Friendship with the Wicked

Friendship with the Wicked

“I will never even think of befriending a snake again, because friendship should be made by judging one’s nature.”

By Rubina Naz, Karachi

Once upon a time, there was a deep old well in which many frogs lived together. The well had been their home for years, and all the frogs knew one another well. Among them lived one frog who was very ugly and poorly built. His appearance was unpleasant, and because of this, the other frogs never missed a chance to make fun of him. They laughed at him, teased him, and hurt his feelings almost every day.

One afternoon, when all the frogs were gathered together, they again began mocking the ugly frog. Their jokes were cruel, and their laughter was loud. The ugly frog became furious, but he stayed silent and stared at them with burning eyes.

“You’re looking at us as if you’re going to eat us,” one frog said mockingly. Hearing this, all the frogs burst into laughter.

“One day, I will deal with all of you,” the ugly frog said angrily.

The frogs laughed even harder and then jumped out of the well in search of food, leaving him alone. After they were gone, the ugly frog sat quietly and began to think. His heart was filled with anger and a strong desire for revenge. He kept asking himself how he could punish those who had humiliated him for so long.

Lost in these thoughts, he finally climbed out of the well. Not far away, he saw a snake resting quietly. An idea immediately came into his mind. Gathering his courage, the frog approached the snake and said politely, “Can you be my friend?”

The snake looked at him with surprise and replied, “Don’t you know that snakes eat frogs?”

“Yes, I know that very well,” the ugly frog answered. “But if you become my friend, I can take you to a place where many frogs live together.”

The snake thought for a moment and then said, “Very well. If you want to be my friend, take me there.”

The frog then revealed his true intention. “I want revenge on all the frogs who insult me and make fun of my appearance every day,” he said.

The snake smiled coldly and replied, “All right, my friend. I will help you take your revenge.”

Soon, the ugly frog led the snake into the well. When the other frogs saw the snake, fear spread among them instantly. They tried to hide, but it was too late.

“You were so proud of yourselves,” the ugly frog said bitterly. “You laughed at me and humiliated me. Today, my friend will punish you all.”

Without wasting time, the snake began swallowing the frogs one by one. The well that was once full of noise and laughter soon became silent. After finishing all the frogs, the snake turned toward the ugly frog.

“Now it is your turn,” the snake said angrily.

“But we are friends,” the frog said trembling with fear.

“A snake is no one’s friend, you fool,” the snake replied, showing its long tongue. “I will not spare you either.”

Thinking quickly, the frog said, “Wait! If you let me live, I can bring you many more frogs.”

“No,” the snake replied. “I will go with you.”

“If you come with me, they will all run away,” said the frog. “Let me go alone and trick them.”

The snake agreed. As soon as the frog came out of the well, he ran away as fast as he could, saving his life. From that day on, he promised himself that he would never again think of befriending a snake, because true friendship should always be based on nature, not on need or revenge.