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The Scorpion and the Toad-tally Toxic Friendship

A retelling of a classic fable for a very special and beloved modern audience

By Mark Randall HavensPublished about a year ago Updated about a year ago 3 min read
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“Trust, but protect yourself.” — The frog’s last lesson, courtesy of the scorpion. Photo by Austin Santaniello on Unsplash

To my little rabbit,

As I write this fable, you are 4 years old. You may have heard me read this to you before, perhaps with funny voices. Maybe you remember other versions of this fable too — there are so many! Little girls grow up so much faster than the stories they remember. You may not even like reading fables like this one when you are older. But I hope that someday — perhaps when you are as old as I am now — you will happen across this fable on your own. If part of me is still on this Earth (by then it will be 2064 — I may transfer my consciousness into a robot body — you never know), tell me what you think of it. I wrote it, especially for you.

Your loving father,

Mark Randall Havens

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The scorpion and the frog were having a conversation about crossing a river. Having helped a turtle cross a river before, the scorpion said that scorpions were perfectly suited to advise frogs on swimming across rivers and that a frog should never navigate a river alone.

But the frog was not convinced. The frog mistrusted the scorpion because scorpions had a reputation for stinging other animals. The frog said that it had been swimming in ponds for years and that rivers couldn’t be much different.

“But ponds and rivers are not the same,” the scorpion told the frog. “A river has a perilous current, while a pond does not.”

The frog blinked, unknowingly.

“A river would be much more difficult to swim than a pond,” the scorpion continued. “And only with my guidance and your ability to follow my direction exactly will you be able to safely transverse this river.”

The frog asked, “How can I trust that your guidance will be of value since you yourself don’t even know how to swim?”

For a moment, the scorpion began to look angry but quickly shifted to a much more pleasant demeanor.

“I have already helped a turtle in desperate need of my wisdom navigate not just one river, but two rivers, just like this one. And because of my guidance, we together made it to the other side on both occasions,” the scorpion announced. “I can most certainly help you cross this river just like I helped the turtle.”

“But you can not harm a turtle because of its shell,” the frog said. “If I carry you on my back, and you sting me, I will surely die.”

The scorpion lowered its voice to a whisper, careful to not be heard by any of the other animals nearby, “If I sting you while we are crossing the river, we will both surely die.”

The frog thought for a moment and agreed.

As the scorpion and the frog began to cross the river, the scorpion stung the frog right where it stood on the frog’s back.

As they began to sink, the frog exclaimed, “Why did you sting me? Now we are both going to die!”

“Why didn’t you trust me the first time I offered you my help?” The scorpion asked. “You should have listened to me then when I said I could help you cross this river!”

“I did listen to you!” Shouted the frog. “And now we will perish together!”

“You foolish frog,” said the scorpion. “You should have protected yourself from being stung as the turtle did with its shell.”

“But I trusted that you wouldn’t want to die yourself,” the frog said, gurgling its final breath.

“And I trusted that you would believe that I would go against my nature,” retorted the scorpion, as it too submerged under the river’s surface.

Fable
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About the Creator

Mark Randall Havens

Mark Randall Havens is founder of Dallas Maker Community and Dallas Makerspace and was awarded a prestigious Ph.D. fellowship in recognition of his work in his community. Mark Havens holds an MS in Management and a BS in Computer Science.

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