The Story Of A Limp Snake

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The Story Of A Limp Snake | Not very long ago there was a snake who was deemed great by the animals in the jungle for he had a forked tongue that could twist and turn the fates of other animals in verge of encagement or death, and fangs that could shoot out poison as deadly as Death himself; and each time the snake won a fight he received a new shiny scale on his long body

Because of the shiny scales, many young offspring inspired to become as great as him and those who had the opportunity to encounter the snake in their battles shook like an old willow tree in winter. But there once was a rumour that a cheeky mouse-deer had slapped the snake with the help of the wind, and the mouse-deer had somehow escaped from the jaws of the snake

The snake has now grown old and his scales, though remain shiny, aren't as bright as they used to be. His long body is now all bent and crooked like a Polka musician's accordion, so instead of slithering smoothly across the ground as he used to, the snake had to limp and drag its long body forward to move around

Although the snake is no longer strong and handsome, the poison in his fangs remain as deadly as ever and this enables the snake to catch his prey or fight his enemy by spitting at his target from afar. Again, the animals in the jungle are afraid of the snake since he is still able to fight them despite his limpness. Sensing the fear and awe instilled in the animals of the jungle, the limp snake becomes bolder and bolder every time he defeats his rivals in battle. The limp snake knew that with his forked tongue, shiny stars and deadly poison no animal would dare to make him its prey

"Even the King of the jungle is no more powerful than I am," the limp snake thought boldly. Since there are no lions in the jungle, the tiger was made King of the jungle as he is considered by the animals as the most powerful hunter of all


"The Tiger is merely a mascot for the cowards, those Kellog's Frosties kids. He does not have any actual authority in the jungle. He's just there for show. Like his flashy stripes."
The limp snake thought the tiger's stripes are just as common as his scales. What the limp snake did not know (or he was probably ignorant) that the tiger's stripes were obtained from his ancestors who were highly acknowledged by humans for their remarkable beauty and nobility - a genetic heirloom that was not earned nor created

Indulged in his rebellious mind, the limp snake decided to challenge the tiger to step off his throne and leave the jungle forever. The limp snake waited until the day of the Confrontation when each one of the animal species in the jungle sent their leader of the pack to confront other leaders and draft a treaty on matters relating to the jungle community

Without complying to the protocols of the Confrontation, the limp snake in his utmost bold and saucy manner questioned the power and authority of the tiger in the middle of the animal gathering. And the animals' reaction consisted of - the monkey screeching angrily at the snake; the elephant stomping his feet in anger; the bee threatening to sting the snake; the crocodile crying out his crocodile tears and a lot of other reactions that I myself couldn't possibly fathom

But what did the limp snake do? He merely stayed on the ground, refusing to apologize for the riot he has caused in the Confrontation. Lashing out his forked tongue at the animals that were present before he dragged himself away, the limp snake taunted, "Your anger cannot hurt me. It's because you do not know how to."
The laws of the jungle were revised - the owl had his time filled with poring over the Jungle Constitution. Animals of different species began to kill each other because they hate the stripes or scales or feathers of another. A group of toads suddenly found their spawning shelter bombed with a quail's egg. In various parts of the jungle, some robins started lodging complaints to the local authorities to act against the limp snake


Can you imagine the scene now

Can you see the limp snake baring his fangs at the tiger? Can you see the poison of subversion the snake spat out from his fangs

So what happened to the limp snake? I am sorry to tell you that there is no happy ending in this story. The snake is still free, limping and poisoning others as a happy snake can be. Oh yes, the owl discovered the snake has committed an offence by being insolent to the King of the jungle, but he is still doubtful as to whether the limp snake should be punished for his insolence. And the animals still fight against each other in the jungle - the only difference is that they have forgotten the law of the jungle, i.e. the one with might wins

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