| General Flash Fiction posted May 9, 2023 |
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A short fable
The Squirrel and the Cardinal
by RodG
Several sparrows and a bushy-tailed squirrel scrounged for scattered seeds in the snow beneath a half-full feeder.
A hooded cardinal flew to the tray of the feeder and helped himself to a black-shelled sunflower seed. A moment later the shell landed on the squirrel’s head.
The squirrel looked up. “Hey, Red, beak some of that good stuff down to me.”
“Why, BT? There’s plenty of grub down there already. You’re just greedy.”
Bushy Tail shook his namesake. “There’s only one of you up there. Share!”
The cardinal flicked his noble head from side to side. “You wouldn’t if you were in my place, and you know it.”
His place, thought the squirrel. How can I get there?
He looked around and saw a large bush close to the feeder. Its branches stretched outward toward the feeder’s pole.
If I can get through all those branches to the longest one, I’ll creep out and . . . uh . . . jump to the feeder’s roof . . . then slide down to that tray.
Off he scampered into the bush. He climbed through its branches onto one that extended the farthest outward. It quivered and bowed downwards under BT’s weight.
“I know I can make this leap,” he muttered to himself..
His torso balled tightly before his back legs launched him.
His tail waved once . . . twice . . . as he flew toward his target. Then all four feet grasped the feeder’s roof. It shook. So did he. For one glorious moment he held on before . . . toppling to the ground.
Red, during BT’s launch, had wisely flown away. Now he flew back to the tray and smugly beaked some bits of corn downward.
“Can I have some sunflower seeds?” BT whined.
“Nope,” Red replied. “And the moral of the story is that beggars can’t be choosy.”
Write A Modern Fable writing prompt entry
Several sparrows and a bushy-tailed squirrel scrounged for scattered seeds in the snow beneath a half-full feeder.
A hooded cardinal flew to the tray of the feeder and helped himself to a black-shelled sunflower seed. A moment later the shell landed on the squirrel’s head.
The squirrel looked up. “Hey, Red, beak some of that good stuff down to me.”
“Why, BT? There’s plenty of grub down there already. You’re just greedy.”
Bushy Tail shook his namesake. “There’s only one of you up there. Share!”
The cardinal flicked his noble head from side to side. “You wouldn’t if you were in my place, and you know it.”
His place, thought the squirrel. How can I get there?
He looked around and saw a large bush close to the feeder. Its branches stretched outward toward the feeder’s pole.
If I can get through all those branches to the longest one, I’ll creep out and . . . uh . . . jump to the feeder’s roof . . . then slide down to that tray.
Off he scampered into the bush. He climbed through its branches onto one that extended the farthest outward. It quivered and bowed downwards under BT’s weight.
“I know I can make this leap,” he muttered to himself..
His torso balled tightly before his back legs launched him.
His tail waved once . . . twice . . . as he flew toward his target. Then all four feet grasped the feeder’s roof. It shook. So did he. For one glorious moment he held on before . . . toppling to the ground.
Red, during BT’s launch, had wisely flown away. Now he flew back to the tray and smugly beaked some bits of corn downward.
“Can I have some sunflower seeds?” BT whined.
“Nope,” Red replied. “And the moral of the story is that beggars can’t be choosy.”
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Writing Prompt Write a short fable-like story where the last sentence starts with: "And the moral of the story is". This can be on any subject, true or fictional, and can be in any voice, as long as the moral is stated in the last line. A new twist on an old fable is also allowed. Be creative and have fun! Maximum word count: 300. |
WORD COUNT: 293 Apple Pages
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