultimate fate. I have always claimed that a life worth living actually takes effort. People who simply live and nothing else are wastes of life. Actually try and pursue your dreams. If the coyote gets you, in that case, then the story is a tragedy. "The Coyote and His Meal" is not a tragedy at all. It is more a fulfillment of destiny.

The coyote makes a funny comment at the end: “Name yourself what you will, for by tomorrow, you will fill my belly.” This is all about the nature of an animal. Animals only care about food and sex. He was not taking the man's claim seriously at all. He did not even understand what the man was talking about. He must have been thinking, "What does a name have to do with me not eating you? Sure, if you want a name then fine, but I'm here to eat." Animals do not care about human ego. They have certain things they are trying to accomplish and that is the end of it.

As to the moral I chose "Pride is no saving grace." This is one of my better morals. It is short and succinct. It wraps up the whole issue in 5 words. What do you think? Could the moral been something else? If you know of a better or different moral why not write it into the comments? I'd love to hear what you think!

So that is it for "The Coyote and His Meal." I have written a few more fables. I will let you read them as I get around to them. Fables were always fun for me to write. They are very brief ways to explain the problems with humanity and our relationship to the rest of the world. I look forward to showing you more!

Thank you for reading this blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thank you!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Dragons and Princesses

So as it turns out, if a king only has a son, a prince, they will likely not any problems with dragons. There never seems to be female dragons interested in kidnapping princes. The formula always favors the exact opposite. A male dragon will attack a kingdom and make off with a princess. This trope is pretty much uncontested throughout the ages which means there is truth to it.

Let's ask some questions about what is actually going on here:

1. Why does the dragon even want the princess?

2. What does he do with her while she is with him?

3. Why are there hardly any female dragons in lore?

And finally...

4. What is a dragon?

Let's start with the first question. Why does the dragon even want the princess? If there is one thing we associate dragons with, it's hoarding. They love to just gather up all the shiny things in the world and put them in one single spot. And what do they do? They sleep on it. Smaug from "Lord of the Rings" is a fantastic example of this.  He didn't have a princess though. I can only imagine this was because there were none to have in the area.

Dragons probably like princesses for the same reason they like jewels and gold. They are generally virgins and untouched. Why not add it to the collection? If a dragon can see the beauty in a ruby, I'm sure they can see it likewise in a human beings.

But what does he actually do with her when she is with him? That was my second question. Here we may be getting into a disturbing area. Although I am unsure if any sexual contact ever took place--mainly because of an obvious size difference--the concept of it is very plausible. There's no reason for a dragon to do anything like that with inanimate treasure, but there very well could be a sexual attraction to a beautiful princess.

Fairy tales do not often go into what happens between dragon and princess. Most stories will either show her languishing away in a cage or trapped between his body and his tail. She could simply be considered a pet, but most of these stories generally focus on the prince or other type of hero going out to save her. As most people who write and tell stories tend to be somewhat prudish, it is reasonable that the relationship between the dragon and the princess could be a sexual one. Otherwise what would be the point of abducting an attractive woman?

So why is the prince never abducted by a female dragon? Where are the females anyways? I'm sure they exist. In fact, I sometimes wonder if some of the princesses are being abducted by female dragons as well. But none of them want princes. Men are not really beautiful. There's no reason to put them anywhere. Let's face it: men are rugged beasts who were born to go about fighting and killing things! A dragon looks at a prince and says, "Ew." Then he looks as the princess and little hearts float around above its head.

So a dragon kidnapping a prince would be a very silly thing. I'd actually wonder what is wrong with that particular dragon. Where did he come from? Why is he staring so creepily at that man? Why does he have a set of little human-sized dresses nearby. Oh no. No! Not that! WHY???!!!

What is a dragon? Very likely this is another dragon creature of old. Demons are basically hybrid spirits mixed with some sort of animal or another organic substance. In this case, probably dinosaurs. The difference is that the dragon is intelligent enough to recognize what beauty is. Demons have a long history of sexual misconduct. It makes perfect sense that they would want to steal away princesses to do whatever in the quiet of their hoard.

You can imagine how scary these greedy creatures were. They were huge, had massive power, and had no qualms about terrorizing others for their own benefit. No wonder there were people who went out to slay them. Nevertheless, the dragon became a cornerstone of popular fairy tale stories. Even to this day we discuss them and talk about their lore. Dragons will never truly go away. They have gone down in history as one of the most exciting and interesting villains of all time.

