The bull, the lion, and the crab

There once lived a stubborn bull who had convinced herself that she wasn’t good enough. The bull lived comfortably enough with her friends, the crab and the lion. Their lives were simple, and their desires were few. They shared a stone cottage in the woods that was just the right size for the three of them. The three friends were alone in the world, save for each other.

"Good morning, bull." said the lion, making her way slowly out of her bedroom after one of her famous naps. She was a beautiful cat; sleek, slim, and strong. She never had one piece of fur out of place, and her sharp teeth were as white as the freshly fallen snow.

“Good morning, lion.” replied the bull with a sigh. She was sitting in the living room with a freshly steeped pot of green tea, and a book which she had left untouched on the arm of her leather wingback chair. The lion smiled at the bull and made her way outside to see what the crab was up to.

The crisp spring air filled the lion’s lungs, and she threw her head back to release a triumphant roar. Their cottage was situated just outside the tree line dividing the forest and the valley. Before her lay rolling hills of emerald green flecked with periwinkle blue forget me nots swaying in the breeze. The forest line was the shape of a crescent moon with their cottage perfectly placed in the middle, so when stepping over the threshold into the open air, one was met with the expansive valley out front, and a gentle embrace from the evergreens at the periphery. The lion strode down the garden path, and delicately opened the wooden gate separating their perfectly manicured garden, from the wilderness of the untamed valley. In the distance she spotted the crab crawling around the shore of a quietly burbling rivulet beyond the first hill to the east. With the greatest of ease, she bounded through the tall grass, and came to an elegant stop just shy of the crab’s pincers.

“Oh lion! You scare me every time! I don’t understand how you’re able to stop so gracefully after having run with such speed!” the crab jocosely snapped her pincers at the lion’s tail, and mused on, “I feel near tears, I must say. This beautiful spring day has bolstered my spirits, which I must admit have been rather low.”

“I feel the same way, crab. We are both serving our purposes, and doing our part to keep the house running smoothly, but bull seems completely apathetic. I am becoming frustrated.”

The crab turned away deep in thought, and scuttled along the shore hoping to manifest an answer in the sparkling water. Before long, he madly started snapping his pincers, and scuttled back towards the lion who had been admiring her reflection in the river, (moments away from succumbing to the fate of Narcissus).

“What is it?!” started the lion. She gave the crab a gentle nudge with her nose to show her eagerness to hear what he had to say.

“Think of it this way, lion…” mused the crab, “…we never expect bull to work around the house as you and I do. Bull built our cottage for us, and since then we have not wanted to burden her with anything else, so you make sure the house and garden are beautiful, and I create meals for us to enjoy.”

“But bull loves her life! She enjoys her books, and her puzzles, and strolls in the valley. That’s how bull is. She tends towards laziness, and we have recognized that and have tried to give her the life she desires. She loves her life.”

“Does she? I don’t think she does, lion. See, I think that bull does what she feels we expect her to do, which isn’t much, and as a result she has come not to expect very much of herself.”

At this, the lion turned her head towards the cottage, and could just barely see the bull through the window.

“But… she has already done so much for us. We wouldn’t have this life without her. I thought we were giving her the life she wanted; a life of leisure.”

“I know that bull does love her relaxation, but that’s not all that she is. She wants to work alongside us. She wants to help us, but we have inadvertently taught her that her help is not desired, or needed. Bull is the most loyal one of us, and will be beside us until the day she dies, but she is stubborn. She won’t approach us to try and change things, we have to help her understand that we need her as much as she needs us. The three of us need each other.”

At the same moment, the cottage was ringing with the bull’s sad sighs.

“I’m not sure what they see in my company? It seems they have everything under control, and I am nothing but a burden.” The moment she heard the words escape her lips, she felt incontrovertibly their truth was self evident. In an uncharacteristically impetuous moment, she resolved to leave. She quickly gathered a few things, and slipped out the back door and into the woods.

“They will be better off without me. Clearly, they only think of me as the lazy, stubborn bull… and I can’t seem to escape the dreadful thought that they’re quite right.” The bull plodded along through the trees, not sure where she was going, or what she would do when she got there. Far off she could hear the faint calls of her friends, their echoes carried on the wind.

“I have to hide somewhere. If they find me, they will think that I was just seeking attention.” Creeping softly so as not to be betrayed by the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, she found shelter behind the roots of a fallen oak. “I’ll wait here until they have given up their search.”

Minutes trickled into hours, and the voices continued. “What are they doing?” thought the bull, “they have been searching for hours! Why would they spend so much time trying to find me?” She let free a sob for this terrible question sprung so naturally from her lips. Before she could stifle herself, the lion and the crab had found her.

“Bull!” they exclaimed in unison, engulfing her in their arms (and pincers). “Where were you? We were so worried! Why did you leave?” inquired the lion.

“Well, I just felt like I was a burden to you both. I don’t do much of anything, and I just wanted to make your lives a little bit lighter by taking myself out of the equation.” Shimmering tears filled the bull’s eyes, and she hung her head and wept.

“Oh bull, my dear bull, you are most certainly not a burden. You are the heart of this family. We don’t ever want to make you feel like your help isn’t desired or valued. Your loyalty and love are what gets us out of bed in the morning! Never think that our lives would be easier or better without you. Each one of us brings our strengths to this household, and without you there would be no house to hold us.”

The crab and the lion helped the bull up, and walked her home one on either side of her.

The three friends decided that everyone ought to have a turn with each aspect of their life together. With this new structure, each friend began to flourish. They taught each other about their individual strengths, and always made sure to speak up when they were hurting. The bull taught the crab and the lion how to be loyal, the lion taught the bull and the crab how to be creative, and the crab taught the lion and the bull how to open up and express their emotions. In time the bull came to realize that stubbornness can be a strength if properly directed, so with time, she learned to be stubborn enough to never again feel like she wasn’t enough.