Aesop's fables:

Never play with master's ill will

Retold by Panchamee Hewavissenti

Once the king of the jungle, the lion, laid sick in its lair. Every animal paid the king a visit except the fox. Though there was no apparent reason for the fox not to visit its king, the fox couldn't make it and its absence was made prominent by an opportunistic wolf.

When the fox reached the lion's lair after quite a long time since the lion fell ill, the wolf grabbed the chance to serve its purpose against the fox, that's to speak ill of the fox to the king.

The wolf began to speak with a grudging tone: "Your Majesty, see, everyone in the jungle respects you, obeys you, cares for you and is loyal to you. When you fell ill, they paid you a visit and showed their respect to you besides the insolent fox.

Your Majesty, doesn't this show the swollen headedness and disrespect to you of the fox? Don't delay the due chastisement for that. There, it is arriving in the lair to be pardoned."

On hearing the discussion the wolf had with the lion, the fox entered into the lair, knelt before the king and started speaking: "Your Majesty", the fox further bent his head in utter respect to its king, "Am I permitted to tell what really happened?"

"I do not need your explanations." The lion roared. The furious eyes of the lion expressed more threats than words.

The fox crept slowly towards the lion and said, "Your Majesty, none of the animals in the jungle were bothered to take you to a doctor and provide you with necessary treatment. I have been out of the jungle to search for a doctor, I just returned to the jungle after a long journey and without going to my family I straightaway came to give you the medicine, Your Majesty."

"Oh, you're such a caring beast. I was mistaken. Actually you're the only one who wanted to cure me. Visiting me when I fall sick wouldn't cure me. You are wise, tell me the medicine immediately." The lion demanded from the fox.

"Your majesty, you must skin a wolf alive and cover yourself while it is still warm." In an instant the lion jumped on the wolf and killed him.

On leaving the lion's lair the fox though to himself, "It served the wolf right, it tried to play with the master's ill will. He plotted against me and that was his own destruction.

How the tables turned?"

Moral of the story

There are people in society who play on a superior's ill will. They think it would help them to maintain the goodwill of the superior. But people who try to rouse the ire of superiors against personal enemies would end up like the pitiful plight of the wolf, which plotted against the fox, to his own destruction. Though people seldom realise it, when the table turned it would be for their own destruction.