Thank you for reading my blog! Did you enjoy it? Golly, I sure hope so! In any case, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Rawr!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Fox and the Snake

As you have probably noticed, I have been spotlighting a lot of Aesop's Fables lately. You may think that, by the title "The Fox and the Snake," that we are about to go there again. Well, sort of. This story is indeed a fable, but it was not written by Aesop. As a matter of fact, this fable was written by Yours Truly back in 2015.

Now with great pleasure, I now present to you the entire fable of "The Fox and the Snake" as written by T.K. Wade (me).

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A fox had heard word that snakes were known for their abilities in killing prey. Thinking snakes to be very slow and stupid creatures, the fox challenged the snake to a killing contest. The snake agreed to this and allowed the fox to have the first go. The fox hunted all day and killed every little animal he could find–eating them up. Indeed, he became quite fat. To the snake, he said, “As you can see, I have had no troubles in the hunt. My belly is full. Now, I would like to see a slithering snake do likewise. I do not believe you can do it.” And the fox was correct. The snake found it impossible to kill so many as his opponent, and this caused him to lose the contest. After all, he only managed to kill and eat one fat fox.

-----

What makes this story different then a proper Aesop's Fable? It's a tad more tongue-in-cheek. It has wit to it. Aesop usually avoided wit to get straight to the moral. But I have always been a wise-ass at heart.

My fable does not directly tell you that the snake eats the same fox participating in the contest. It merely insinuates it. This insinuation makes the story come out more like a clever joke than a proper moral tail. Yet there still seems to be a moral here.

Evil has no qualms about devouring other evil. There are no true friendships among bad people. The fox may have thought he was having a friendly competition with a like-minded creature, but in the end, the snake was only looking for an opportunity. So was the fox, if you think on it.

Snakes are often aligned with evil. They are patient opportunists. Foxes are commonly portrayed as clever tricksters with an ego. It was the ego of the fox in this story that ended up being his downfall. It was for no other reason than to prove his superiority to the snake. The fox even thought it would be an easy contest because of how slow the snake operated.

Despite it's narrative departure from the Aesop's formula, this is my favorite of my own fables. I always get a chuckle when I get to the end of it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I do.

Thank you for reading my blog! If you enjoyed it, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thanks!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Gauntlet

The year is 1985. Arcades are all over the place. There happened to be one about a block from where I live. I went in there wondering what sort of games I would find in a small town like mine. There wasn't much to choose from, but I did notice one particularly big machine in the corner with a large sign over it that read "Gauntlet" in fancy lettering.

The reason this arcade machine was so big was because it had a place for 4 players to play at one time. That's 4 joysticks and 8 buttons on one machine. I guess I was just dazzled by how huge this thing was. And then I saw the opening screen. It depicted a male and female warrior sounded by monsters. The man was wielding a mace and the woman a sword. They were in the middle of, what appeared to be, some glorious battle, but that wasn't what got my attention. They were smiling. It was as if the thrill of battle was driving them onward to kill! At this point, the game just had to be played.

Once the machine ate my quarter, I got to pick from 4 fighters: Thor the warrior, Merlin the wizard, Thyra the valkyrie, or Questor the elf. Each character has their own strength and weaknesses. It was a tough decision, but I ultimately went with Thor. He made me feel handsome or something. I don't know. I just wanted to be him.

The game started off by placing me in a painfully empty room. I moved around a little. Very disappointing. A few ghosts came at me and I took care of them easily. I found a key. And soon after, I found a door. Behind that door was... Well... It was what I saw in the opening titles. Behind that door were more monsters than I could imagine all piled up waiting for a chance to come and kill me.

This sight was so stunning that part of me wanted to not open the door. But then... I started to realize why those two warriors on the title screen were smiling. I concluded that there would be no spoils if I did not proceed onward. I also kind of had to because I noticed my life was ticking down on its own. Screw it! I'm going in for better or worse! I threw open the door, and here they came. I just ran in there and killed as many as I could. Pretty soon, I was overwhelmed by monsters of all kinds. Even Death himself showed up wondering why I hadn't died yet. He figured he'd have to do the job himself! Imagine that! I found out where Death lives! Apparently right here in this dungeon!

