A Bear Admits Its Mistake
One day, a bear was playing in the forest when it accidentally fell into a trap. The trap was very steep, and no matter how hard the bear tried, it couldn’t climb out. Desperately, the bear started calling for help. Just then, an elephant happened to pass by and heard the bear’s cries, so it came to the edge of the trap.
The elephant was the bear’s neighbor, and when the bear saw the elephant, it was like seeing a savior. The bear said to the elephant:
“Please save me! I will never forget your kindness for the rest of my life! I will definitely repay you!”
The elephant stretched its long trunk down into the trap. The bear clung tightly to the elephant’s trunk, and finally, it managed to climb out. The bear said to the elephant, “Thank you for saving me, or I would have died!”
One night, the elephant’s trunk was accidentally bitten by a cobra. The elephant quickly rushed to the bear’s house and knocked on the door, hoping the bear would help it by going to fetch Doctor Monkey. The bear was already asleep, and though it vaguely heard the elephant calling for help, it yawned and said loudly, “I’m not feeling too well myself and have already gone to bed. You’d better go to Doctor Monkey’s clinic yourself!”
Seeing that the bear was unwilling to go fetch Doctor Monkey, the elephant had no choice but to endure the pain and walk toward the clinic on its own. But before it got far, the elephant became dizzy and collapsed under a big tree. An owl spotted the elephant lying unconscious and quickly called Doctor Monkey. Doctor Monkey extracted the venom from the wound on the elephant’s trunk, applied medicine to the wound, and gave the elephant some antidote. After Doctor Monkey’s full efforts, the elephant finally escaped danger.
At dawn, when the animals heard that the elephant had been bitten by a cobra, they all came to visit. The bear also brought a bouquet of fresh flowers to the elephant. Doctor Monkey said to the bear, “When rescuing someone who has been bitten by a venomous snake, time is of the essence. Once the venom takes effect, it’s very hard to save them. You are the elephant’s neighbor, so why didn’t you come to find me in time? If Owl hadn’t discovered it early, the elephant might have already died!”
The elephant said to the bear, “When you needed my help, you showered me with kind words. But when I needed your help, you made excuses and refused. If you’re so ungrateful, who will be willing to help you when you face difficulties in the future? Don’t you know that kind words and pretty flowers can never replace real, tangible help?”
Hearing this, the bear lowered its head in shame and repeatedly apologized.
Wisdom Highlight
Students, a person living in this world should learn to be grateful. Only by learning gratitude can one experience happiness and understand how to repay others. If someone is ungrateful, who will be willing to help them when they are in trouble?
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
