By Jeremeeh Kousse.
Jeremeeh Kousse is a playwright. A storyteller and a comedian.
He is also a crypto researcher.
From his collections: Tales from the Savannah.
In the heart of the Amazon forest, a crystal-clear stream meandered through the dense foliage, serving as a sanctuary for a diverse array of wildlife. Among its frequent visitors were the flamingos, who would gather during the noon hour to bathe, stretch their elegant wings, and fish for their evening meal.
One particularly serene day, as the flamingos enjoyed their usual routine, a fox stumbled to the shore of the stream. The fox, having feasted on the carcass of a dead animal nearby, had swallowed a bone that lodged itself vertically in its throat. Desperately trying to alleviate the obstruction, the fox drank water repeatedly, but to no avail. It was suffocating, its eyes wide with panic and pain.
Noticing the fox’s distress, one of the flamingos, named Bida Arantes de Oliveira, felt a surge of compassion. Bida waded over to the shore and assessed the situation. The fox, recognizing the flamingo’s intent to help, opened its mouth wide, allowing Bida to thrust his long neck inside. With several precise strikes of his hard beak, Bida managed to dislodge and remove the bone.
The fox gasped for air, its life no longer in immediate danger. Relieved, Bida expected a word of gratitude from the fox. However, as the moments passed, the fox remained silent, its eyes avoiding Bida’s gaze.
Perplexed and somewhat disheartened, Bida finally spoke, “Mr. Fox, you haven’t said thank you to me for saving your life.”
The fox turned and, with a cold, indifferent tone, replied, “Is it because I allowed you to thrust your neck into my throat?”
Stunned by the fox’s ingratitude, Bida realized the harsh lesson unfolding before him. Despite risking his own safety to help, his good deed was met not with thanks, but with a dismissive retort.
Bida returned to the stream, his heart heavy but his spirit unbroken. Among the flamingos, he shared the tale of the ungrateful fox, teaching them an important lesson about the nature of kindness and the unpredictability of gratitude. The flamingos learned that while it is noble to help others in need, one should not always expect appreciation in return.
From that day on, the flamingos continued their lives by the stream, helping those in need without the expectation of gratitude. They understood that true kindness lies in the act of giving itself, and not in the acknowledgment received.
The story of Bida and the ungrateful fox echoed through the Amazon forest, reminding all its inhabitants that while gratitude is a beautiful reward, the essence of a good deed lies in the selfless act of doing it.
