Weeds by Marither

Once upon a time, the weeds dominated the forest and all the animals were happy.  But the humans destroyed the forest for a building and the animals were forced to leave.  The animals have nowhere to go, so they were slaughtered and the weeds were replaced by cement.

One sunny morning, the beautiful flowers in the garden were surprised to see the growing weeds.

Weeds: “Wow!  This place has changed.  We are so excited to meet you all.”

Orchids: “Good thing you are far away from me.  Poor roses to be surrounded by ugly weeds.”

Tulips:  ” They don’t belong here!  They are destroying our image.”

Sunflowers: “They are useless and should be pulled out from the garden right away!”

Roses: “Wish the gardener could do something about it”

Weeds:  “We are not useless!  In fact, the animals love us.    We also have the right, for we are also plants like you.”

Orchids: “Excuse us, we are not plants.  We are flowers, and take note, not just flowers, but beautiful flowers that the humans adore.”

Weeds: “And what do they get from you?  Nothing!  You just please the eyes, you don’t nourish the body and soul.”

Roses: “Who cares?  At least, we are respected and treated well, unlike you.”

Tulips: “You should all go back to the forest where you belong.”

Weeds:  “You are all right, we don’t belong in this beautiful garden surrounded by wickedness. ”

And the gardener felt their plea, and pulled out the weeds immediately.

Atheris by Marither

Once there was an eagle’s egg that fell from the tree and rolled down in the cave until it reaches the nest of the snakes.  When the mother snake saw it, she buried it with her eggs.  When the father snake noticed the egg, he asked: “Where did that egg come from?”  She answered: “It was a lost egg, so we have to take good care of it.”

The time had come, the eggs started to crack and the whole family was excited to see.  The first egg cracked and it was a female brown hatchling, they called her Phily.

The second egg cracked and it was a female black hatchling and they called her Indi.

The third egg cracked and it was a female yellow hatchling and they called her Taipan.

There was a moment of silence, when the last egg cracked.  They were surprised when they saw feathers instead of scales.  The mother snake told the whole family that it’s a special hatchling so everyone called her Atheris.   The whole family had hesitations but they don’t have a choice but to accept Atheris.

After few months, Atheris became a loner because nobody wanted to play with her for she’s different from the rest of the snakes.  She has feathers instead of scales, she walks while the rest crawl.   She don’t know how to use her wings because she taught that she should crawl.  She felt that she’s the ugliest creature of all, because Phily, Indi and Taipan attract other snakes, while no one would even want to go near her.  They’ve become the most powerful in the cave while she became left behind.

So one day, she tried to take off all her feathers just for her to feel that she belongs.  But she ended up hurting herself because of the wounds from pulling the feathers by force.  Whenever she cries at night, her mother snake never get tired of telling her: “You are a special snake that’s why you shouldn’t feel bad because you are beautiful”.

Few months had passed, Atheris joined the “Amazing Crawling Race”, but ended up hurting herself for trying to crawl just to win the race, but she failed.  Out of depression, she went out of the cave crying.  She was surprised to see eagles like her flying in the sky.  She couldn’t understand what’s happening.  A flock of eagles saw her.  An eagle called her: “What are you waiting for?  Why aren’t you using your wings and fly?”  Atheris told them: “But I can’t.  I don’t know how. I look like you but I am not like you”.  The eagles laughed.  An eagle told her: “What are you talking about?  You are an eagle like us. Just use what you have.  Use your wings and fly”.

She was confused.  Atheris told her mother about the eagles she saw.  Her mother knew that the right time will come and told her the truth.  Her mother told her: “I love you and will always be my daughter but you have to go and leave the cave before it’s too late.  Fly high my child for you belong in the sky”.   Atheris was happy to know the truth and told her mother snake: “You will always be my mother.  I will always honor you for the love you’ve shown me even I’m different ”.  She went out of the cave and obeyed her mother.

Few years after, Atheris went back to the cave to visit her mother.  As expected, Taipan and Indi were busy monopolizing the cave,  while Phily was hibernating.  Atheris finally saw her mother, but  in deep sorrow.    Atheris told her mother how beautiful the world outside the cave and convinced her mother to come with her.  But her mother refused for she is getting weaker and weaker each day.  Atheris told Taipain, Indi and Phily that they have to save their mother for she’s dying, but the 3 just ignored her as they’ve been busy with their own agenda.    Atheris wanted to stay but her mother told her to leave the cave or she’ll be in great danger.    Atheris can’t take what’s happening so she took the risk of taking her mother out of the cave and no one even bothered.

Atheris flew out of the cave by holding  her mother.   A flock of eagles saw them and an eagle told Atheris: “What are you doing with an enemy? Get rid of  it!”  But Atheris just ignored them and kept on flying.   “Look how big and beautiful the world outside mother!   It has a lot of caves.  It has different creatures.  It has different colors.”  Atheris said enthusiastically.   Her mother took her last breath and smiled.  Atheris hugged her mother tightly and said, “farewell my dear mother, your kindness will be cherished forever”.

Admonition of an Owl by Marither

Once there was a big male python living in a big trunk of a tree.

He waits for his prey to get into the trunk to feed him for a day, then hibernates.

An old owl noticed what the python was doing,

and warned every animal that will try to get in the python’s den.

A skeptic skunk was near the tree, when the owl saw and warned the skunk.

“Be careful skunk, a python is in the trunk.”

“I don’t believe unless I see, for sure there are lots of food stored for me.”

The skeptic skunk was curious and went to see,

but as days passed by, the skunk didn’t come out of the tree.

*

A curious rat was near the tree, when the owl saw and warned the rat.

