Of Worms, Dragons and Monsters.

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Children's fables always had a message, and this one is no different.

The origin of this fable is unclear. Perhaps, it originated from Manchuria. Or somewhere in the villages of the Timbuktu-ian mountains. Either way, it contains an important message.

On a faraway isle, there lived a breed of magical worms. These worms were helpless and picked upon on by various predators throughout most of their lives. Not very magical, apparently. Many died in the process.

However, the remaining worms held out in hopes of evolving. It was a known fact that once the worms had reached Evolution Point, they would then slowly be transformed into Dragons. And henceforth, they no longer would have to live in constant fear of attack. Day by day, the worms worked hard and held on to that hope.

There was this particular worm and his name was Day. Having been abandoned by his parents, Day decided to travel across the whole isle, regaling the other worms with stories of his adventures along the way.

One day, Day (hurhur) stumbled upon the grave of a Dragon. His eyes shone and sparkled as he formulated a devious plan in his tiny worm brain.

That day, Day (hurhurhur) stole some pieces of Dragon scale from the sacred grave of the Dragon and, using gum from the old gum tree, stuck it onto his worm body.

He then proudly went back to worm village and exclaimed, "Behold! Keep your eyes on me, for I have started my Evolution!"

Some of the younger worms looked at him with admiration and envy. And it made Day feel very good.

This didn't escape the notice of some of the Elder worms, for it had been awhile since any of the worms had evolved. "Could he be the Chosen One?" they wondered.

Day by day, Day (hurhur ..omg stop it!) looted more and more pieces of scale from the Dragon's corpse. With each new piece, he got bolder, and his stories wilder and more grandiose.

By this time, he had taken to speaking with the authority of a Dragon and started ordering the other worms around. They were no longer interested in his boasts and adventures, but had to humour him due to his nasty temper.

At this point in time, Day had already stolen the Dragon's head and was wearing it as if it were a part of himself. So caught up was he in his charade, that he believed himself truly evolved. Day had even declared himself a Sun-Dragon, which was blasphemous, to say the least.

All this time, Spirit of Nature was watching. Initially, he found the antics amusing, and let things run its own course. However, it seemed now that the game had gone too far. Sun-Dragon, formerly known as Day, had become a tyrant, no longer noble, but a Monster.

Another day, same shit. Sun-Dragon, formerly known as Day was throwing a hissy Dragon fit at the other worms, as had become the norm in recent times.

Spirit of Nature no longer could stand Day's impudence. With a clap, a bang, and a flash of light, Spirit of Nature caused the glued-on Dragon scales to fall off in one fell swoop.

"Sun-Dragon" was revealed to be none other than Day - the worm that he truly was.

And then a bird came by and swallowed him whole.

The other worms watched on with a horror that was tinged with a feeling of vindication.

And the bird said, "No worries. I Swallow."

The End.

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What do you think is the moral of the story?