I can't remember how far I made it. I think it was level 9 or 10. Either way, I ended up falling to my wounds. But even after death, I felt like I had done something amazing. I may have been only looking at an 8-bit representation of a warrior combat game, but my imagination remembered it a little differently. Indeed, I had a fully realized 3-dimensional recall of what I had been doing. There was something magical about how this game executed it's story to the player.

I later realized that the reason I died so early was that the game was really intended to be played by 2 or more people simultaneously. Preferably 4. The game will not go easy on you if you choose to play it by yourself. Gauntlet was the embodiment of a 4-person party going into the thick of evil and slaughtering their way through thousands upon thousands of monsters for treasure and glory. When played by a full party, the thrill shoots through your veins like no other game can manage. It's all in the presentation. That opening title screen really sparks the fire. You see those two smiling worriers and you want to be them!

In 1988, a port was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was not as good looking at the arcade machine, but there was one addition to it that made all the difference: music. The opening title music specifically really set the tone for the franchise. Apparently the new theme was composed by a man named Hal Canon. His style was reminiscent of J.S. Bach organ music. The opening theme as well as the following level themes really had a way of pushing you forward into the dark depths of the dungeon.

This amazing theme song was strangely not used again until 2014 with Gauntlet Slayer Edition. The theme song was renewed with a full orchestra, and it was beautiful! The game was also revived in full 3D! It was a good game, but so was the original. In many ways, the original was better because the imagination got sparked so intensely that... it just felt good!

My opinion is this: Gauntlet managed to make fairy tale history in the video game realm. It made us imagine great and death defying acts with very small-time graphics. It encouraged us to see with our mind's eye what we were actually doing in the game. It made us wonder and almost feel what being a brave warrior would be like. And with others at our side, we could feel what it was like to be in a party of fairy tale counterparts.

Gauntlet is still fun to this day. It has been ported and remade for a lot of consoles, and I have played so many of them: NES, Atari Lynx, Sega Genesis, PS3, PC. There are so many ways to play it, and it is always fun! I highly encourage you to find a copy, get a few friends to come over, and go out to battle! Into the fray, and only death will be your release!

Thank you for reading my blog! If you liked it, you should leave a comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Wait... You can shoot the food?!

As an extra for my Blogger edition only, here is a link to the amazing NES theme and its Slayer Edition counterpart!

NES version: Click here!

Slayer Edition version: Click here!

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Lion and the Mouse

It's Aesop's Fables time again! Today, we will have a look at another well-known Aesop's tail called "The Lion and the Mouse." As usual with how brief these stories are, I will be posting the entire story below for you and then follow it up with my own commentary.

And now, it is my pleasure to present to you Aesop's "The Lion and the Mouse."

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A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you."

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

Moral: A kindness is never wasted.

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Forget the moral of "A kindness is never wasted." for a moment. I understand what the author was trying to say, but I think we may have something more interesting on our hands. Allow me to explain.

There are many types of people in the world. Some are big and strong and some are small and weak. However there is something to be said of the lightweights. They are often more agile and have more of a honed skill set. The large and mighty use brute force and sometimes brutality to accomplish their goals, Both are equally useful as people but in different ways.

We often attribute the big and strong with greater power because brute force is very intimidating. Big and strong is actually a great quality too. We need people like that to help in certain situations. But big can sometimes work against themselves. It makes them much easier to see. The hunter in the story had no problems capturing the lion for this reason. The trap would have not even been an issue for the mouse. The lion was rather cocky to think that anyone "lesser" than he would be useful.

That same cockiness can happen for the mousy types too. This often gets them bested by the big and strong types later on. Luckily, this mouse was humble and confident in his own abilities. He somehow convinced the lion of this and was able to prove it later on. If the mouse had been cocky after being caught, it might have led to his death. Either way, I think we can agree that the mouse did get lucky, but his luck was assisted by a humble spirit.

The moral, as listed, is not a bad one. I would just warn against being kind to every person that comes your way. There is something to be said to casting pearls before swine. In this case, I think the moral should be: "A humble spirit can sometimes prove greater than might." What do you think? Do you have your own moral you'd give to this story? Please let me know if you do!

Did you enjoy this blog? If you did and you want to either comment or tell me your own moral for this story, you can do so below or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thanks!