“Be careful rat, a python is in the trunk.”

“I’m curious to find out, if something happened to me, then I’ll squeak.”

The rat was curious and went to see, but as days gone by, it never came out of the tree.

*

An audacious cat was near the tree, when the owl saw and warned the cat.

“Be careful cat, a python is in the trunk.”

“I’m not scared of anything.” so the cat was brave enough to see,

but as days gone by, it never came out of the tree.

*

A naive rabbit was near the tree, when the owl saw and warned the rabbit.

“Be careful rabbit, a python is in the trunk.”

“Thank you owl, I rather go back home than take the risk.”

The rabbit went back home and warned the rest of the rabbits.

The Cub and the Eaglet by Marither

In the animal kingdom, there were 2 powerful groups of animals, the pride or the group of lions and the congregation of eagles.

Since the lions were the most powerful for a long period of time, the eagles planned to take the eyes of the lions’ cubs.  So once the future of the lions will be blinded, the eagles will reign & rule the animal kingdom.

The eagles started to attack the cubs by taking their eyes.  The lions were bursting in anger.  So they hid their cubs in the cave and planned how to destroy all the eagles in the forest.

One sunny day, a blind male cub was bored and went out of the cave to play.  Then he met a male eaglet and asked him: “Why are you alone in the forest?” The cub answered:  “I’m bored in the cave, I want to be free and to play with other animals in the forest.  But our parents told us that it’s not safe outside the cave because of the wild predators.”  “I’m bored too, I’m tired of being on the nest because of the wild predators that our parents have told us.  Since you can’t see, let me be your eyes to guide you.”  From then on, the eaglet became the cub’s playmate in the forest.

When the eaglet was guiding the cub on his way home, the lions captured the eaglet.  The cub was trying to stop them.  The lions roared out of anger as they almost killed the eaglet.  The lions decided that eating the eaglet will not solve the problem.  So the lions brought the poor eaglet to the congregation of eagles and told them: “The same will happen to all your eaglets if you’ll continue to take away the eyes of our cubs.”  The eagles realized what they’ve done and agreed that they will never harm their cubs again.

After several years, the 2 playmates meet again.  The eaglet turned into a paralyzed eagle, while the blind cub turned into a blind coward lion.  The eagle was crying as he asked his friend, “Why do we have to be the victims of our parents’ fault?  Why do we have to suffer from their mistakes?”  The lion replied, “I’m sorry for what happened to you.   I hope that you could forgive my pride for what they’ve done to you. I’m still your friend and I can be your feet, while you’ll be my eyes.”

From then on, the eagle served as the eyes of the lion, while the lion served as the feet of the eagle and both lived symbiotically.

A Tale of Two Cats by Marither

In the city of vanity, a timid black cat was happy to meet a mischievous white cat, for he has found a friend.

The black cat was scared to be alone so he followed the white cat.   When the white cat noticed that the black cat was following him, he sighed and said: “Come along black cat, as I find a place to stay for the winter”.  The black cat was thankful and said with a smile: “What a felicitous life!”

Winter came and the two homeless cats were shivering in an alley, an old woman was astounded of the white cat and said:  “Oh, pity white cat, come and be my pet”.  So the old lady carried the white cat on her way home.

When she noticed that the black cat was following them, she shooed the black cat away and said:  “Stop following us, you wicked black cat!”  But the black cat still followed them until they have reached home.

The old lady fed the white cat, and then brushed his fur.  The black cat was shivering as he watched the white cat at the window dreaming of being pampered.  But when the old lady saw the black cat, she hurriedly pushed the window.  The black cat fell that broke his right leg.  The old lady shouted: “Get lost you black omen and don’t you ever get near our house!” So the black cat ran away to the market.

One day, when the white cat was conceitedly walking while the old lady was buying fruits in the market, the white cat saw the black cat and told him: “How sad for you to be homeless with a broken leg.  Why don’t you follow us secretly, just hide as I give you food in the garden so you don’t have to roam around in this stinky place.”  The black cat was relieved and followed them back home.

One sunny morning, the white cat threw the yarn ball to his friend in the garden and told him to play around with it so he won’t get bored.  The white cat also gave him all the food that he could get from the kitchen.  The black cat was thankful.

For several days, the old lady was curious to know where the food and her yarns for stitching are. So she started to look for her yarns and screaked to see the black cat playing with a yarn ball.  The old lady got her broom and went out hurriedly.  When the black cat saw the old lady getting near him, he was scared as he ran fast with his sore leg.

The following day, in the market, the white cat saw the black cat wounded and starving.  The white cat  invited him again to be back in the garden.  The black cat was depressed and declined, he told him: “My life has been cursed.  People called me with evil names that you can’t even imagine. I was judged by my features, degraded and even wanted to be executed.”

The old lady was bursting with anger when she saw her white cat with the black cat.  She screamed: “Get that evil black cat!  It stole a lot from me!”   Then she called her white cat in a soft voice: “Come to mama my angel”.  The white cat didn’t think twice of going back to the old lady.  He told the black cat:  “I’m sorry my friend, but I have to go back home.  I know you can survive in this place.”  The black cat was disappointed, thinking that he has a found a friend who would be there when he needed it most.

The old lady told her white cat: “You shouldn’t go near that black cat, it is a witch!”  The black cat can’t do anything.  He was afflicted.  Yet, he was thankful that the old lady just left instead of hurting him.

The next day, the white cat was haunted by his conscience and went back to the market to look for his friend.  He was happy to see his friend near the trash.  As he gets near, his heart was palpitating, he felt the cold wind and found out that he has lost his friend.