An Aesop’s Fable

There were once two frogs that lived so near and yet so far. One frog lived in a small pond at the bottom of a quiet garden. The other lived by a road on the edge of town. The garden frog had a peaceful life with all the clean drinking and swimming water he wanted. The town frog also had plenty of water, water from puddles and drains. But living by the road was dangerous and stressful.

The garden frog pleaded with his good friend to move in with him, to the peaceful pond, out of harms way. The town frog just shook his head and said he couldn’t imagine moving away from the place he had lived all his life. He was used to his life by the road. No, he would stay where he was, by the road at the edge of the town. The next day, the town frog was run over by a passing vehicle.

Hi StoryReaders,

This is a rather morbid ending to a story (Aesop teaches hard lessons!), but I think it’s rather hilarious in its harshness.
After I adapted this story, I read an article by corporate storyteller Sean Buvala. He said that one of his clients said she couldn’t use this story at work because of its severe ending. Sean says that you can adapt any story to suit your needs. He changed the ending of Two Frogs to the city frog being scooped up by a little girl and put in a tank as a pet. He softened the ending, but still made the point that the smooth and routine path is not always the safest one, and sometimes, risks should be taken.

~ Julie